Worms World Party

Written by Tom Clare in PSOne Game Reviews, Saturday 22 January, 2005

These pink wrigglers are popular at any party!

Sometime in the mid 1990's, a student developed a computer game to cheer up a few of his mates during an exam period. Roughly ten years on, that game has blossomed into a huge franchise, and one of the most popular gaming series ever devised.

Though Worms has appeared in many forms on the P.C over the course of the last decade, only three versions of the classic 2D strategy have ever graced the PSOne - the original (back in 1995), 'Armageddon' (1999) and 'World Party' (2001).

Worms World Party would not only mark the series swan-song on the PlayStation format, but the end of an era - it would be the last instalment that would keep to the 2D roots of the original game, as the seemingly inevitable 'Worms 3D' finally reared its head earlier this year on the next-generation consoles. Sigh, they don't make 'em like they used to…

It may not look a million dollars, though in my opinion Worms World Party (WWP) is probably as close an example of a 'perfect' sequel as you are ever likely to find. Keeping with the basic gameplay mechanics that made the original such fun, it capitalises on the solid foundation by building immeasurably on its predecessors, thanks to a host of new options and ideas.

The very most basic idea behind WWP involves taking control of a team of four worms, who are then placed at random around a level of 2D (left/right) terrain. The general idea is that you and the computer/friend take it in turns to try and kill each others worms, with the overall winner predictably being the team with worms still left standing at the end.

The real beauty of game lies in the fact that no two battles are ever alike; scenery, worm placement and wind direction may seem fairly insignificant parameters, though as so much of the game relies on strategy, every situation calls for a different line of thought. For example, when you are attempting to hit an opposing worm with a bazooka, attention must be paid to the direction and strength of the wind, which can often send the rockets off course. Similarly with grenades, you often have to second-guess the type of bounce they will get after ricocheting off a particular part of the scenery.

It says a lot about Worms World Party that even many of the bog-standard weapons (never thought I'd called a bazooka bog-standard!) are great fun to use, as they are often the most satisfying. That said, there are dozens of hilarious special weapons; the Banana Bomb, which works much like a grenade only rather than releasing shrapnel, it explodes into several very damaging banana shards; the Super Sheep always raises a smile - an explosive sheep that wears Superman-style attire and can be directed around the level via air. Finally there is the best weapon the game has to offer, the Holy Hand Grenade - remember one of these being used in a Monty Python film all those years ago? Well, it's a fantastic special weapon that, after delivering a quick 'hallelujah!', proceeds to blow anything remotely nearby into oblivion! These are just three examples, and there are more than fifty weapons populating the game.

Generally speaking, games like Worms are developed primarily for multiplayer fun, and so great credit must go to the developers for the frankly astonishing one-player section - amazing depth. There are numerous weapon-based training levels available to help beginners get into the swing of things, a quick-start option, a superb Deathmatch mode in which you must work your way up the rankings by defeating progressively larger and tougher computer-controlled teams, and last but not least a Missions mode with no less than 45 objective-based scenarios to tackle - most of which are really tough. Phew!

Visually it's hardly a glitzy polygon festival - most of the time there are no background designs to speak of whatsoever and the worm animations are understandably a little limited, though WWP was never designed with graphics in mind. In its defence, everything runs as smoothly as it should and the menu screens are well-presented, jolly and easy to navigate.

The audio side of the game hands the developers another chance to let their humour shine through, thanks to the 'Speech Bank'. The worms have a few lines of dialogue per accent, though there are now a few dozen to choose from; Scouse, Brummie and the Roger Moore-esque Double-oh-seven never fail to make me laugh, along with Russian, French, Stooges and Angry Scots also adding to the fun. The music is excellent as well - the familiar Worms theme tune sounds as good as ever.

Well, as if the one-player mode wasn't big enough, the multiplayer option ensures you'll be playing this game for literally years to come. The ability to choose from 30 different gameplay set-ups (e.g. 'Animal Farm' allows only sheep, moles, pigeons, cows and skunks to be used as weaponry) is a real bonus, as is the 'Terrain Customiser', which essentially allows you to design your own levels.

Is it different enough to Worms Armageddon (it's most recent predecessor) to justify buying? Put simply, yes. Though in the graphical and gameplay departments the two games are almost identical, World Party allows you to try your hand at any mode of play straight from the off, whilst its prequel was crippled by the laborious and frustrating training mode that unfortunately had to be completed in order to open up the rest of the game. WWP has slightly more of everything, therefore making it the ultimate console version and the only Worms game you need own.

ELSPA have given the game a 3+ age recommendation, so it's suitable for everyone who wants to play it. Children and adults should appreciate its light-hearted humour and admirable depth, and World Party proves the popular multiplayer choice too - there is no requirement for a multi-tap to allow 4-player battles, as it still uses the old pass-the-pad-around formula. It's a perfect family game in the respect that people of all ages will get something from it - a rare thing these days.

Ultimately, Worms World Party is a marvellous example of how to take relatively simple idea and bolster it by adding an obscene amount of depth - it's truly one of the most absorbing and addictive games of the PlayStation era. It can probably be found for around a fiver nowadays and despite what cynics might suggest, it will outlast any of the latest next-gen titles with something to spare. Buy one immediately, if not sooner!

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