Effing Worms
- Genre Arcade games
- Players 1
- Session 5 min
- Price Free
- Updated
The worm in Effing Worms never stops moving. You do not walk it around; you only push it forward and bend its path, and its own momentum does the rest. Under the grass it carves a dark tunnel through brown soil. Steer it up hard enough and it erupts out of the ground, arcs through the air above the skyline and falls back down, and anything standing where the jaws pass is gone. Cows, dogs and tiny stick figures wander across the surface, and the title screen and the tutorial card add soldiers and a tank to the menu. Bobby Graeber released the game under the Effing Games label in 2010; the menu credits it as based on an earlier Death Worm game by JTR. The art is cartoony, the humour is gleeful and the blood is bright red, so it suits older kids and adults rather than small children. Under the action sits a simple pressure: a hunger bar that empties steadily, plus two counters on the right that track how close you are to the next upgrade and how many targets remain.
| W or Up arrow | Push the worm forward; hold it to keep speed |
|---|---|
| A / D or Left / Right arrows | Bend the worm's path to one side or the other |
| Space | Pause the game |
| M | Mute or unmute the sound |
How to play Effing Worms
- Click PLAY, wait for the sponsor intro and choose Start. A How To Play card sums up the plan: eat, grow, and the rest takes care of itself. Press GO.
- Click inside the game once so it hears the keyboard, then hold W to start burrowing.
- Tap A or D to curve the tunnel. Aim upward under something walking on the grass and keep W held so the worm launches out of the soil.
- Each creature you swallow adds points and lowers both the Upgrade counter and the Enemies remaining number in the bottom right corner.
- The Hunger bar at the bottom left empties all the time. When it runs dry the run ends, the Game Over screen shows your score and Try Again starts over.
Tips
- Jumps need a run-up. Dive deep first, then turn and come up almost vertically; a shallow angle only skims the surface.
- Watch which way the cow or the walker is heading and surface slightly ahead of it, not where it is now.
- Holding a turn key with W pressed makes the worm swim in circles underground. That wastes hunger, so let go once the nose points up.
- The hunger meter drains in well under a minute, so chain one meal straight into the next rather than lining up a perfect shot.
Questions about Effing Worms
Is Effing Worms violent?
In a cartoon way. The worm eats animals and people, and the menus are splashed with red, but the figures are simple stick men and comic cows.
Does it work on phones?
No. Steering needs W, A, D or the arrow keys, so it only works with a physical keyboard.
What is the Upgrade counter?
It starts at 20 and drops by one for every creature you eat, showing how many more meals stand between you and the next upgrade.
Does the name submission on Game Over work?
The box belongs to the 2010 portal release. Treat your score as a personal best; the old online board is not something we can promise.
