Team 17’s adorable worm soldiers have returned to the PS Vita to continue their unique brand of warfare. With an extensive single-player campaign that contains 47 missions and 25 puzzles to complete, Worms Revolution Extreme provides a robust gameplay experience that far exceeds its Playstation 3 predecessor.
The game starts with an eight level tutorial that introduces the player to the controls and intricacies of combat. Each tutorial is designed to play like a standard level, but with basic objectives to complete. The first couple of levels explain how to use weapons and hazards like explosive canisters to your advantage.
Later tutorial levels become more challenging as you must learn the physics of each stage (i.e. exploding holes through the level to drown your adversaries in large pools of water). To add to the game’s overall appeal, a whimsical British narrator (voiced by Matt Berry – iT Crowd) accompanies both the training and your team’s mission exploits. Once you have completed the tutorial, the single-player campaign unlocks and the actual game begins.
The gameplay is based on a series of objectives that must be completed before progressing to the next stage. These objectives typically entail killing off your adversaries in imaginative ways. For example – instead of using a close-range weapon like a shotgun, you may have to call in an airstike to kill an enemy that cannot be reached by conventional means. In some cases, you may be required to use a grenade or landmine to clear a path. This depends on the map you’re on and where your troop is located.
Like its predecessors, Worms Revolution Extreme uses a turn-based engine that works on a timer. This system creates a slow-paced, strategic experience that can be very rewarding if you make the right decisions. On the flip side, you need to learn the physics engine to properly hurl bombs and grenades into crevasses that contain enemy worms. Moreover, you need to understand how the landscape works if you plan on dislodging objects like rocks to use them as rolling projectiles. Otherwise, you will kill yourself and everyone around you.
Worms Revolution Extreme includes three pieces of DLC that are accessible through the main menu. “All the Fun of the Fair” includes five levels with standard “kill the Worms” objectives. ” The “Missions on Mars” scenario has five additional levels that resemble the standard single-player campaign, as it contains mind-bending puzzles and high difficulty. “Medieval Tales” , on the other hand, is the best of the available DLC because it adds an RPG fantasy twist to the franchise.
As a single worm, you must complete tasks for a king while receiving assistance from wizards. The game can be played at your own pace, and there is no pressure to complete puzzles on a trial and error basis.
The only drawback to Worms Revolution Extreme are the controls, which is quite surprising. When it comes to jumping, it’s difficult to double-jump on to a ledge when your worm catches on the corner(s) of the level. Even more frustrating are the wide jumps caused by explosions; they usually end up as death traps due to the controls not responding.
The analog controls can be temperamental, especially when you’re trying to aim a weapon and they decide to ‘walk’ your worm into your target. The directional pad can also be used to control your worm, but it suffers from similar issues too.
With control issues aside, Worms Revolution Extreme is still a great game with hours of gameplay to enjoy. The additional DLC really helps with the replay factor, and the “Medieval Tales” DLC is a concept that Team 17 needs to explore further for future releases.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: PS Vita (Available on PSN)
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Team 17
ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Price: $14.99
Worms Revolution Extreme’s Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| As traditional as they can be, Worms Extreme Revolution's graphics maintain the classic, cartoon-like theme of previous sequels. | |
| Sound | |
| Not only is the narrator funny, but the Worms themselves say some incredibly cute things. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Intense combat with some physics thrown in for good measure. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Worms Revolution Extreme for PS Vita is addictive, challenging and fun. | |
