There are so many Slither.io clones floating around out there these days it’s gotten a bit ridiculous. Worm.is is just one of many, but it’s the only one on both Steam and mobile devices and in a few ways it’s one of the least terrible clones of the lot.
Worm.is is from the same development team that put out the Agar.io clone Mitos.is, which also on Steam and free to play. Like Mitos.is, Worm.is takes a lot from the game it imitates but at least tries to do its own thing and it may be a good alternative to Slither.io for those who like the base gameplay but would rather it be a little.. different.
And Worm.is is in fact a little different. Playing for a few minutes gives a good glimpse at how this clone is different from the original (and the rest).
You have two abilities instead of one
In Slither.io you can only boost, but in Worm.is you have two abilities: boost and to shoot out mass, much like in Agar.io.
It seems odd to be able to shoot mass in a Slither.io clone, but it works with the game’s Agar.io-style virus system. More on that below.
Multiple game modes
Slither.io in its current state only has Free for All (FFA) mode, but as we’ve seen in Agar.io and other .io games players want more than just going against other players solo.
Worm.is already has not only FFA, but Random Teams, Hunger Games, Guild Wars, and of course private rooms.
These different modes work pretty much the way you would expect but you need 200 Coins to be able to open a private room to play just with friends. That said, it is possible to invite friends to the same room you’re about to join, no matter the mode. Being able to play with friends is a huge plus, as are Guild Wars for competitive players.
There are “viruses” like Agar.io
Yeah, you read that right–Worm.io has viruses big worms have to avoid, much like the ones in Agar.io.
Unlike in Agar.io, the viruses in Worm.is are pushed when you shoot mass at them instead of split apart.
Skins are unlocked by playing the game or paying real money
This is one thing some Steam reviews really get up in arms about, along with the game being so similar to Slither.io.
These days Agar.io also gives players the ability to buy skins with real money, so this isn’t anything new. Luckily in Worm.is you can pick up Coins while you play and they rack up quickly if you’re playing often.
Skins themselves cost between 50 and 200 Coins.
The game has guilds and an in-game friends list
If you want to play with the same people or group of people at a time, Worm.is is probably your better bet over Slither.io simply for this reason.
The graphics are kind of ugly
Not much else to say on that point. The game doesn’t look great.
On the plus side it is less prone to lagging on most PCs and phones than Slither.io and it has music.
Equipment and power ups are coming in later updates
If you check out the bottom of the UI in Worm.is you can see equipment slots. These aren’t active yet but will be in a later update.
The plus side to equipment is it will make each game different and let you tailor how you play to your playstyle. The downside is that equipment will probably cost Coins and will probably not be cheap.
You see Steam reviews saying the game is “pay to win” right now with skins being the only thing you can really buy with Coins. You can bet there’s going to be even more claims about that once the equipment system is released.
There’s an innate in-game chat
No extension installs here! If you create a Worm.is account you can chat with other players in-game.
While I prefer the simplicity and sleek graphics of Slither.io it’s hard to say Worm.is is a bad clone, and for the time being it simply has more incentive to keep playing. There is no doubt it’s never going to get as popular as the game it’s copying is right now or ever will be, but as a clone it’s one of the best of the bunch.
Worm.is is still growing and has a lot of room to go, but as an alternative to the more popular Slither.io it stands on its own two feet well. Give it a shot on Steam, iOS, or Android! You may like it more than you think.
Published: May 28, 2016 12:28 pm