Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition
When you hear deathmatch or team deathmatch or TDM, what games come to mind? Nowadays, probably Call of Duty or Valorant. Destiny and Overwatch have TDM-style modes. Counterstrike is still a thing, right (joking!!)? As someone who has been gaming for 30+ years, I have seen a ton of TDM games and/or game modes. During my freshman year of college, we had huge LAN parties of Red Faction. What about Worms, though? Yes, that game from 30 years ago.
Developed by Team 17, Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition is a celebration of the original Worms Armageddon, released in 1999. The original Worms, created by Andy Davidson, spawned from the “artillery” genre of games. Artillery? I had to look this up myself. Take Battleship, remove the guessing of where your enemy is on the map, but add in figuring out the angle of the shot and the power needed to hit your target. If you were not familiar with Worms, surely you know of Angry Birds? Same basic concept. Worms games span thirty-plus years at this point and 20-plus entries, but many consider Worms Armageddon the best of the best. Fun fact: the game had a ton of advertising, but Germany went above and beyond (or maybe too far) when they put the Worms Armageddon label on condom packages.
For those unfamiliar with Worms gameplay, here is the short and sweet version: your team of Worms takes on another team of Worms on randomized, multi-tiered platforms in a fight to the death. Worms start with 100 health and sides alternate turns attacking until one side has no survivors. Each turn is governed by a timer so the worms have an opportunity to move around for better positioning. The turn ends after the attack is made. So, how do you bring about no survivors?
We are not just talking pistols, shotguns, and Uzis. How about Bazookas, Mortars, Flamethrowers, Cluster Grenades, Dynamite, Homing Missiles, Napalm Strikes, Petrol Bombs, Mines, and Air Strikes? Perhaps something more unconventional is what you fancy. We have Banana Bombs, Skunks, Blow Torches, Pneumatic Drills, Sheep, Homing Pigeons, and last but not least, the CONCRETE DONKEY. You may even have to sacrifice a teammate for the greater good. When worms are defeated, they explode, damaging anything around them. War is messy, but a win is a win, even if you get called a traitor.
As this is an “artillery” game, most of the aforementioned weapons require a bit of aiming, some guesswork, and luck. For most of the weapons you will use, you can adjust the angle it will fire at and when you do fire, you can hold down the button to affect the speed. In some cases, the wind can be a factor, and that light grenade toss may not land exactly where you wanted. While it may seem complicated on paper, it just leads to more creativity when attacking. Use the wind to your advantage. Throwing a grenade straight up in the air seems stupid, but with the wind heading towards an enemy, it can carry the grenade to your intended destination. All environments are destructible in the various levels. If you cannot target an enemy, blow up the platform it is standing on. The end goal is always to win a match, but if you ask anyone who has played Worms, the match itself is the best part.
Technically, aiming is not required if you just blow it up
Within Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, players can launch a quick game, play offline against local or CPU players, play online, go through the single player mode, which is a combination of training missions and objective based missions, or completely customize a match, changing everything from match parameters for winning to types of weapons and their quantities. In addition to the main game, there is War Stories, which is an interactive timeline of the franchise including pictures and videos. Lastly, you can experience four (4) additional Worms games from yesteryear: Worms (Mega Drive), Worms (SNES), Worms Armageddon (Game Boy Color), and Worms World Party (Game Boy Advance).
Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition is the perfect nostalgic trip for fans of the series. I can remember playing in high school with friends. ‘Twas a simpler time…I loved it then and I put in over 25 hours during this review, enjoying every minute. The game does not reinvent the wheel. If you liked Worms back in 1999, you will surely like it in 2025. For newcomers, Worms is not a series that requires playing certain games in X order or doing Y things. Jump in for a 5-10 minute match and go about your day. This edition is the perfect starting point and also the only entry you need to get a feel for the series. For a hilarious and enjoyable take on the TDM formula, look no further.
