Worms Revolution: Worms get some Class - Preview
by Karl Koebke , posted on 09 June 2012 / 3,107 Views
Putting the term Revolution in the title of a game in a long running series takes quite a bit of confidence. You're saying that this isn't like the rest of the games in the series but is instead different enough that fans and non-fans alike should stand up and take notice. Based on what Kevin Carthew of Team 17 showed me, Worms Revolution seems to earn the title just fine.
The first thing I noticed is the obvious (I'm smart like that) graphics change. It's still got that cartoony Worms style but uses 3D models on a 2D gameplay plane. Nothing that'll knock you out of your chair, but it's a good start to earning the 'Revolution' title. Dynamic water has been added as a weapon and is a great way to push worms where you want them. One of my old personal favorite weapons has also seen a big change; the Concrete Donkey can now bounce side to side instead of just straight up and down. As Kevin mentioned, it makes a huge mess of things.
Another smaller change I was shown is that Fort Mode has been retooled to use actual fort designs instead of planting the worms on adjacent islands. Kevin said that there were a number of different designs with thicker walls, more corridors to walk through, and other changes to give the mode more variety. The fort design you wish to use can be set in your worm team's customization menu.
By far the biggest core gameplay change is that a class system has been added to Worms. Yep, that's right, worms are no longer created equal. Sure there's a soldier class and that's just your standard worm, but there are also heavy and scout classes. The heavy class is far slower and finds it more difficult to get around but does significantly more damage, while the scout is his polar opposite. The scientist class is the last of the four and is a bit weaker in general but every turn that he's alive he'll bring the health of your entire team up slightly. All of these classes still take damage to the same degree; Kevin said that they played around with the idea of each class taking as well as dealing different amounts of damage but that it added a bit too much complexity to the game.
Just because there are four classes doesn't mean you have to use them all; you're free to use as many or as few as you want. If you think your best tactic requires a team made up entirely of heavies then give it a try and see. Having variety does allow for some interesting tactical decisions though; one strategy mentioned used the scout to get deep behind enemy territory and then swapping him with a heavy using an item. Items have also changed a bit. As you play you can collect coins, and then these coins can be used during the game to purchase weapons. It's a nice way to take out the randomness of the supply drops from previous games and instill the player with a bit more choice for how they play the game.
One thing ardent fans of the series could be annoyed by is the change to the classic ninja rope tool. Now that more accurate physics have been added to the game don't expect to be able to swing with abandon like in previous Worms game. It takes a bit longer to get momentum up, but it's also easier to work your way around corners since the rope is now flexible and you can choose the direction you fire it off in. I think once people get used to it they'll be playing Spiderman across the screen just like before, but it's going to take some getting used to.
Worms Revolution is slated for a Q3 2012 release on XBLA, PSN, and Steam and I'm a lot more excited for it than I once was. Playing the same old Worms again is great, but these changes could help revitalize the franchise and really get me into the Worms series again. Perhaps I'll see you all online; my team will be the one named after Valkyria Chronicles characters and called Squad 7.
