Review of Worms Rumble »Vortex
If you type Rumble into the translator, the word rumble may come out first. And this is exactly the expression for the new Worms that fits perfectly. The twenty-five-year-old series has changed its form many times during its existence, but the basic concept has remained almost unchanged except for a few spin-offs. The Worms were a two-dimensional arcade in which teams of armed worms faced each other and engaged in turn-based combat in a destructible environment. But Rumble breaks this tradition on several levels.
First of all, fans of the series must say goodbye to turn-based battles. The skirmishes in Rumble take place exclusively in real time and also the destructive environment takes over. Thanks to this, the novelty is much more reminiscent of twin-stick shooters from the production of the Finnish team Housemarque than the original games, but seen from the side. On the gamepad, one analog lever controls the movement of the worm and the other aims.
The result of removing moves is a frantic action ride in which there is no shortage of adrenaline, with up to 32 players at once. They can compete either in the classic battle of all against all, or in two variations on today’s popular battle royale mode. Here, in shrinking arenas, he pits either individuals or entire teams against each other. In all cases, however, the spirit of the series remains and Worms Rumble can never be taken too seriously. Thanks to this, there are, for example, the laws of physics, significant graphic stylization, the possibility of jumping on the walls and other light elements that you will definitely not come across in Call of Duty or PUBG.
Game fillings like saffron
Unfortunately, it is necessary to add that you do not expect a large amount of content. Although the maps are extensive and contain unexpected hiding places, which can only be seen after the players have entered them themselves, but there are also desperately few of them. Also, the three mentioned game modes can be seen soon, and from the very beginning it is true that the game lacks the famous “something” extra that would distinguish it from many other multiplayer games. In addition, you can only play online and you can forget about memorable skirmishes with shoes with adjustable difficulty, the lowest of which could turn armed worms into harmless lemurs. Overall, Worms Rumble acts as a poorer relative of competitive action games, which will naturally be reflected in the length of time that the game will interest and motivate you.
It is then a question for each of you whether, for example, additional accessories will keep you in the game, which you will unlock by gradually playing. These are mainly cosmetic items that not only fulfill an aesthetic function, but can also help to clarify the situation. In moments when several worms struggle with each other in a single corridor, colored projectiles fly through the air and everything explodes, it is desirable not to lose track of which of the worms is yours. Relying on the fact that you will always find it in the middle of the picture is often very treacherous and it does not always apply.
This, of course, brings us to the most important thing, thanks to which Worms cannot be forgotten. Yes, we are talking about legendary weapons, of which there are few at first glance in Worms Rumble, but their variability will make up for a small number and you will have a lot of fun with them. There are also iconic pieces like an exploding sheep thrower, a baseball bat and Holly Hand Grenade, so get ready for a dose of nostalgia and favorite effects. Weapons are complemented by specialized elements of equipment, such as jetpacks or launching ropes, and even when using them, you must have a lot of quick reflexes and a precise hand to squeeze the most out of them in rapidly changing combat conditions. In other words, immersing yourself in the game and understanding the basic mechanisms is very fast, but it already requires some experience to correct all the chaos on the screen, and in the first few matches you will almost certainly pull for a shorter end.
Unfortunately, in addition to a smaller amount of content, the weaker aspects also include not fully completed technical processing. Just after the release, the game crashed regularly on the PlayStation 5, which in my case even led to several unfinished matches in a row and the loss of the played score. But the patches are coming and already a few days after the launch, playing was less problematic and more stable. So it will be critical whether the developers from Team17 will add new content to the game in addition to fixes, which is the only way for the sequel to Worms to be played in half a year and we could move our rating from a pleasant arcade to lasting competitive fun. Compared to previous episodes, this is a completely different matter, to which a path must first be found, and new fashions or tempting connections with other brands or any content impulse could help rumors. In the end, I also had to conclude after a few introductory hours that I quite like the shift over the initial skepticism and I intend to return to playing. In the end, the low price is also nice – Worms Rumble can be purchased for less than CZK 500 on both the PlayStation console and the PC, and PlayStation Plus subscribers also received a novelty as part of the December title offer completely free of charge.
