Worms Battlegrounds – Review

Worms is one of those gaming series’ that has been there with me for most of my life.

is one of those gaming series’ that has been there with me for most of my life. Not all of it, but most of it. And with every iteration Team17throws our way, I find myself with a bigger group of friends in my living room, more sleep loss, and an ever growing pile of pizza boxes and beer cans scattered about my home. All while enjoying myself like a kid on their first trip to Disney World. Worms never seems to get old, and now I find myself looking at my TV with Worms Battlegrounds displayed upon it, with bags under my eyes and the dire need to pick up some trash.

It was back in 1995 when the first Worms title hit the PC, and even later gracing other platforms, such as the SNES. It has a bit of a track record and a few bragging rights to its name. Many series’ get stagnant after the sequel, and Battlegrounds marks a respectively high-number entry for Worms. It is also marks the debut of Worms on the eighth generation of game consoles, but does it feel like a true “next gen” outing for the series?

The answer is both yes, and no.

Worms Battlegrounds is a Worms game, so anyone that has ever played any of the previous titles knows what they will be getting into. A fun, artillery based, battle to the death between some rather adorable, and sadistic worms. Really and truthfully, it’s an amazing combination of things that results in a whole lot of fun. Everything is gloriously over the top, from the exploding sheep – including one that even flies and is dubbed ‘super’ – to the Worm’s universe equivalent of the WMD: The dreaded concrete donkey.

It is a silly game series that is rarely outdone in the fun department when you have a group of friends over, or, nowadays, an internet connection. Its strongest feature is its multiplayer offering. It is in these battles that things get crazy, with absurd levels of death and destruction occurring, making it hard for even the losing person to not smile and laugh about it.

Worms Battlegrounds falls in along with all of this as well. It is a fun game that you can’t go wrong with if you have a few more gaming buddies over. Its solo offerings, while fun, do not compare to the enjoyment local or online multiplayer brings to the table, and often times feels more like training and tutorials to get you ready for the big leagues.

Probably the best addition that is seen within Battlegrounds is the inclusion of clans, which brings a whole new depth to the online world of Worms. With your clan, you can wage against other clans in the appropriately named Battlegrounds mode, where either ranked matches or friendly matches can be played. As the names suggest, friendly matches are nothing more than fun little bouts against other players, while ranked matches are bloody battles for glory. In ranked matches, you can earn a name for your clan and if you become awesome enough, you may even find some membership requests next time you load up to play.

There is also just basic online multiplayer that is much like the local multiplayer option, except the person you are playing the game with may be many, many miles away. Every multiplayer outing has solid options that can appease many needs, but can aslo knock you back down to reality after dominating your friends only to realize that you are nowhere near the best Worms player out there.

Still, some of the most enjoyable moments to be had with this game are in your living room, man cave, or whatever, with three other people. Plus, with the ability to simply pass the same controller around, there is no need to invest in more.

I touched lightly upon the single player outings a bit earlier. While multiplayer is still the best this game offers, the single player offerings are enjoyable as well. Worm OPS includes fun, timed challenges that can put your skills to the test, and may even help you learn a new trick or two. The story mode is a humorous tutorial of sorts that offers a fun and well done way of teaching players the ropes. It is also narrated by the IT Crowd’s very own Katherine Parkinson, who provides a nice chuckle every now and then.

The single player stages are also very well designed, and throw a puzzle here and there at you whenever it deems necessary, some of which will actually make you put your brain to the test. They are all worth playing through, beginners and vets alike, but once the taste of multiplayer warfare has whet your palate, you probably won’t be looking back.

One area I was really surprised in was the customization offered for worms, to help make your clan truly unique. There are plenty of options available to dress the worms in, all of them rather silly and surely containing the aesthetic you wish to have for your clan.

Worms Battlegrounds is a great addition to the series, and offers what Worms is best at offering: Fun. It comes jam packed with content, and is one of the best looking Worms titles out there now, though it still doesn’t feel like a huge step forward after Revolutions. Still, any Worms fanatic can pick this title up and enjoy many, many more sleepless nights, with or without friends present.

Worms Battlegrounds is available on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and those without access to those systems can enjoy the PC equivalent of the title, Worms Clan Wars.