Worms. They're a bit icky really, aren't they? One of the creepiest of creepy crawlies (you can't even really tell which way round they go - how creepy is that?), the idea of playing as them in a game may initially seem a bit gross - it certainly was for my Mom, who seemed a bit unsure. After all, she hates worms - so how could a game where you play as the tiny invertebrates actually be any good? And what can they do?
As it turns out, these Worms can do a lot. To begin with, they have hands. Secondly, they can hold weapons, jump, and do backflips. And, possibly most importantly of all, they make Worms Battle Islands a heck of a lot of fun.
Make sure you don't get caught in the explosions!
A game that's basically been designed for multiplayer, where you rope three of your friends in to crowd around a TV, Worms is probably best described as a turn-based strategy game - although how much strategy comes into the equation will depend a lot on the kind of player you are. It's tongue in cheek British slapstick comedy at its finest - and with a veritable smorgasbord of crazy armament at your disposal, from bazookas, to flying sheep, to Buffalo's of Lies, and exploding bananas, it's up to you to simply blow up the other team(s), and, above all else, survive. Taking in turns with your friends, you'll each have around sixty seconds (you can change how long each turn lasts) to manoeuvre one of your four worms around the landscape, before choosing a weapon, and firing/placing/targeting/smacking/applying it to your chosen victim.
It's more than a little bit crazy, and new players may find it a little bit tricky to get their head around it at first, as, with three pages of weapons to scroll through, there's usually a lot of choice on offer, and finding out how each weapon works best is usually a matter of trial and error. Thankfully, there is a helpful "Weapons Help" screen, which tells you what each of the weapons do, and how to use them, so you can get yourself up to speed - but there's nothing like learning on the job!
How you spend your turn will depend a lot on what weapon you choose to use, and who you want to hit. If your enemy's right next to you, and you can get away fast, you may want to consider dropping a mine, or a stick of dynamite next to them, before legging it (actually, can a worm "leg" it?) away as fast as your little wormy body will carry you. For enemies that are a bit further away, however, you'll want to resort to Worms' staple - the bazooka.
Oh dear. This isn't going to end well.
And in fact, there's a lot more thinking to Worms than you'd imagine. Along with constantly trying to position your worms in the least vulnerable positions, and deal the most damage to the most strategically important enemy worms, there's a lot of other things to think about - none more so than if you're using a projectile weapon. From the bazooka, to the Holy Hand Grenade (which emits a loud "Hallelujah!" before promptly exploding and taking out half of the map), you'll have to judge a lot of things - from the way the wind's blowing on the level, and how strong it is, to the trajectory of your projectile, how much power you're putting behind your shot (holding the 2 button on the controller will allow you to power up your weapon, and the more power you put into it, the further it'll go) and, in the case of grenades, if there's anything it might bounce off in order to get closer to your target. And although you'll most likely never be as accurate with your grenades as the computer, every now and then, you'll find yourself pulling off an incredible shot, with a grenade that rolls around a loop, bounces off five surfaces, and falls down a hole, before eventually landing next to your intended target. Suddenly, you've found a practical application for all of the otherwise useless stuff you learnt in physics and maths.
However, easily one of the best aspects of Worms is the customisation. We've already mentioned that this is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, but having the ability to name each and every one of the worms on your team gives you a lot of potential for fun. Sadly, you can't create multiple teams of worms (one for every occasion), as the team you play as is linked to the profile you'll create, but it's still better than nothing - and having a team of worms with stick on beards, that speak German isn't to be sneezed at, although we do miss our Brummie and Geordie voices, though - especially in a game that boasts about its customisation.
The colours tell you what team you're on. In case you're interested, that's a Super Sheep - a flying, exploding sheep.
Every time you play a game in multiplayer, you'll be presented with a randomly generated level (meaning you'll never play the same level twice!) but of course, there's nothing to stop you creating your own. And if you're feeling really inventive, you can even try your hand at making your own weapon. Although it's not as varied as we'd like (we can't make our flaming concrete donkey launcher), you can apply a variety of effects to your weapon, including fire, and making it a cluster weapon, as well as altering how much damage it does. The more powerful the weapon, the less you'll be able to have in battle.
Of course, Worms isn't only a multiplayer experience, and there has been a concerted effort to create a better single player game in Battle Islands - it just hasn't worked. The problem isn't with the levels, which in themselves are interesting, varied, and provide a great way to hone your skills in between multiplayer battles. The problem is the difficulty. We managed to get seven levels into the game before getting absolutely stuck, as the learning curve isn't so much a curve as a steep cliff. It's disappointing, as it turns an entertaining single player game into an act of frustration.
Better, because it tests your brains rather than your patience, is the puzzle mode, a collection of thirty levels that'll push your precision, platforming skills and cunning to the limit. Whether it's asking you to get from one end of a level to the other, dodging the perilous proximity mines, or taking out a team of worms when faced with indestructible terrain (meaning you'll have to be a good shot), there's a great variety here, and it's a different kind of challenging - though no less difficult.
In all though, the local multiplayer is, and always has been where Worms games shine, and this is no different. With the ability to take your game online if you so choose, the same collection of crazy weapons we've come to know and love, and decent, if not as good as it used to be customisation, Worms Battle Islands comes with our seal of approval - if you've yet to sample their wormy delights, for £
9.99
in most shops, this is well worth a flutter.
Format Reviewed: Nintendo Wii
