Worm Land, a Flash-based Action Strategy Involving Killer Worms

Worm Land is a Flash-based action adventure created by Newgrounds.com programmer tofp and sponsored by gamezhero. Worm Land was submitted to Newgrounds.com on February 22, 2010.

Game Background

In 2342, scientists of the Empire have discovered Lirium, an element available only on a worm-inhabited planet. As one of these worms, defend your planet against the soldiers of the Empire who are trying to take all of the Lirium.

Gameplay

The objective of Worm Land is to defend your planet from invaders trying to kill its inhabitants and suck away the element Lirium. To do this, simply control a worm to destroy the ships and invaders as they arrive on the planet without dying.

On the stage selection screen, you have the option to play with tips. You can also toggle whether to use the mouse or the keyboard to play.

Control the worm to attack drills and other enemy units. You will have maximum control over the worm's movements while it is burrowing underground, and this movement is greatly restricted once the worm surfaces and shoots into the air. Along the way, you will be given a few upgrades that can help you out. Also, there are smaller worms in the planet that can be eaten for health and credits for use in the upgrade screen.

At the end of each stage, you will be shown a progress report that will give you an idea of how well you performed in the last stage in the form of a score. You will also be able to upgrade either your worm or the bonuses that appear throughout the game. For the worm, you can upgrade damage dealt, the speed of the worm, and the health of the worm. For the bonuses, you can increase the damage, range, and amount pertaining to the bonuses.

At the top left hand corner of the screen, you can see a skull, which will indicate to you the number of enemies that you have successfully killed out of the total number of enemies that will appear. Below the skull is a diamond that indicates what percent of the Lirium has been sucked away by the Empire soldiers. You must keep this value above zero to proceed through the game. Below the diamond is a star, which indicates the amount of currency available to you for use when purchasing upgrades at the upgrade screen that appears between stages.

At the bottom of the screen is the health bar that you must not allow to reach zero. To increase health lost from taking damage, simply eat worms that appear in the planet's core or eat enemy units.

Play through all of the levels to successfully fend off the Empire soldiers and preserve your planet's supply of Lirium.

Game Review

Worm Land is an interesting action defense strategy simulation. The number of bonuses and upgrade options is not bad but could be improved. The levels do seem a bit repetitive, but the overall gameplay is enjoyable.

Worm Land scores a 7/10 for providing a good level of entertainment.