Worms Blast

Go Full Blast!

I suspect that some people didn’t look too closely to the back of the box of Worms Blast and bought it on the idea that it was a typical Worms game – the name and box art don’t exactly scream “puzzle game”, after all. Yet this is like Bust-A-Move, except you use weapons from worms to shoot targets. Well, that’s oversimplifying it, but I really wish it was that simple.

When you launch the main puzzle mode, you start off with a 15 minute long tutorial, explaining every single detail you’ll encounter: the various weapons, different kind of blocks. It’s just a big dump of information at the very start, instead of introducing new mechanics as you progress through the game. It takes what should be a simple concept and massively overcomplicates it.

Your goal is to shoot all the coloured blocks. You’re on a raft and float side to side, shooting your bazooka keeping in mind its power and arc. Shots alternate between different colours and if you hit the wrong colour, it will change to the colour you hit it with. As the game uses lots of similar colours, I couldn’t beat the first level (while the discs toy shoot at have icons, the colour indicator of your shot doesn’t). Also, despite the really long tutorial, objects just started falling from the sky with zero explanation, so they still managed to miss important elements of the game.

There are some head to head multiplayer modes that add even more complexity to the game as well, with a wall opening up between you and your opponent to shoot through. It just makes the game more cumbersome. This could have been something good, using weapons in a puzzle game like this is an interesting idea and the presentation is nice, but it just doesn’t work.

Poor

Despite is familiarity, though, Worms Blast can be mildly diverting, but it’s rarely more than that, even with the huge amount of puzzles and two-player shenanigans, and can be hugely frustrating.

NGC Magazine #74

Remake or remaster?

A worms collection would be good.

Official Ways to get the game

Worms Blast is available on Steam, however the game crashes a few levels in.

GameCube Games by Date

2001: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2007: Mar, Jun, Aug

gamecube puzzle team 17 ubisoft worms