App Battle: Super Mega Worm vs. Death Worm
2010 was a big year for the giant carnivorous, destructive, evil flying worm genre on the App Store, with the releases of not one, but two highly-praised titles. The games in question are Super Mega Worm and Death Worm, and they're both as absurd as their titles suggest. In one, you play the role of a giant worm bent on destroying humanity by flying out of the ground and crushing things, and in the other you play the role of a giant worm bent on destroying humanity by flying out of the ground and crushing things... but with old-school 16-bit graphics.
Neither game is free, so if you have just a buck or two to spend you won't be able to score both. That leaves us with the question: Which one is better? Let's find out.
Gameplay
These games could not possibly be more identical in terms of the overall goal: Kill everything on the screen by either eating it or crushing it. Both games let you unlock a variety of destructive weapons, but Death Worm is a bit more robust in this regard. There's really no way to declare a winner in this category because they're both ridiculous and a ton of fun. Winner: Tie
Graphics
Death Worm shoots for a bit of realism in its environments and on-screen creatures while Super Mega Worm is intentionally old-school. Death Worm looks best on the iPad due to a greater amount of detail, but Mega Worm's colorful, gory aesthetic looks fantastic on both. Winner: Super Mega Worm
Controls
Super Mega Worm feels a bit clunky compared to Death Worm in this regard. Death Worm's movements are fluid and fast, and the on-screen weapon activation feels more conveniently placed than its competitors'. Winner: Death Worm
Audio
Death Worm is all about the hardcore rock background tunes, which seems like it would make sense alongside exploding vehicles and screaming victims, but it just comes off feeling kind of cheesy. Super Mega Worm's chirpy chiptunes feel much more appropriate, especially with its retro aesthetic, and the hammy screams of the humans running for their lives fit in here a lot better. Winner: Super Mega Worm
Price
Verdict
Both games are fantastic and really you should experience both -- and you can, by the way, thanks to the lite versions of each -- but this is about choosing the best of the pair, and that honor goes to Super Mega Worm. It's a better fit for the iPhone and iPad, it's charming and hilarious, and it doesn't take itself too seriously.
Winner: Super Mega Worm
