Worms Battlegrounds Review – It’s Worms And It’s Awesome

When I first picked up my PlayStation 4 I can’t say with any honesty that Worms Battlegrounds was in my top list of most wanted games, hell I didn’t even consider a next-generation Worms title as a possibility at the time. The little anarchist in me leaped for joy when Team 17 announced Worms Battlegrounds but how much can the seasoned developers really do with such a traditional formula? In all honesty, not that much and that doesn’t matter in the slightest. The basic formula of these crazy invertebrates has remained mostly untouched over the years and although that can quite often spell doom in many other scenarios, Team 17 got the recipe so close to perfect on the first try that they haven’t needed to push much into the Worms franchise; I’m pretending the various attempts at utilizing 3D didn’t happen.

So anyway. The 24th adventure of our favorite high-pitched anarchists is packed to the brim with the same qualities that we’ve come to expect from the franchise and all of it rendered in a vibrant next-generation style. As with most of the games in the Worms franchise the core mechanics have changed very little. Worms Battleground is not the title that will convince those that dislike the franchise to dive into the Worms world but it does promise hundreds of hours of fun for those already a fan of the Worms style.

Many of the features that debuted in past games make a return in Worms Battleground, each fine-tuned to offer more accessibility and enjoyment than the last. The unique Worm classes that were first introduced in Worms Revolution make a return and online competitive play is just a click away thanks to the return of the Worms Clan Wars clan system. Dynamic water also makes an appearance, offering players unparallelled opportunities to drown, flood, push and sink their enemies to death.

When it all boils down there’s one thing that makes Worms the game it is today, the weaponry. And I am happy to say that Worms Battlegrounds delivers like a S.W.A.T team armory. There are over 60 weapons available throughout the game including the return of many iconic death deliverers, such as the Holy Hand Grenade and Concrete Donkey. The combat mechanics themselves feel mostly untouched so if you considered yourself a cross-map Bazooka pro, it’s likely you’ll return to that form very quickly.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed every banana exploding second of Worms Battlegrounds, I did find myself a little disappointed at times as I was unable to shake the thought that I was just playing a ported version of Worms Clan Wars. As I said previously the franchise doesn’t need a lot of work when a new version is released but having spent so many hours in Worms Clan Wars I did feel the two were incredibly close in comparison.

Worms Battlegrounds was a much needed return to couch multiplayer gaming, something I’ve craved since online features started to dominate multiplayer. I didn’t have to bother myself with playing against randoms or people that took it so seriously they took 59 seconds to take every turn. But when it comes to sitting down with a group of mates and diving into some Worms for a few hours, it was perfect.

Worms Battlegrounds won’t rewrite the rulebook and some Worms fans may feel a little disappointed with the lack of the next-gen leap but for the hardcore Worms supporters out there, Worms Battlegrounds is the perfect remedy for the lack of carnage blues.