The worms are back, can you dig it?

Control a team of violent invertebrates in this turn-based arcade game for Android.

World War Worm

The game offers four different modes of play: Quick Game, Practice Match, Body Count, and Campaign. Quick Game and Campaign are fairly standard where the point is to eliminate the other teams as fast as possible. Practice Match allows you to test your weapons on Worms that don’t fight back. The most interesting single player mode is Body Count, where you control one worm against a never-ending wave of worms that get progressively stronger and smarter.

Worms 2 Armageddon has trouble balancing the difficulty of the A.I. On the easiest setting, the computer controlled teams can take one turn where they blow themselves up firing a rocket into a wall directly in front of them. The next turn they’ll launch a grenade across the map, bank it off of three walls, and have it detonate on top of your worm.

One of the best parts about Worms 2 Armageddon is the plethora of weapons to choose from. These include the classics such as the holy hand grenade and banana bomb as well as additions such as the bunker buster and poison strike. You can also create your own team and decide on customization such as names, voices, and tomb stones.   These all add to the comedy, especially when choosing the voices which range from alien to President Bush. 

Like other Worms games, multiplayer is the most fun. It can be played via Hotseat: up to 4 players take turns passing the phone to one another, or hosting a game over a local WiFi connection. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer. 

How to play

You control your team by a wide variety of gestures and motions. To move your worm, tap and hold either side of the screen. Tap your worm to jump forwards and tap twice to do a back-flip. To pan around the level, press two fingers and move them towards the area you’d like to see. Zooming in and out is done by pinching and stretching the screen.

Firing a weapon is a bit trickier: For basic weaponry you hold your finger over the reticle and move it to your desired angle. For more advanced weaponry such as the airstrike, place your finger on the reticle and drag it across the screen to your target. After a target has been selected, hold the trigger button.

It takes awhile to get comfortable with the controls and going through the tutorial is highly recommended. Unfortunately, the game sometimes has trouble recognizing the commands and you’ll find your worm accidentally jumping onto a mine when trying to zoom in. Another nagging issue is that much of your limited turn time will be spent slowly dragging the reticle across the screen. Overall, the controls for the game are at best adequate, and at worst incredibly frustrating. It should be noted that you’re less likely to have as many control issues on a tablet or large phone.

How it looks

Worms stays true to the original from which it was ported and looks sharp and colorful. The different landscapes of levels provide an enjoyable cartoon backdrop. Another staple of the series, the comedy, is also present in the game. Worms glance around nervously, dance when they win, and blurt out comical lines in the midst of battle. Worms also has great sound effects. Aside from the voices, the weapons have unique sounds that add texture to the experience.

The Verdict

Worms 2: Armageddon is an average port of an incredibly enjoyable game. It shines in Hotseat multiplayer, but suffers from frustrating controls that hold it back from being as fun as its brethren on other platforms.