Editing Worms (series)

{{Short description|Artillery strategy computer game series}}
{{about|the video game series|other uses|Worms (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox video game series
|title = Worms
|image = WormsLogo.png
|caption = The original ''Worms'' logo 
|alt = The word WORMS written in a red military style stencil font, the letter 'O' is replaced with a green grenade. 
|developer = [[Team17]]
|publisher = {{Plain list | 
*[[Ocean Software]]
*[[MicroProse]]
*[[Ubisoft]]
*[[Sega]]
*[[Codemasters]]
*[[THQ]]
*[[EA]]
}}
|genre = [[Artillery game|Artillery]], [[Turn-based tactics|tactics]]
|creator = [[Andy Davidson (game designer)|Andy Davidson]]
|first release version = ''[[Worms (1995 video game)|Worms]]''
|first release date = 17 November 1995
|latest release version = ''[[Worms Armageddon|Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition]]''
|latest release date = 26 September 2024
}}

'''''Worms''''' is a series of [[Artillery game|artillery]] [[Turn-based tactics|tactical]] [[video game]]s developed by [[United Kingdom|British]] company [[Team17]]. In these games, small platoons of [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] [[Worm|worms]] battle each other across a destructible landscape with the objective being to become the sole surviving team. The games are noted for their cartoony animation and extensive use of [[surrealism]] and [[slapstick humour]].

The game, whose concept was devised by Andy Davidson, was described by the Amiga [[Video game journalism|gaming press]] as a cross between ''[[Cannon Fodder (video game)|Cannon Fodder]]'' and ''[[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Davies|title=Worms (Preview)|work=Amiga Power Issue 48|pages=12–13|publisher=Future Publishing|date=April 1995}}</ref> It is part of a wider genre of [[Turn-based game|turn-based]] [[artillery game]]s involving [[projectile]] weapons; similar games include ''[[Scorched Earth (video game)|Scorched Earth]]'' (1991), ''[[Gorillas (video game)|Gorillas]]'' (1991) and ''[[Artillery Duel]]'' (1983).

==Games==
{{Video game timeline
|subtitle = Main series in bold
|1995 = '''''[[Worms (1995 video game)|Worms]]'''''
|1996 =
|1997a = '''''[[Worms: The Director's Cut]]'''''
|1997b = '''''[[Worms 2]]'''''
|1998 = ''[[Addiction Pinball|Worms Pinball]]''
|1999 = '''''[[Worms Armageddon]]'''''
|2000 =
|2001 = '''''[[Worms World Party]]'''''
|2002 = ''[[Worms Blast]]''
|2003 = '''''[[Worms 3D]]'''''
|2004a = ''[[Worms Golf]]''
|2004b = '''''[[Worms Forts: Under Siege]]'''''
|2005 = '''''[[Worms 4: Mayhem]]'''''
|2006 = '''''[[Worms: Open Warfare]]'''''
|2007a = '''''[[Worms (2007 video game)|Worms]]'''''
|2007b = '''''[[Worms: Open Warfare 2]]''''' 
|2008 = '''''[[Worms: A Space Oddity]]'''''
|2009 = '''''[[Worms 2: Armageddon]]'''''
|2010a = '''''[[Worms Reloaded]]'''''
|2010b = '''''[[Worms: Battle Islands]]'''''
|2011a = '''''[[Worms: Ultimate Mayhem]]'''''
|2011b = ''[[Worms Crazy Golf]]''
|2012 = '''''[[Worms Revolution]]'''''
|2013a = '''''[[Worms 3]]'''''
|2013b = '''''[[Worms Clan Wars]]'''''
|2014 = '''''[[Worms Battlegrounds]]'''''
|2015 = '''''[[Worms 4 (2015 video game)|Worms 4]]'''''
|2016 = '''''[[Worms W.M.D]]'''''
|2017 =
|2018 =
|2019 =
|2020 = ''[[Worms Rumble]]''
}}

===Main series===
* ''[[Worms (1995 video game)|Worms]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Worms: The Director's Cut]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Worms 2]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Worms Armageddon]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Worms World Party]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Worms 3D]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Worms Forts: Under Siege]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Worms 4: Mayhem]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Worms: Open Warfare]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Worms (2007 video game)|Worms]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Worms: Open Warfare 2]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Worms: A Space Oddity]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Worms 2: Armageddon]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Worms Reloaded]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Worms: Battle Islands]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Worms: Ultimate Mayhem]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Worms Revolution]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Worms 3]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Worms Clan Wars]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Worms Battlegrounds]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Worms 4 (2015 video game)|Worms 4]]'' (2015)
* ''[[Worms W.M.D]]'' (2016)

===Spin-offs===
* ''[[Addiction Pinball|Worms Pinball]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Worms Blast]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Worms Golf]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Worms Crazy Golf]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Worms Rumble]]'' (2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/07/worms-rumble-announced-for-ps5-ps4-and-pc|title=Worms Rumble announced for PS5, PS4, and PC|website=Gematsu|date=July 2020 |access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref>

===Collections===
* ''Worms United'' (1996; included ''Worms'' and ''Worms Reinforcements'') 
* ''The Full Wormage'' (1998; included ''Worms United'', ''Worms 2'' and ''Worms Pinball'') 
* ''Worms Triple Pack'' (2002; included ''Worms 2'', ''Worms Armageddon'', ''Worms World Party'' and ''Worms Blast Demo'')
* ''Worms Collection''<ref>{{cite web |title=Worms Collection |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/worms-collection/ |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom]] |access-date=29 May 2024}}</ref> (2012; included ''Worms (2007)'', ''Worms 2: Armageddon'' and ''Worms Ultimate Mayhem'')

==Gameplay==
{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
[[File:Worms World Party screenshot.png|thumb|right|The fully deformable landscape can be radically altered by the use of weapons, often requiring players to scrap their plans and adopt new strategies to cope with the changes.]]

''Worms'' games are [[Turn-based strategy|turn-based]] artillery games presented in a 2D or 3D environment. Each player controls a team of several worms. During the course of the game, players take turns selecting one of their worms. They use whatever tools and weapons are available to attack and kill the opponents' worms, thereby winning the game. Worms may move around the terrain in a variety of ways, normally by walking and jumping but also by using particular tools such as the "Bungee" and "Ninja Rope", to move to otherwise inaccessible areas. Each turn is time-limited to ensure that players do not hold up the game with excessive thinking or moving. The time limit can be modified in some of the games.

Over 50 weapons and tools may be available each time a game is played; differing selections of weapons and tools can be saved into a "scheme" for easy selection in future games. Other scheme settings allow options such as deployment of reinforcement crates, from which additional weapons can be obtained, and [[Sudden death (sport)|sudden death]] where the game is rushed to a conclusion after a time limit expires. Some settings provide for the inclusion of objects such as land mines and explosive barrels.

When most weapons are used, they cause explosions that deform the terrain, creating circular cavities. The types of playable terrains include "island" (terrain floating on a body of water), or "cave" (cave with water at the bottom and terrain at both top and bottom of the screen that certain weapons such as "Air Strike" cannot go through; this type is not available in 3D versions due to camera restrictions). If a worm is hit with a weapon, the amount of damage dealt to the worm will be removed from the worm's initial amount of health. The damage dealt to the attacked worm or worms after any player's turn is shown when all movement on the battlefield has ceased.

Worms die when one of the following situations occurs:
* When a worm enters water (either by falling off the island, through a hole in the bottom of it, or by the waterline being raised above the worm during sudden death)
* When a worm is thrown off either side of the arena
* When a worm's health is reduced to zero

===Weapons and tools===
The ''Worms'' series is notable for its extensive variety of weapons. With each new game that is released, weapons are added, though many were removed in the 3D versions for gameplay reasons. As a result, the 2D series has accumulated 60 weapons, and the 3D series 40 weapons.

The weapons available in the game range from a standard timed grenade and homing missiles to exploding sheep and the highly destructive Banana Bomb, both of which have appeared in every ''Worms'' game so far. The ''Worms'' series has seen weapons such as the iconic [[Holy Hand Grenade]], the Priceless [[Ming Vase]] and the Inflatable Scouser.

Some of the bizarre weapons in a particular game are based on topical subjects at the time of the game's release.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://forum.team17.com/showthread.php?t=24544|title=What things were the weapons in Worms based on?|publisher=Team17|work=Team17 Forum|access-date=April 17, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323182659/http://forum.team17.com/showthread.php?t=24544|archive-date=March 23, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Mail Strike, for example, which consists of a flying postbox dropping explosive envelopes, is a reference to the postal strikes of the time, while the Mad Cow refers to the [[Bovine spongiform encephalopathy|BSE]] epidemic of the 1990s. The French Nuclear Test, introduced in ''Worms 2'', was updated to the Indian Nuclear Test in ''Worms Armageddon'' to keep with the times.

Other weapons are inside jokes. The MB Bomb, for example, which floats down from the sky and explodes on impact, is a cartoon caricature of Martyn Brown, Team17's studio director. Other such weapons include the "Concrete Donkey", one of the most powerful weapons in the game, which is based on a garden ornament in Andy Davidson's home garden, and an airstrike known in the game as Mike's Carpet Bomb was actually inspired by a store near the Team17 headquarters called "Mike's Carpets".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.team17.com/showpost.php?p=17699&postcount=7|author=Martyn Brown|title=Mike's Carpets|publisher=Team17|work=Team17 forum|access-date=April 17, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927015202/http://forum.team17.com/showpost.php?p=17699&postcount=7|archive-date=September 27, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Since ''Worms Armageddon'', weapons that were intended to aid as utilities rather than damage-dealers were classified as tools. This classification mainly differs in the fact that they do not fall in ordinary weapon crates, and instead appear in toolboxes. Many tools were left in the wrong class for the sake of keyboard-shortcut conveniences. This was resolved in ''Worms 3D''.

Some weapons were inspired from popular films and TV programs, including the [[Holy Hand Grenade]] (from ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'') and Ninja Rope (named the Bat Rope in early demos of the original game).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.team17.com/showthread.php?p=17699#post17688|author=Martyn Brown|title=Batrope and Mike's Carpets|publisher=Team17|work=Team17 forum|access-date=August 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210044829/http://forum.team17.com/showthread.php?p=17699#post17688|archive-date=December 10, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2020}}

==History==
{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2020}}
[[File:TotalWormage.jpg|upright=.75|thumb|right|A screenshot of ''Total Wormage'', before it was renamed ''Worms''. It featured darker tones than later ''Worms'' games, with more realistic effects and the ambient sound of a battlefield.]]

===Creator===
{{anchor|Andy Davidson (game designer)}}
Andy Davidson is the creator of the original ''Worms'' video game by [[Team17]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://wormsarmageddon.team17.com/main.html?page=abou&area=thet&inte=andd| title=Interview with Andy Davidson| publisher=Team17| access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> The game "Worms" is based on the 2D classic "[[Artillery game|Artillery]]", and originally did not feature worms, but the ''[[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]]'' from the popular game of the same name.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Secret History of Worms|url=https://www.factor-tech.com/feature/the-secret-history-of-worms/|access-date=2020-12-22|website=Factor|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227133259/https://www.factor-tech.com/feature/the-secret-history-of-worms/ |archive-date=2020-02-27}}</ref>

====Background====
Davidson was working on a program called "Jack the Ripper" for the [[Amiga]] personal computer, which allowed him to trawl the residual contents of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] after applications had been run and quit. In this way, he "ripped" the graphics from Lemmings, and used them while developing his version of "Artillery". The original name of the game was ''Lemartillery'', and it was created purely as a bit of fun for him and his school friends in 1993. The positive reaction he witnessed encouraged him to develop it further. Knowing he could never commercially release the "Lemmings" characters, he changed them to worms and changed the name of the game to ''Total Wormage''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=dreamkatcha|date=2016-04-23|title=The Wormfather|url=https://www.everythingamiga.com/2016/04/the-wormfather.html|access-date=2020-07-01|website=Everything Amiga|language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224014309/http://www.everythingamiga.com/2016/04/the-wormfather.html|archivedate=24 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Development===
Created as an entry for a [[Blitz BASIC]] programming competition run by the ''[[Amiga Format]]'' magazine, a cut-down version of the programming language having been [[covermount]]ed previously. The game at this stage was called ''Total Wormage'' (possibly in reference to ''[[Total Carnage]]'') and it did not win the competition as Davidson did not include the source code, which was a rule of the competition . Davidson sent the game to several publishers with no success.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Making of Worms |journal=GamesTM |date=2007 |issue=53 |page=147}}</ref> He took the game to the [[European Computer Trade Show]] in London in September 1994, where Team17 had a stand. Team17 made an offer on-the-spot to develop and publish the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/31/worms-blast-4|title=Worms Blast Preview|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]|date=January 30, 2002|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Kevin Carthew|website=[[GameSpy]]|url=http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/worms/692399p1.html|title=Worms: Open Warfare Developer Diary|date=March 1, 2006|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> It subsequently evolved into a full commercial game, renamed ''[[Worms (1995 video game)|Worms]]'', available initially for the [[Amiga]]. As the game was popular, it was regularly released for other platforms.

During the development of ''[[Worms 2]]'', Davidson wrote ''[[Worms: The Director's Cut]]'', a special edition produced for the Amiga.<ref name="Worms TDC">{{cite journal|title=Worms: The Next Generation preview|publisher=[[EMAP]]|journal=[[CU Amiga]]|author=Alan Dykes|date=September 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dream17.info/softography.php?id=34|title=Worms: The Directors Cut profile|publisher=Dream17|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> ''The Director's Cut'' would be the last ''Worms'' game released for the Amiga.

For ''Worms 2'', the engine was redesigned using [[Microsoft]]'s [[DirectX]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dream17 :: Softography+ :: Worms 2|url=http://dream17.abime.net/softography.php?id=35|access-date=2020-07-01|website=dream17.abime.net}}</ref> The game would overhaul the series' visuals, dropping the darker tones of its predecessor and adopting a more cartoonish look. ''Worms 2'' would be the first game in the series to introduce internet play.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} The following release, ''[[Worms Armageddon]]'', featured the series' first campaign mode and was initially intended to be released as an expansion pack for ''Worms 2''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=LaFlame |first1=James |title=Worms Retrospective |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/25/worms-retrospective |website=IGN |access-date=27 June 2021 |date=25 February 2008}}</ref> ''Armageddon'' marked the introduction of "WormNET", an online services which required registration and provided leagues and ranks.<ref>Team17 forum. [http://forum.team17.com/forumdisplay.php?f=68 WA v3.6.19.7+ (beta) Update] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218184812/http://forum.team17.com/forumdisplay.php?f=68 |date=2006-02-18 }}</ref> A variety of "schemes" have been developed by the WormNET community that are often played instead of the official schemes created by Team17. Some schemes have "rules" agreed to by the players but not enforced by the game itself.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

''[[Worms 3D]]'', released in 2003, was the first installment of the series with three-dimensional gameplay. The game features a 'poxel' engine, described as a hybrid of [[polygon]]s and [[voxel]]s (the 3D analogues of pixels), which allows for pseudo-realistic [[terrain deformation]] similar in style to the 2D games, in which the terrain was represented by a [[bitmap]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} The game was followed in 2004 by a spin-off, ''[[Worms Forts: Under Siege]]'', and the fourth-numbered sequel, ''[[Worms 4: Mayhem]]'', in 2005. In the same year as ''Worms 3'''s release, Team17 would announce the cancellation of ''Worms Battle Rally'', a [[karting]] game that would allow players to frag their opponents.<ref>[[Retro Gamer]] magazine, issue 73. In the Chair with ... Martyn Brown (page 86)</ref>

''[[Worms: Open Warfare]]'', a handheld game was released in March 2006, returned to the original 2D gameplay. In addition to [[Worms: Open Warfare 2|a sequel]], [[Worms (2007 video game)|a console port]] of ''Open Warfare'' would be first released on [[Xbox Live Arcade]] in 2007. In turn, the port would be followed by 2009's ''[[Worms 2: Armageddon]]'', which was directly inspired by ''[[Worms Armageddon]]'' and tries to mimic the game's physics and several other aspects.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} ''Worms 2: Armageddon'' would itself be ported to home computers as ''[[Worms Reloaded]]'' in 2010.

In an attempt to revamp the series' gameplay, ''[[Worms Revolution]]'' was released in 2012. ''Revolution'' was a [[2.5D]] game that features a class-based mechanic, with each class having their own advantages and disadvantages. ''[[Worms W.M.D]]'', released in 2016, introduced vehicles to the series.

A [[board game]] was announced in June 2023 to be released in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yarwood |first1=Jack |title=Team17 Classic 'Worms' Is About To Become A Board Game |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/06/team17-classic-worms-is-about-to-become-a-board-game |website=Time Extension |publisher=[[Hookshot Media]] |access-date=2 June 2023 |date=2 June 2023}}</ref>

==Reception==
While initial installments were generally praised, later games in the series have been criticized for the lack of meaningful additions.<ref name=diezeit/> In 2001, [[Metacritic]] quoted ''[[Worms World Party]]'' reviews with comments such as "it's virtually nothing more than an expansion pack for ''Worms Armageddon''" and, as ActionTrip's Dejan Grbavcic put it: "And I thought that only Eidos was impertinent enough to keep selling the same game with a slightly different name...".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/wormsworldparty|title=Worms World Party (pc: 2001): Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> In 2007, ''[[IGN]]'' included the ''Worms'' series in its list of game franchises that have [[jumping the shark|jumped the shark]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/21/top-10-tuesday-jumped-the-shark|title=Top 10 Tuesday: Jumped the Shark|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=News Corporation|date=February 20, 2007|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref>

===Sales===
The ''Worms'' series is commercially successful. Its combined sales by January 2002 had reached 6 million copies.<ref name=ops2sales>{{cite journal|title=A New Can of ''Worms''|author=George Walter|issue=16|date=January 2002|page=52|journal=[[PlayStation Official Magazine – UK#Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine|Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine]]}}</ref> By May 2014, 60 million copies of the games in the ''Worms'' franchise had been sold since launching in 1995.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2014/05/29/games-worms-battlegrounds-spotlight/|title=Behind the Scenes of ''Worms: Battlegrounds'' with Team 17|author=Xbox Wire|author-link=Xbox Wire|work=xbox.com|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=May 29, 2014|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> By December 2015, the 20th anniversary of Team17, the franchise has sold over 70 million game units.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.videogamer.com/news/worms_franchise_tops_70_million_units|title=''Worms'' franchise tops 70 million units|first=David|last=Scammell|work=VideoGamer.com|publisher=Candy Banana|date=December 3, 2015|access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref> By March 2020, the 25th anniversary of Worms series, the franchise has sold over 75 million game units.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Snowdon |first1=Ros |title=Team17 celebrates record year with plans for a new Worms game |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/team17-celebrates-record-year-plans-new-worms-game-2445271 |website=Yorkshire Post |access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>

===Awards===
Titles in the franchise have received a variety of awards.<ref>Team17. [http://worms.team17.com/index.html?page=fran Worms franchise awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220005218/http://worms.team17.com/index.html?page=fran |date=2006-02-20 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2020}}
*"Most original game" - EMAP Awards
*"Best game" - BBC's Live & Kicking
*"Most original game" - ECTS Awards
*"Best game" - [[Micromania Awards]]
*"Best strategy title" - PSX Developers
*"Strategy game of the year" - EGM
*"Best strategy game" - Trophee d'or
*"Multiplayer game of the year" - GMBH

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=diezeit>{{cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/digital/games/2015-11/worms-spiel-20-jahre-armageddon|title=Auf sie mit Gewürm!|language=de|last=Fehrenbach|first=Achim|work=[[Die Zeit]]|date=18 November 2015|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://worms.team17.com/}}
*{{moby game|id=-group/worms-series|name=''Worms'' series}}

{{Team17}}

[[Category:Artillery video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer hotseat games]]
[[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]]
[[Category:Fictional worms]]
[[Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1995]]
[[Category:Worms (series)| ]]