Get Hooked- Worms Reloaded Review

DesertEagle’s Take: As four young men huddled around a Pentium-based PC into the pre-dawn hours, Worms potential for longevity became undeniably apparent. Each of my co-combatants had become fascinated by the game’s randomly generated environments and obsessed with retaliation on behalf of their assassinated annelids. For the next few weeks of autumn, various weapons and tools fell in and out of fashion as new stratagems were discovered. While I suspected to enjoy the title throughout the remainder of year, the possibility of playing the game a decade and a half later seemed wholly improbable.

Yet, Team 17’s latest entry in the long-running franchise has recaptured my admiration for the anthropomorphic army. Much like the Madden NFL series, having an elongated evolutionary period has allowed Worms Reloaded to develop into the preeminent artillery-game title. With several new tools which range from bunker busters, sentry guns, and magnets which attract any metallic ordinance, as well as a graphical makeover, there’s likely enough substance to ‘hook’ long-term Worm enthusiasts.

Smartly abandoning the franchise’s brief foray into the third dimension, Worms Reloaded‘s skirmishes take place on a single plane. As with previous entries, the title requires players to balance battlefield position, depth of cover, and well as an ever-shifting wind as they lob an arsenal of environment-damaging weaponry at foes. While worms may take refuge in a tunnel, their ability to strike at other will be lessened. Others prefer to fire from precarious positions, adopting a more aggressive tactic. Reloaded‘s new burrow-busting ferrets and excavating termites simultaneously regulate and expand both approaches, embedding the game with some interesting new wrinkles.
 

Beyond playing Reloaded with local competitors, the title’s incorporation of Steam’s community features means there is always a challenger handy. The game’s highly customizable rule sets allow participants to alter loadouts, battlegrounds, voices, and appearances, maybe of which are unlockable through success in Reloaded‘s single-player campaigns. Where World Party allowed gamers to create their own sound banks, that ability is absent, presumably from keeping the contests from becoming too naughty.

Although veteran Worms commanders will adapt to the title’s keyboard-heavy control scheme, new players may question why the game doesn’t offer mouse-based aiming and firing. Luckily, all participants will appreciate the game’s high-resolution backdrops. Despite Reloaded intricate playfields, the turn-based structure is well-suited for play on netbooks. Considering the game’s reasonable price, Worms Reloaded offers a lot of gratifying bang for your twenty bucks.

TideGear’s Take: As DesertEagle alluded to, the Worms series has a nostalgic effect on gamers. Despite Team 17’s attempts to innovate the series, the original games have been revered as the best in the series, while later attempts have been deemed less successful. I recall enjoying Worms 3D, and I find Team 17’s seeming abandonment of innovation to be bitter-sweet, but it’s good to have a pure 2D Worms experience back. Worms:  Reloaded succeeds in bringing back what we loved about the original games, while expanding it just enough.

At the risk of parroting DesertEagle, I’m going to keep this short, as we are mostly in agreement. This is the game Worms veterans have been wanting, a “more of the same but better” sequel. Newcomers may be a bit off-put by the archaic interface and somewhat buried weapon explanations, but the tutorial does properly explain the basics.

For me, Worms was most fun in single player. Even playing with a friend, we had a blast trying to figure out the best move against the competent AI, as the turn timer ticked down. Worms: Reloaded’s campaign is long and just challenging enough, with some puzzle stages mixed-in for variety. My only gripe is the one musical track that plays through the entire campaign. As for the multiplayer, I had trouble finding matches online (though I was checking at odd hours), but the one I did find was devoid of lag and quite fun.

Owners of Worms 2: Armageddon may feel a bit of deju vu when playing Worms:Reloaded; the title is actually an expanded version of Armageddon. This is a good thing, as Worms 2: Armageddon was solid but left me wanting more items and features. Reloaded left me satisfied on these fronts with more weapons/items and two additional single-player modes, Warzone and Body Count. If you’re squirming for a robust and expanded classic-style 2D WormsWorms Reloaded is a must get, especially at only $19.99 USD. If you’re looking for a new take on Worms, this isn’t your game.