Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Worms: Open Warfare 2 builds on the turn-based artillery formula with a wealth of new content that keeps each skirmish fresh and unpredictable. Whether you’re navigating the fully destructible landscapes or timing a perfect sheep launch, the core mechanics remain as delightfully chaotic as ever. The intuitive controls let newcomers pick up and play quickly, while the strategic depth of wind conditions, terrain manipulation, and weapon choice rewards more experienced tacticians.

The game offers multiple modes to suit every play style. In Campaign mode, you’ll tackle a series of carefully crafted missions, each with unique objectives and environmental hazards. Puzzle mode challenges you to clear a map or achieve a specific goal within limited resources, testing your creativity and problem-solving skills. Multiplayer is where Worms truly shines—locally via pass-and-play, wireless head-to-head, or online with up to four teams, you can even join clan matches or ranked ladders on the PSP version for an added competitive edge.

One of the standout features is the extended arsenal. Classic favorites like the Holy Hand Grenade and Super Sheep return alongside fresh toys such as the Electromagnet, Bunker Buster, and Sentry Gun. New game modes like Forts and Race add novel objectives: seize the highest ground or dash across checkpoints faster than your foes. Customization options let you tweak turn timers, available weapons, and even victory dances, so each session can be as frantic or as methodical as you like.

For those who crave limitless variety, the map editor and themed templates—ranging from Pirates to Future War—open up almost endless design possibilities. Want a Cold War bunker brawl or a desert siege straight out of the Gulf War? You can craft it yourself. This level of personalization, combined with downloadable hats and extra maps on the PSP, ensures that even veterans will discover something new every time they play.

Graphics

Graphically, Worms: Open Warfare 2 adopts a charming 2D art style that balances readability with personality. The worm characters are expressive, complete with cheeky animations for idle stances, taunts, and death throes. Explosions and weapon effects maintain clarity even in the heat of battle, ensuring you always know what’s happening amid the flying debris and shifting landscape.

The environments are vividly themed, from murky swamp levels to retro World War II battlefields. Each backdrop features parallax scrolling that adds a sense of depth, while the fully destructible terrain responds dynamically to grenades, rockets, and ninja ropes. Watching an island cave in as you land a direct hit never gets old, and the physics-driven scenery makes each match feel unique.

On the DS, the touchscreen interface and stylus controls give you a bird’s-eye view with a scrollable mini-map, making precision aiming a breeze. The PSP’s zoomable battlefield and smooth frame rate deliver an impressive handheld experience that rivals home consoles. Though the hardware limitations mean you won’t see high-def textures, the vibrant color palette and clean UI keep the action crisp and engaging.

Story

While Worms: Open Warfare 2 isn’t driven by a deep narrative, the Campaign mode weaves together a lighthearted storyline that serves as the perfect excuse for your worm squads to wreak havoc. Between missions, short animated cutscenes showcase the worms’ absurd personalities, from boastful commanders to hapless grunts, injecting humor and context into each battle.

These animated interludes are charming in their simplicity, using expressive sprites and witty dialogue to maintain the series’ trademark comedy. Missions transition logically—from training exercises to daring raids—so you’ll feel a sense of progression as you unlock new weapons and maps. The storyline might not rival a triple-A RPG, but it provides just enough narrative glue to keep solo players invested.

Puzzle mode furthers the storytelling by challenging you to recreate famous match moments or resolve contrived tactical dilemmas. Each scenario feels like a mini-episode in the worms’ grand saga, and solving these brain-teasers rewards you with new map themes and cosmetic items, reinforcing the sense of accomplishment as you advance.

Overall Experience

Worms: Open Warfare 2 strikes a fine balance between quick bursts of chaotic mayhem and deeply strategic gameplay. Casual players will enjoy the immediate fun of blowing holes in the terrain, while competitive gamers can spend hours perfecting their shot angles, weapon loadouts, and timing. The varied game modes—from solo campaign to frantic online skirmishes—ensure there’s always a reason to come back.

Customization and user-generated content significantly extend the game’s lifespan. Personalize your worm teams with unique flags, soundbanks, and victory dances, then share your handcrafted maps with friends or the wider community. On handheld platforms, the addition of downloadable content, online lobbies, and even clan support keeps the multiplayer scene lively long after release.

In short, Worms: Open Warfare 2 offers a polished, content-rich package that appeals to longtime fans and new players alike. Its blend of humor, strategy, and unpredictable physics-based destruction makes each match memorable. Whether you’re sneaking up on a foe with a ninja rope or launching a last-second Holy Hand Grenade, the game delivers an experience that’s as rewarding as it is entertaining.

Retro Replay Score

7.7/10