E3 2016 - Worms WMD Hands-On Preview

The Worms series has a long and storied history. Its first entry was in 1995, on the Amiga. Fast-forward 21 years, and the Worms is old enough to drink! Team17 had their game newest game, Worms WMD, on-hand at E3 2016. We played it, and have a preview for you to read below.

It’s All Coming Back

Since this series has seen a release on basically every gaming platform ever made, you likely already know what Worms is all about. It’s a turn-based artillery game, where you’re given a certain amount of time per turn, and can fire one of many kinds of weapons at the opposing team. Take out all your enemies before they get you, and you win.

Worms WMD sports the usual cartoonish graphics, with the battle taking placing on random locations you may find in everyday life, blown up as a worm might see them. The worms themselves have a new look, as well. They look a bit more hand-drawn and a bit less computer-generated. The game did stutter a bit when zooming in or out, but we’ll just chalk that up to what we saw being a demo.

Of course, the series’ trademark voices, explosive deaths, and large arsenal of weapons from the traditional to zany are all intact. The worms move rather slowly, but can jump, backflip, use ninja ropes, parachutes, teleporters and more to get around a little more quickly. Since the worms are small, care must be taken when traversing the battlefield, or else a fall that is a little too high will result in damage, and your turn will end.

New Hotness

New to the Worms series is a crafting mechanic. You’ll collect various materials strewn throughout the battlefield, and during each turn you can craft enhanced versions of classic Worms weapons. The Bunker Buster, for instance, can become a Mega Bunker Buster, which simply causes more damage. The Super Sheep can become a Super Flatulent Sheep, which, well, releases toxic gases as it flies towards its target. From what was seen at the demo, it appears most crafted weapons feature extra damage as an advantage.

Also new in Worms WMD is building interiors. By exploring around the area before firing a weapon, you can slide your way in to certain buildings on a map. Once inside, the building becomes a silhouette, and internal structures become visible. Suddenly, it’s a level inside a level! Of course, these buildings are not indestructible, and so once you or the enemy take out piece of a building, the internal view is lost as well.

Newer Than New

If that wasn’t enough newness for you, how do vehicles sound? Not only can you hop into tanks, you can make them jump just like the worms. This can provide for a whole new level of strategy, and it will be interesting to see what Team17 does to incorporate this new mechanic in a way that makes sense.

Worms fans are in for a treat with Worms WMD. With a new crafting system, building interiors, and vehicles, there’s enough new mechanics here to master to ensure all kinds of new explosive possibilities. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the WMD stands for WMD. Worms WMD is scheduled for release later this year on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.