Worms Blast

Worms Blast
Developer:   Team17 Software Ltd
Category:   Puzzle (Arcade)
Released:  Mar 2002
Usual Price:   £4.99
Hours Played:  2
Controller Compatible: No
Rating: 0 Stars

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As I lost my patience completely and very early on with this game I don't think I am going to be kind to it at all. Forget the idea that this compares well in any way with the great Worms games of old or with the Puzzle Bobble / Bust-A-Move games it so unashamedly stole its ideas from. It is really not very good - and that's being generous.

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Menus, Progress & Stats

First of all this is the first, and possibly only, game where both the F12 key didn't work (to get a screenshot) and where I was unable to play in a window to be able to "Prt Scr" it to even get a shot into Paint! This is a game that has a Windows 98 style pop up on launch that gives you three last century resolutions that only go up to 1024x768. It has a "Controller Options" path under the main "Options" path in the title menu but if you try to reconfigure the default keys the "Accept" button just greys out so you can't actually change anything at all! It is not compatible with an XBox controller, there is no "Quit" option - you just have to keep pressing the "Escape" key to get out of the game - and the High-Score chart is tucked away under the  "Game Options" path.

Add the fact that there is a painfully slow animation included as you transition from one sub-menu to the next and you just end up with a lot of stress before you even start the bloody game! Anyway, there are three basic modes: Puzzle mode maps out your progress with what resembles a world map. This has dotted lines that link larger dots together (25 in total) which your avatar follows as you successfully complete games. Tournament has five different challenges which you complete in an effort to beat your high-score. The high-score chart consists of one screen listing ten (!?) modes and three high-scores under each (30 high-scores in total). Your own score intermingles with two other fictitious players. Why 5 extra modes? I do not know. You also get a Versus mode where you play against a computer opponent.

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Gameplay

Regardless of which mode you play, you operate your worm character from inside a boat which sits in a body of water. You move from left to right using the Left and Right arrow keys as well as operate one of five weapons which you aim by using the Up and Down arrow keys. The game is in 2D and above you lies a configuration of small hexagons of different colours. In Bust-A-Move fashion you blast away at these in order to satisfy the objective stated at the beginning of the level. Puzzle mode gives you a variety of 25 different layouts and conditions to fulfill which you must complete before moving on to the next, while Tournament mode - with five different game types - gives you an objective which you then complete in order to get a best score. The Vs mode is essentially the Bust-A-Move game.

Speaking personally, the game seems to demand a bit too much from the player. By just the second game into Puzzle mode, for instance, I found myself having to memorize the movement of a snake made up of hexagons and avoid it while paddling away madly. As your own movement can be painfully slow and as you're often carried off in the wrong direction by your own momentum this seemed too challenging too soon. Also, the fact that tedious load-screens appeared between each attempt meant that I saw no reason to hang around to try to defeat it. Similarly, all tournament modes required far too much pinpoint accuracy when firing weapons. This suggested a lot of practice would be required to get anywhere near half-decent. Add the tricky movement of the boat and the overall bland and dull feeling you get while playing and you get a disappointing result.

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Conclusion

A reliance on mastering the mechanic of each weapon along with efficiency in switching weapon types is important if you wish to progress quite early on. The bazooka and grenades in particular require appreciation of trajectory so you need to understand angles and also how much pressure to apply when firing. However, because the game demands that you have pinpoint accuracy so early on, there's very little opportunity to sit back and just have a little bit of fun. True, you do get stars and crates to collect but because there are often obstacles and hindrances put in the way this activity often ends up being a stressful chore as well!

Also, as stated, movement is not like your classic shoot 'em up where going left and right is instant and immediate. Here, because you paddle through water, momentum often pulls you too much in the opposite direction you wish to go. This often results in frustration when you realise that you have to turn round and hit a target at the opposite part of the screen you were heading.

Couple all this with the fact that the hexagons and targets often move around swiftly - sometimes whizzing around on platforms and blocked by other moving platforms - and you'll appreciate that failure or feelings of inadequacy is common. In a game that's clearly targeted at those who like their games whimsical and fun - and not at all serious or too taxing - I don't think the tough level of difficulty is at all appropriate.

In a sea of negatives, which I could pile on even more, there are very few redeeming features in Worms Blast. Suffice to say, just save yourself time and money; avoid it.