I really enjoyed the
earlier Worms titles: games like Worms Armageddon was the perfect
party game to spend all night playing with your buddies.  It was turn-based,
where you controlled your team of worms on a large, destructible stage, trying
to eliminate your opponents with crazy, inventive weapons.  The game was very
fun, and had tons of replayability.  I was rather disappointed when I heard that
Worms Blast would not be another traditional title to continue the
series, but rather, a puzzle game.  In fact, I wasn’t expecting the game to be
good at all, just another Bust-A-Move clone to earn some money from the
franchise.

Boy, was I ever wrong. 
Blast is probably the most fun I’ve had with a puzzle title in a long time. 
There are a lot of different modes to play, ranging from Puzzle, to Tournament,
to matches between the PC or multiplayer with someone else.  Puzzle mode is
easily the longest of the bunch, with dozens of levels for you to conquer,
always adding a twist to spice up play.  Other modes and characters can be
unlocked through Puzzle mode as well.  Tournament isn’t exactly a tournament,
but rather a high-score challenge in which you can participate in.  There are
about eight modes available from the beginning, and more can be unlocked.

The game involves your
character in a tiny boat at the bottom of the screen.  He can go across the
water from left to right, change the angle of his gun, and how powerful he plans
to launch his ammunition.  It controls just like previous Worms games, and it
works perfectly.  The only time it will get in the way is when you need to turn
around sharply and shoot quickly; which, luckily, is not very often.  Basically,
you use your bazooka to shoot at the blocks overhead.  Your bazooka will cycle
through different colored ammunition, changing after each shot.  When a missile
hits a block of the same color, that color disappears, and any other colored
blocks hanging underneath will fall into the sea, as will stars or item boxes
resting there.  If you’re hit by falling blocks, you lose a bit of health – lose
it all, and it’s game over.  All the while these blocks are slowly dropping
towards the water, and it’s the end if your boat gets trapped under them.

That’s the basic premise
that you’ll be playing throughout the versus mode against the computer or a
friend, and it really is fun.  Every now and then a hole appears in the line
splitting the screen, and you can shoot missiles at each other.  There are also
other weapons that can be acquired from the item boxes, which adds a nice touch
of Worms atmosphere.  There are variations on this mode, as well: basic
deathmatch, star collection, and another where your water level may rise unless
you collect stars to lower it.  All of them are rather inventive and fun. 
Multiplayer is definitely a strong point of Worms Blast.

The Puzzle mode features
dozens of different puzzles, each with a different twist.  Some have quickly
falling blocks you must shoot, others have a line of blocks that drops each time
you shoot, and so forth and so on.  It starts off easy, but gets really tough in
a matter of a few levels.  If you can make it through all of these, you can
definitely consider yourself a master.  Puzzle mode also happens to unlock other
cool modes and characters, such as the elusive exploding sheep (gotta love that
guy).  It’s enough to keep anyone busy for hours upon hours.

The graphics of Blast
work well, with sharp, crisp 2D graphics showing off the blocks, and a
wonderfully drawn background.  The water and characters are actually 3D, and
have sort of a cel-shaded look.  The water animates beautifully, with everything
that hits the water causing ripples and waves that send you upwards for a
moment.  The sound works well, too.  It’s rather cheery and fitting, kind of
tropical, like the game’s theme itself, although it could probably get annoying
after a long enough period of time.  The voices are great, as always: you can
expect the worms to say something funny here and there in their smurfy voices. 
Good stuff all around.

Worms Blast is
definitely a fun surprise, and although it may not be like previous Worms
titles, it incorporates elements from previous games in quite innovative ways. 
The control is great and unique, the modes are plentiful, and the multiplayer
mode is a lot of fun.  What more do you want?  An actual Worms game? Well,
you’ll have to wait some more for that.  This title ought to keep you busy until
Team-17 gets around to developing a proper sequel.

Gameplay:
8.5

I feel confident saying Worms Blast is full of fun; one
of the best puzzle games I’ve come across in a good while.  The initial gameplay
may seem simple, but there are so many twists that it will take a long time to
get tired of this game.

Graphics:
8.5

Simple and elegant are the
best two words available to describe the graphics in Worms Blast.  The
backgrounds in the levels are very cool hand-drawn works of art, the blocks are
all easy to recognize, and the water effects are great.  Nothing extremely
flashy to be had, except for the occasional nifty wave effect.

Sound:
8.0

Worms Blast features
some decent music, rather cheery and enjoyable. The voices are well-done in
traditional Worms fashion, and won’t disappoint fans of previous games.

Difficulty: Medium

It’s easy to
hop into the game, but there are so many twists in puzzle mode, let alone all of
the other modes, that it will take a long time to master.

Concept:
8.5

I admit I was a little
skeptical of the game’s ingenuity; it looked like another Bust-A-Move
clone.  You can bet I was pretty surprised when I found how well the Worms
control scheme works, all the crazy modes, and even how well different weapons
translated to the game.  It’s a rare time when I can say that this is a great
spin-off and a very fine puzzle game.

Multiplayer: 9.0

Multiplayer mode is great
in Worms Blast.  You have to share the keyboard, but it works quite well
since there are only about six keys each person needs.  The game runs well, with
quite a few different modes to test out, and of course various ways to annoy
your opponent.  Fun!

Overall:
8.5

I seriously wasn’t
expecting much from Worms Blast, but what I found was a great puzzle game
that works hand-in-hand with the other Worms titles.  Multiplayer mode is
really fun and the puzzles will keep you busy for a long time.  Check it out.