Trajectory-based warfare games are few and far between, and when I think about it, I can only name two off the top of my head. One being Scorched Earch, an old-school tank game, and Worms…. Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition seemed to be announced out of nowhere a few weeks ago, and it’s already here. What’s It Like? Grab some sheep, load your bazooka, and steer clear of the holy hand grenades as we review Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition for Nintendo Switch.
Worms Armageddon originally blasted onto our screens in 1999 as a highly successful sequel to Worms and Worms 2. For those who aren’t as old as this gamer, it was such a fun game to have your friends crowded around the keyboard for some hot-seat multiplayer mayhem, blasting away until there was one worm team left standing. Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition brings that experience to the Nintendo Switch in all its original glory, allowing you to take a step back in time with the game perfectly brought across to the handheld system with some great additions, like the War Stories, and the original Gameboy Colour version of Armageddon. It’s a slick package, and the fun couch hot-seat gameplay is a testament to just how well this franchise has held up despite releasing 25 years ago. For those with friends a bit further away from the couch, online multiplayer is included. While it may not have the same impact as sitting side by side with mates, it’s a great addition to an already great package.
For the new recruits to the franchise, Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition is a 2D deathmatch game in which you calculate trajectories, including taking the wind into account and unleashing over 50 weapons on enemies’ worms to be declared the victor. Your shots will destroy the environment around you as well, allowing you to knock worms into the water for a quick victory, or use defilade to carefully take cover in freshly created craters. Worms is a humorous and less serious take on competitive warfare, allowing you to shoot, blast, Hadouken, and even dragon punch your foes into oblivion. While the series may have advanced further into 3D territory, Worms Armageddon remains the pinnacle of the franchise and is revered by fans (and rightfully so.)
Combat is fast and funny, with the default turn time meaning you don’t have to wait long for it to be your turn. Rounds are usually filled with land mines, missed shots, and plenty of laughs… especially when you make a silly mistake. There’s a single-player campaign that you can earn medals on, hot seat deathmatch, quick games, and fully customisable games to whet your appetite for tiny destruction. While the single-player offering is rather substantial, and the ability to play against CPU-controlled worms is fun, mileage may vary depending on how much you like squaring off against sometimes silly AI, and sometimes, scarily accurate AI. Online Multiplayer doesn’t feature matchmaking, instead, it is set over a closed ecosystem, so you can’t join random players, only friends who own the game. Unfortunately, I was unable to test out the netcode for the purposes of the review but will update the article when I manage to convince some of my friends to test the game out too.
Graphically, Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition looks exactly like it used to, which isn’t a bad thing. The Worms have personalities exaggerated by over-the-top facial expressions, and cheeky voice acted lines. Levels are varied and randomly generated, adding to replayability. The effects and weaponry are amusing, and it all comes together to make a bright, vibrant, and hilarious time, especially with friends. To add to all this, there are a myriad of voice packs to further change your Worms and give them your own personal style, including Cyberworms and the classic “Stiff upper lip.” You can name your worms after friends, and create preset teams to roll out when playing as well. Everything you loved from the original game is here in all its glory.
One of the amazing standouts in this package is the incredible “War Stories,” an archive documenting the history of the series from conception right to the game we are reviewing now. A documentary-quality timeline with concept art, photos, and videos that tell the story of how Worms came to be. While this could have been done in a linear and factual way, in true Worms fashion, it injects humour, personality, and style, adding to an exceptional feature that any fan would love to see. I found it absolutely fascinating going through it all, and I almost forgot it was a game and thought I was watching a Netflix documentary. This is a fantastic step toward game preservation and it’s an amazing trend that we’ve seen in a few games recently like Marvel Vs Capcom, Dark Forces Remaster, and the Doom 1 and 2 remaster. It’s a fantastic trend to see, and I hope more remakes include it for a deeper understanding of how games got to where they are. It helped give me a deeper appreciation of the franchise, and just how far it came from its inception.
For my Worms looking into accessibility options, there aren’t any specific options to speak of, although you can customise the time to move and act which may help some gamers enjoy the game more instead of racing against the clock each turn. As always, I recommend further research into finding out if Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition is for you.
At just under $40 there’s a lot of fun and content for players that give it exceptional value for money. While solo soldiers may find varying degrees of mileage out of the title, those who enjoy a good laugh with some couch multiplayer will have an absolute blast duking it out with their friends. Worms Armageddon Anniversary is yet another lovingly crafted repackage of a fantastic series that not only lets you revisit a great classic, but dive into its surprisingly rich history as well.
So What’s it Like? Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition is like Scorched Earth, only more like Scorched Earthworm…
In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by Team 17, but this does not influence my score.
