Worms Armageddon needs no introduction, but you’re still getting one. Released 25-ish years ago, it’s just as relevant on my Nintendo Switch 2 as it was on my Amiga, or whatever machine I chose to play it on (yes, I owned multiple copies on multiple platforms).
The Worms series is a turn-based deathmatch environment where a minimum of two teams of creepy crawlies aim to obliterate one another, and the landscape, using an incredibly destructive arsenal that includes rocket launchers, uzis, air strikes, exploding sheep and… donkeys. It’s bloody mental, but an essential party game.
As a turn-based experience, traditionally, players would share a mouse and then later a controller, and move their worms around a hostile terrain to be the last one standing. This has progressed over the years from going from a mouse and keyboard to a controller, then 2D to 3D. The purists will always believe that the 2D games are the best, and they’d be correct.
Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition Review (Switch 2)
As an older gamer, I much prefer single-player campaigns rather than online multiplayer, and using CoD as an example, I’d rather go it alone with a story and all the loot than go up against a shouty streamer or sweat that only does headshots with their eyes closed. That’s not the case with Worms Armageddon as it’s all about the multiplayer mode.
Sure, you can go up against AI components, but nothing – absolutely nothing beats playing in the same room as your friends/family. At least, that’s what folk who grew up with the original say. True story: I still have the big box edition of Worms and just looking at the illustrations evokes childhood memories of, “I’m on the case!” and “Yorkshire-born, Yorkshire-bred”.
Enough with the reminiscing. The point is, so many of us have a connection with the series and Worms Armageddon is arguably the best. I can’t say the same about the campaign element, however. It’s simply brutal. Even the training sessions were ridiculously hard (subjective, of course), and I wasn’t that bothered about playing them as it was the local multiplayer that appealed. That, and customisation with the hilarious soundbites and gravestones.
Types Of Worms
Hawk-eyed readers will note that the official title is Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, but the 25th anniversary was last year. This new iteration (re)introduces the Backworms Compatible Update which includes the following:
- Worms (Super NES)
- Worms (Genesis/Mega Drive)
- Worms World Party (Game Boy Advance)
- Addition of ‘Boggy B’ cheat code which unlocks all content
On top of that, Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition includes the 1999 original, over 55 weapons, 40+ mission campaigns, and those delightful customisations (30-odd soundbanks). You could say this is the definitive collection of Worms, and as this is a Digital Eclipse release (Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, The Making of Karateka, and Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord), it’s jam-packed with features. But realistically, how many of them are you likely to use?
Playing the original Worms on the Mega Drive is fun at first, considering you don’t have to take the console out of the attic, pay over-inflated retro prices on eBay, or load up a torrent site. Shame on you. What’s better, and in the case of this particular review code that was for the Switch, you can play on the go and it’s technically undemanding. However, was the slogan for Worms on the Mega Drive really, ‘How hard is yours?’. Seriously.
Nostalgia
With all this in mind, the original games only serve as a nostalgic element and the vibes soon wore off as the visuals haven’t aged well. Added to this are the controls. They simply aren’t very intuitive and haven’t translated well with the built-in emulators. Like with the golden age of DVDs, these extra features are fun for the fans and collectors, but you’ll soon return to the core game, which is of course, Worms Armageddon. And yes, this also has 25+ years of heritage but as addressed at the beginning of this review, it’s just as relevant to play today as it was ‘back in the day’.
In context, the main game is the best of the bunch and essentially timeless. It’s great to have the option to play these titles all in one play, plus a bonus Digital Eclipse signature timeline displaying the events of how Worms came into existence. Great to see references to stuff like Amiga Format and Artillery.
Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition Review Summary
The bottom line is: should you get yet another version of Worms Armageddon for your next-gen console? Yes. For the third time, this is the best game of the bunch, but for the real fans, you get to play the original on whichever allegiance you had (Sega or Nintendo). With the added Backworms Compatible option and more features than you can shake a stick at, this is a recommended purchase.
