Worms (1995)
Andy Davidson and Team17's Destructible-Terrain Artillery Phenomenon Steeped in British Slapstick
Worms is a turn-based artillery tactics game created by British programmer Andy Davidson and published by Team17 in November 1995, debuting on the Commodore Amiga. Pitting platoons of heavily armed earthworms across procedurally generated, pixel-destructible landscapes governed by wind physics and slapstick comedy, it ignited one of gaming's quintessential couch-multiplayer franchises.
From Rejected Blitz BASIC Contest Entry Total Wormage to Team17 Hit
Inspired by classic artillery duels like Scorched Earth and the miniature cartoon charm of Lemmings, British coder Andy Davidson programmed a prototype titled Total Wormage on his Commodore Amiga using Blitz BASIC. Infamously overlooked when submitted to an Amiga Format magazine coding competition, Davidson carried his floppy disk to London's ECTS trade show in September 1994, where Team17 co-founder Martyn Brown signed the game immediately. Across procedurally generated 2D islands hemmed in by instant-death water, rival four-worm squads race strict turn clocks, reading shifting wind gauges to arc Bazooka shells, bank Grenades, and blast opponents off cliffs.
Helium Voice Banks, Surreal Arsenal, and Enduring Multiplayer Lineage
Infused with anarchic British surrealism reminiscent of Monty Python, Worms transformed geometric trajectory math into uproarious living-room theater through high-pitched helium voice banks ('Incoming!', 'I'll get you!'), custom squad names, and Bjørn Lynne's haunting title theme. Its signature arsenal—anchored by cluster-detonating Banana Bombs, trotting explosive Sheep, acrobatics on the Ninja Rope, and later staples like the Holy Hand Grenade across Worms 2 (1997) and Worms Armageddon (1999)—rewarded equal parts trick-shot mastery and catastrophic self-sabotage. Selling millions across fifth-generation consoles and PCs, it defined modern artillery gaming.