Chapter 19: A DirectMusic Case Study for Worms Blast

Bjorn Lynne

Game Overview

Worms Blast was developed by Team17 Software Ltd. and published by Ubi Soft Entertainment. I (Bjorn Lynne) composed and arranged all of the music. That being said, let's take a look at how the music was created for this unique interactive game title.

Figure 19-1: Worms Blast.

Worms Blast looks simple at first but reveals its depths and surprising longevity as you play it, much in the same way as Tetris or the predecessor of Worms Blast, Worms. The game features two players, each placed in a boat floating on water. The water has waves and is difficult to move around in. The water level rises if objects fall in the water. Overhead is a slowly descending landscape of colored blocks, and between the two players is a wall. Occasionally, a window opens in the wall between the two players, allowing the players to fire directly at each other with a selection of wacky comedic weapons. The landscape overhead moves slowly down toward the player. By using a selection of weapons, the player can shoot color combinations of the blocks that make up the overhead landscape, causing them to disappear.

The game has several different modes, each with various goals, such as outlasting your opponent, collecting certain combinations of crates and colors, hitting certain targets, and so on. Worms Blast has a large number of hidden weapons and comedy elements. The game features characters already established in the long-running and highly successful series of Worms games, and it has a fun, bright, and colorful appearance. All in all, it is a game that looks very simple at first, but the longer you play it, the more you discover its depth and lasting playability.

Figure 19-2: Worms Blast.