Background

Warring Worms was created by software developer Billy Eno and released in 2002 under the Baroque Gaming label. The game was Eno's first released Atari 2600 homebrew

Atari 2600 homebrew

An Atari 2600 homebrew is a homebrew video game designed for the Atari 2600 by independent developers following the discontinuation of the console in 1992. The first 2600 homebrew was written in 1995, and since then over 100 homebrew titles have been released...

 game.

Gameplay

Warring Worms is an action game similar to the Atari 2600 launch title Surround

Surround (video game)

Surround is an early video game programmed by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600, then known as the VCS . It was one of the nine Atari 2600 launch titles released in October 1977.- History :...

, released in 1977.

Like Surround, the player can win a round by forcing the opponent to crash into a wall. The opponent is controlled by either a second player or the game's AI

Ai

AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...

, depending on the game selection. Unlike Surround, players in Warring Worms are armed: each worm can control a cannon that fires shots. The shots can be used to kill the opponent, or take out a block of the "trail" left by either player. The game is played using joystick

Joystick

A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...

s, and features 80 game variations.

Reception

In 2005, Warring Worms was named one of the five "Best 2600 Homebrew Games" in the book Gaming Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools by Simon Carless

Simon Carless

Simon Carless is a video game industry journalist, editor and game designer. He was born in London, England and presently resides in San Jose, California...

, who described the game as "super-addictive" and praised the ability to fire shots as a "neat twist".

Warring Worms: The Worm (Re)Turns

An updated version of the game was released in 2005, featuring addition game-playing modes such as random mode, in which the game options are randomized between each round. The update, also written by Eno, was titled Warring Worms: The Worm (Re)Turns and at 8 KB was double the game's original size of 4 KB.

External links

• "Warring Worms: The Worm (Re)Turns" at AtariAge
• "The Worm (re)Turns" at Baroque Gaming