Worms Battlegrounds

There’s something comforting about the fact that Team17 are still cranking out Worms games in 2014, almost 20 years since the anthropomorphic critters made their debut in 1995. No matter what exciting improvements and steps forward for the industry we hope for when a console hits store shelves, one thing we can always be certain of is a new version of Worms. For the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the West Yorkshire-based development studio have cooked up Worms Battlegrounds, which aims to embrace modern gaming with extensive clan support, matchmaking functionality, a single-player campaign, plenty of customisation options and – oh, fuck it, they’ve just gone and made another Worms game, alright?

As has been the case in the more recent iterations of the series, Battlegrounds is split into three main ways of playing:

• by yourself.
• on the couch with friends.
• doing battle against the wider world online.

Worms has never been at its best when played alone, though, and so the local and online multiplayer options are unquestionably where the real fun can be found. That’s not to say that Team17 haven’t tried manfully to encourage playing with yourself (behave), with a 25-level campaign, supplemented by 10 so-called ‘Worms Ops’ missions. Unfortunately, both are let down by repetitive scenarios that are exacerbated by utterly woeful enemy AI. Opposition troops will often do little more than wriggle around aimlessly, blowing themselves up with grenades and poorly placed mines, and worst of all forcing you to sit there watching idly for 50 seconds before deciding simply to skip their turn. Such frustrations are especially infuriating during missions with time constraints, making Worms Battlegrounds the only game I’ve ever played in which the incompetence of my enemy actually cost me success.

The campaign does itself no further favours by attempting to provide some form of narrative with which to link together levels, with a painfully delivered narrator named Tara Pinkle tasking you with reclaiming a stolen artifact known as the Stone Carrot. The attempts at comedy are as painful as they are constant, and it’s all completely nonsensical in a way that does nothing other than draw ire. Whilst this effort made to provide some contextual reason for engaging in the single-player options could be considered admirable, it seems odd that Team17 went to such lengths when their fan base only ever arrives at the gates of wormy warfare for the multiplayer. Worms still desperately attempting to provide a worthwhile story mode in 2014 would be like Sony still trying to sell Walkmans, and I’d recommend treating the single-player missions as nothing more than an opportunity to get to grips with the new additions to the armoury.

As is always the case, where Worms shines is in its multiplayer. For me, there’s no better way to enjoy Worms competition than with 3 friends on the same sofa, but Team17 have done an admirable job of beefing up the online component last seen in Worms 2: Armageddon on the Xbox 360. The eponymous Battlegrounds mode encourages you to create a clan, complete with personalised worms and a customised badge, and team up with friends against opponents from all over the world. Competing in ranked league matches allows you to earn points that provides the mode with a nice sense of persistent progression, whilst the stat tracking is extensive. Of course, if you see clan support and online leagues as unnecessary barriers of entry, you can just jump into quick online games against up to 3 other players, which may be easier said than done due to what seems like an already incredibly sparse population of players.

Once you are engaged in a match, though, the aforementioned armoury is where Worms Battlegrounds really shines. Perfectly articulated banana bomb throws and well timed sheep detonations are just as satisfying to pull off as they always have been, whilst typically barmy new additions like a Flying Monkey in a fez and the ability to move objects around the map using telekinesis are also great fun. Using weapons and equipment to affect the environment in such a way has been boosted by the addition of dynamic water, which blobs around in a ridiculously simulated fashion that reminded me somewhat of the what now seems rudimentary raindrops seen in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. It’s a neat addition, albeit one that doesn’t really do much to make you rethink the Worms formula in any meaningful way.

It’s a similar story for the way in which worms now come in classes, with the Solider, Scientist, Heavy, and Scout offering differing attributes that Team17 hope will see you change the way you approach certain situations, with the addition of a tool that allows you to take control of a different worm in each turn acting as a testament to that. The Scout, for example, can walk over mines without activating them, whilst the Heavy is more efficient in its use of melee attacks. Ultimately, though, such attempts to take the series forward end up feeling pretty superfluous, and are unlikely to see you actually play the game any differently to how you always have.

At an asking price of £19.99/$24.99, some may wish to see more meaningful steps forward for the series, but the fact that the core gameplay has remained mostly unchanged for 19 years is a reflection of the fact that Worms still enjoys a strong enough hold over a large enough demographic that it doesn’t need to change. Let’s be honest, it’s unlikely that anyone’s put much thought into purchasing a Worms game for about 15 years – at this stage, the only question that really needs to be asked whenever the developer put out a new one is whether or not you want to play Worms on your new console of choice, which usually represents nothing more than the same tried and tested formula with slightly enhanced visuals.

I could carry on telling you about how there are 8 new voice types, 12 new hats, some silly mustaches and a monkey in a fez, but, in 2014, only you know if you still hold an interest in playing a Worms game. Worms Battlegrounds has made a reasonably admirable attempt to enhance its online component and provide a decent amount of value for what seems a questionably high price point, but, as pointlessly obvious as this sounds, it’s a game that has been made solely to satisfy those who wish to play Worms on their new console.

Team17 have made another Worms game, which is trying to be nothing other than another Worms game, so if you really want to play Worms on your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, I guess you should go ahead and pay up for Worms Battlegrounds.