Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Worms 2 retains the classic turn-based artillery gameplay that fans love, tasking each player with maneuvering their squad of worms across a fully destructible landscape. Every turn you must balance movement, positioning, and weapon choice to outwit your opponent. Though the core mechanics remain true to the original, subtle refinements—such as more precise aiming controls and faster turn timers—keep the action brisk and engaging.

At the heart of Worms 2 lies its vast arsenal of weapons, ranging from straightforward firearms like miniguns and shotguns to over-the-top tools of devastation such as napalm airstrikes, homing missiles, explosive mad cows, super banana bombs, and even flying sheep. Each weapon introduces unique strategic considerations: will you carve out high ground with a bazooka blast, herd your enemies into a single pincer with a banana bomb, or rain chaos with a cluster of flying sheep?

The game offers robust single-player challenges, featuring scenario-based missions that ramp up difficulty and encourage creative problem-solving. Multiplayer remains where Worms 2 truly shines: local hotseat matches and online play let you customize almost every aspect—team size, time limits, sudden-death conditions—so that every skirmish feels fresh. The inclusion of user-definable landscapes and random map generation ensures no two battles ever play out the same way.

Graphics

Powered by a brand-new graphics engine, Worms 2 brings its quirky characters to life with big, well-animated sprites that leap, crawl, and explode in vibrant detail. The worms’ rubbery motions and expressive faces add a layer of personality to each turn, making every misstep or triumphant kill all the more memorable.

Environments are richly colored and fully destructible: hills crumble under bazooka fire, water trenches fill dynamically, and random objects (like explosive barrels) can be toppled for extra mayhem. Dynamic shadows and particle effects—such as smoke plumes from a napalm strike or debris from a collapsing fortress—add visual flair without sacrificing performance.

Weapon animations range from delightfully absurd to satisfyingly brutal. Watching a super banana bomb split open mid-air, scattering shrapnel across the battlefield, or seeing a herd of mad cows trample a team of unsuspecting worms brings a cartoonish charm that underscores the series’ light-hearted tone. The result is a presentation that feels polished yet playful, ideal for both casual players and strategy enthusiasts.

Story

Worms 2 doesn’t aim to deliver a deep, cinematic narrative; instead, it embraces a tongue-in-cheek premise where rival worm armies engage in comedic warfare for ultimate underground dominance. Any “story” unfolds through a series of single-player missions, each introduced by cheeky text and cartoon-style cutscenes that poke fun at military tropes.

As you progress through the campaign, mission objectives diversify—rescue hostages, defuse explosive crates, or simply outlast opponents under harsh environmental conditions. Between battles, humorous interludes and animated worm banter keep the tone light, offering a cheeky break from the explosions and ensuring the game never takes itself too seriously.

Multiplayer matches create their own emergent stories: recall the time a stray homing rocket backfired, or when a well-timed airstrike turned the tide in a nail-biting sudden-death round. These player-driven narratives, full of surprising reversals and hilarious mishaps, become the real “story” of Worms 2, forging memorable moments that friends will recount long after the match ends.

Overall Experience

Worms 2 strikes an ideal balance between pick-up-and-play accessibility and deep strategic depth. Veterans will appreciate the nuanced weapon interactions and map-editing tools, while newcomers can jump in and quickly master the basics. The result is a game that invites endless replay, whether you’re completing every single-player scenario or battling friends in a heated LAN party.

The presentation is consistently charming, the combat remains unpredictably delightful, and the multiplayer offerings are robust. With its combination of destructible terrain, dynamic physics, and a ludicrously fun weapons roster, Worms 2 offers a party game experience that’s as enduring today as it was at launch.

For anyone seeking a lighthearted yet tactically rewarding turn-based strategy game, Worms 2 delivers on all fronts. It’s a title that thrives on mischief and creative chaos, making it an absolute must-play for both longtime Worms aficionados and those looking for a fresh dose of explosive, worm-centric mayhem.

Retro Replay Score

8/10