Worms 2: Armageddon review

Get ready to open up a fresh can o’ WORMS! The classic PC series has launched its latest attack on the App Store with Worms 2: Armageddon, offering up a universal app with all the squirmy, wormy, Super Sheep action you can handle.

For the uninitiated, Worms is primarily about blowing things up with strategy and style. You direct a small, but heavily armed team of wormy commandos, and your mission is to destroy your wiggly opponents in explosive, turn-based combat.

There are dozens of weapons to choose from as you strategically plan your mode of attack. And each battle feels different thanks to 30 different maps, 5 distinct environments, and 4 different play modes, including a Body Count mode, where enemies just come at you in waves, and a Practice mode where you can get your feet wet and try out weapons against non-attacking opponents. There is also a considerable number of multiplayer options.

As you’d expect, this latest Worms offering comes complete with a vast arsenal of impressive and often improbable firepower. In addition to standard grenades and napalm attacks, there is also the Super Sheep and Concrete Donkey to lob at your unsuspecting opponents, and each of the over 40 different weapons is distinctly displayed through a series of lovingly rendered icons. If you’re the type who likes options, then you’ll love this game.

Unfortunately, the game is not without its flaws, and while the overall experience should satisfy veteran Worms afficionados, new players may find themselves quickly frustrated by the awkward touch controls and wordy and convoluted tutorial.

Even though I was familiar with Worms from PC gaming, I had a hard time navigating Worms 2 on the iPhone. The screen felt very small; I could never zoom in as much as I wanted, and the movement and aiming mechanisms just felt off. I was also surprised at the creepily pulsing main menu, and in an effort to present a more streamlined appearance, they’ve hidden the customization options behind a mysteriously unlabled icon, which I found a little baffling.

Although the game does come with Plus + integration, I was disappointed by the lack of Game Center, and while I appreciated the flexible local and online multiplayer options, finding an online match took took far too long for my liking.

Despite my laundry list of complaints, I did enjoy Worms 2. It doesn’t really offer anything new to the series, but is has all the familiar details fans know and love offered up in a portable form.

Overall, it’s an extremely robust gaming experience that is a little long in the tooth and rough around the edges, but it’s still a quality offering that does a decent job of bringing a healthy chunk of gaming nostalgia into the 21st century.

Here is a video demo of the Worms 2: Armageddon app on the iPhone

AppSafari Rating: 4/5

AppSafari review of Worms 2: Armageddon was written by Tracy Yonemoto on December 24th, 2010 and categorized under Action, App Store, Games, iPad apps, Strategy, Universal. Page viewed 4740 times, 1 so far today. Need help on using these apps? Please read the Help Page.