The worms franchise by Team 17 has been around for nineteen years and Worms Battlegrounds marks its next gen debut. But can a franchise that started out in the nineties hold its own on a next gen console? Let's find out.
For those of you that have never heard of the worm's games before they are series of turn based strategy games. Each side consisting of four members, each with their own class. Each single player match will see you competing against one other team or more with victory depending on who is the last team standing.
A very lengthy single player campaign, four player local multiplayer and online multiplayer. One feature Team 17 must be commended for is the ability for four players to use one controller for local multiplayer. A fantastic option which obviously suits the gameplay on offer here.
In addition to the 25 story missions there are 10 Worm Ops missions that are available to help you get used to the various items available throughout the game. How quickly and efficiently you clear these levels will determine your rating out of three stars.
One thing the Worms franchise has always been know for is it range of bizarre and outlandish weaponry and Worms Battlegrounds is no exception. There are sixty five weapons to choose from. Ten of these are brand new additions to the franchise, such as Aqua Pack, Winged Monkey, Transporter Gun and Mega Mortar.
The ability to create your own levels for local games is a welcome addition but they can’t be shared online and can only be used for local multiplayer which is a big disappointment. Why give players this tool but then restrict how they can be used? This is down to Microsofts online policies and yet again highlights the gap between user created content on consoles and PC's.
The clan support system from Worms Clan War on the PC has been ported over and so for the first time ever on a console version of Worms you can create, manage and deploy your worms clan worldwide.
Graphically the game looks as bright and cartoony as it always has. Vibrant colours jump out of the screen and the worms different personalities really shine through. Anguished cries for help also add to the humour as well as several close to the bone phrases.
The online multiplayer is the games shining moment. A robust clan system and plenty of other clan's ready and waiting make jumping in and out of games a breeze. A relaxing change of pace where I was able to think out each move instead of being on pins for the entire match. Yes I am looking at you Titanfall.
But is this enough to warrant a purchase. For me it's a big no. For a franchise that has been running as long as this one has there is barely a difference between this version and the original 1995 version. The gameplay is identical so if you have played any other version of Worms you have already played this. There is no innovation here at all and when clan support is your biggest selling point you're in trouble.
Another problem is the AI controlled team. This can really kill a game. Sometimes it takes forever trying to work out what to do next. At one point I was stuck with only one worm to kill and the AI had completely run out of ideas and spent 10 minutes skipping on the spot for every turn for a minute every time. Which means you have to make your way across an entire map instead of you both meeting halfway and in a turn based game this can take one hell of a long time. This happened on several occasions and I ended up just restarting the level because it was quicker to just restart.
The opposing AI team killing themselves is also a big problem. While that is a huge advantage it really disrupts the flow of the game. It takes away a huge challenge and what's the point if all the hard work is done for you?
I really wanted to enjoy my time with Worms Battlegrounds from a nostalgia point of view. But frustrating AI and a price tag that is way too high for what is effectively the same game as the original release albeit a broken version in single player. Will I ever play the single player campaign again? If the game gets patched I would be more than happy to jump back in. But if not this is a multiplayer only game for me. This really is the most frustrating game experience I have had this year.
