I’ve always been a huge Worms fan. I remember playing Worms Armageddon for hours everyday, with whatever crappy online connection I had, with my friends. It was one of my favorite games back in the day. When Oly told me we could review this game, I jumped right in and claimed it. It is a dangerous thing to play new versions of your old favorites, you’ll always have high expectations and if they’re not satisfied… well, it’s bashing time. Fortunately for me, and for anyone who ends up getting this, Worms Crazy Golf is just about the best mini golf game I’ve ever played.

If you’ve ever played any other 2D Worms game you’ll know exactly what to expect as far as graphics go. The cartoony environments and models are simple, yet very well made. Everything is very colorful and full of contrast, making every detail pop out. Everything from explosions (yes, I know this is a golf game) to the icons are done in great style, which utterly means a game which is extremely easy to understand and has nearly no text at all. The few menus are easy to navigate and carry the same feel as the actual game.

Sound is something that is always well handled in a Worms game. There aren’t many soundtracks, but they’re very pleasant, relaxing, and exactly what you’d expect from a golf game. You can give different voices to your golfer as has been the norm for every game of the franchise I’ve played. It’s very funny to choose between all of them, because some are just hilarious. The game has a bunch of other sound effects, and given the amount of varied content it offers, everything comes together nicely composing very interesting music. It’s good to see that the developers took the time to make the game sound like a genuine Worms game.

As far as gameplay goes everything is pretty simple. You aim, you power your shot, and boom. This however, is not your average golfing session and your work is not over once you hit the ball. Levels are filled with bats, sheep, old ladies, caddies, pirates, pumpkins and many other obstacles that you’ll have to overcome. Of course those things are not only there to get in the way. You can also use them strategically and get to the hole faster. There are also other things scattered around like transports, cannons, and even ball power ups. Everything combined is what makes this game so great and highly addictive. It’s much better than plain mini golf, because it’s not only about precision and power, but also about strategy and creativity. Planing your hole in one is sure to make you repeat every level until you get it right.

Another exceptional aspect of Worms Crazy Golf is the level design. In career mode, there are 3 courses, each with 18 holes and a completely different setting. Each hole is so different from the previous that you’re always questioning yourself and trying to figure out the best way to get trough it. Most holes are very big and encourage experimentation, meaning sometimes the obvious route might not be the best. It’s very fun to use power ups and the environment to make your way to the hole. You can also choose to collect coins and a crate on each level. These will give you more money to spend on new clubs and outfits and also to unlock new things for you to purchase. Simply finishing career mode will take about 5 – 6 hours, but if you’re willing to collect everything and clear all the objectives, you’ll be playing for a lot longer.

Of course multiplayer has always been one of the best things about Worms, and fortunately you can play with up to 3 other people locally. You can choose your golfer in the same way you would on Career mode and you can play for a single hole or even an uninterrupted course of 18 holes if you wish. Adding to replay value are objectives that can be achieved in single player. As I’ve mentioned, those are collecting all coins in a level, finding the hidden crate, which unlocks content, and beating the hole’s score. Some are quite tricky to get and if you’re a completionist, there’s even a trophy for going through all the trouble. There’s also a challenge mode which is incredibly fun. There are 5 different modes, with 3 different levels each, each testing a different skill, like accuracy, speed or pure technique. These skills are tracked by an online learderboard as well.

Worms Crazy Golf is a great little break for anyone looking for a simple, addicting, yet slow paced game. I was more than happy to achive 85% trophies on it already and I am certainly going for 100%. The game is an interesting take on the not very innovative mini golf genre and is certainly worth of your attention. It is great to see a loved franchise after such a long time and playing it just made me feel like there totally should be a PSN version of the classic Worms Armageddon. So guys from Team17, if you’re reading this please take note. This game is perfect for every PS3 out there!

[review pros=”Extremely fun and addictive gameplay
Great level design is sure to keep you playing
Even being a different kind of game, totally feels like Worms” cons=”A bit slow paced” score=90]

This review is based on a retail copy of the PS3 version of Worms Crazy Golf provided by Team17.