3 Free Cross-Platform Multishooter Games That Resemble Worms 2

When I was still using a PC, Worms 2 was one of my favourite games. I was never an avid gamer nor did I have the world’s longest attention span. I’m not really the sort of person you’d expect to be glued by a mission-based game with a long and twisted storyline. I’m more of a “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” sort of gamer.

Driven by nostalgia, I went on a search to look for Worms-like games for Mac on the Internet. It sure took me a while but I did find three clones of the game I used to love. In my article “16 Free, Fun, Simple & Addictive Games to Take the Edge Off“, I touched on Wormux – but since then, there have been quite a few updates so I’ll tell you all about it again.

If you don’t know what Worms is, it’s a turn-based 2D shooting game. Each team comprises of several players and everyone takes turns to select their weapon of choice to eliminate the opposing team. For more information on the Worms lineup, visit the developer’s webpage.

So, here are the three Worms clones that I found and they’re all cross-platform!

Wormux

The latest version of Wormux was released in September 2009 and to be quite honest, I found it to be probably the most refined Worms clone available. Instead of earthworms, the characters in the game have been replaced by avatars of popular free apps like GIMP, Pidgin and a few other random cartoon characters.

The selection of weapons is slightly modified from the original and tweaked to be different but the general gameplay feels about the same.

The game is still turn-based, no changes there. Network gameplay through LAN is an option, and so is playing online via the Wormux server. However, the server isn’t accessible if you connect via a proxy or if you don’t have the port 3826 forwarded to your computer.

Hedgewars

I’m actually very surprised at how much this clone resembles Worms 2. The map design, weapons selection, voiceovers, as well as the overall feel of the game is uncannily similar to the original game, it’s hard to believe until you actually play it. The only real noticeable change is in the characters.

In Hedgewars, you play a pink hedgehog dressed up in all sorts of different costumes. It may look weird, but once you’re over it, you’ll be absorbed by the game itself. If I am allowed one complaint, it’ll be about playing online. They didn’t really put much effort (I think) into designing the GUI and as a result, searching for an available game online is such a pain. But as I mentioned earlier, once you’re in a game and start to play, you’ll be totally immersed and eventually forget about its shortcomings entirely.

By comparison, Hedgewars isn’t as refined as Wormux. However, it does offer more original “Worms” gameplay.

Teeworlds

I have to state for the record that Teeworlds is a little different from the original Worms game in the sense that it’s not turn-based — it’s real time. This means that instead of one player controlling a character at any given time, everyone is allowed to play at the very same time! It’s chaos!

The motif is still the same — eliminate the opposing team. However, the gameplay and weapons are modified. There are three types of game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag. It takes a little getting used to because again, gameplay isn’t classic Worms but to be brutally honest, I have to say that I prefer Teeworlds when I’m feeling like a bit of fast-paced action — I don’t have to wait my turn, I respawn after being shot dead, and I just play until the timer runs out or a team wins. Then the game starts again.

Worms purist may not enjoy it though. But who cares? These games are just for fun.

Wormux – Download
Hedgewars – Download
Teeworlds – Download

I hope that you find these games entertaining and a bit of fun on a dull, autumn evening. Are you a Worms fan? Which clone did you enjoy the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.