Worms Forts: Under Siege

Worms Forts: Under Siege builds on the 3D foundation the series laid down in the previous entry, but changes the game's actual objective - instead of battling with freely placed teams, players first have to build their own fortress and then both defend it and attack their opponent's. Turn-based artillery combat thus gains a base-building layer that the main Worms series didn't have before, and the fighting shifts from open terrain to besieging a fixed structure, where both defender and attacker have to think ahead about how the battlefield situation will change after a few more turns.

At the start of a round, the player builds walls, towers, and other structures from the available pieces and has to weigh how to arrange them to protect their worms while also giving them a good firing position on the enemy. The combat itself then plays out with the same weapons and turn-based system as the rest of the series, but thanks to the fortresses it plays considerably more strategically - destroying and building structures affects where you can even shoot, where you can advance, and where worms can safely hide between turns. A destroyed section of wall also opens up a new angle of view and fire, so an ongoing fight can shift the balance of power on the battlefield within a single round, and the defender has to reckon with the fact that a fortress once built isn't impregnable.

The game was again developed by Team17 and technically builds on the 3D engine from Worms 3D, combined with the new base-building element. It was one of the series' attempts to find a new angle on the proven turn-based combat formula, this time by adding elements that otherwise belong more to base-building strategy games rather than a purely artillery clash between two teams on open terrain, bringing it closer to players who also enjoy the base-building and defense elements known from other strategy genres.

Why play it: For Worms players who want to add a layer of building and defending their own base to the turn-based artillery combat, not just moving across a ready-made map.