For this project I wanted to recreate a game from my youth, Worm Whomper for the Intellivision on the Pico-8
Growing up, one of my favorite games to play on our Intellivision console was Worm Whomper. It was a simple wave-based survival game where you played as a farmer defending your crops from oncoming pests. I played it so much that I would see it in my dreams, with the lo-fi Sorcerer's Apprentice soundtrack stuck in my head. When I stumbled upon Pico-8, a fantasy console with built-in code, graphics, tile, map, music, and SFX editors, I knew I had to try my hand at recreating Worm Whomper. Pico-8 allows you to create games that can be played on a variety of platforms, including the web and mobile web.
Let’s Dig in…
Pico-8
Pico-8 is an amazing “fantasy console” that has a built in code, graphics, tile, map, music and SFX editors. It uses a variant of LUA (which I did not have any experience with) and allows you to creates games that are playable across a variety of platforms (including the web and mobile web).
Intellivision
When I was about three or four years old my father bought an Intellivision for the family. The Atari 2600 was all the rage, but my father could not play using the default Atari joystick. When he was a child my father contracted polio which left him with only one functioning arm. Despite the complexity of the Intellivision game pad, my father was able to use it with only one hand. The Intellivision became the de facto game console during my younger years.
Worm Whomper
Worm Whomper is a wave-based survival game where you play as a farmer defending his crops from waves of oncoming pests. It is a basic enough game, but I played it so much that I would see it when I closed my eyes to sleep, and I could hear the lo-fi The Sorcerer’s Apprentice soundtrack in my dreams.
My Week-Long Remake
I attempted to clone the music, SFX, and graphics to the best of my ability. In the last days I decided to “upgrade” the art and make something that was more accurate an option accessible from the game menu.
I am not a musician, so I cheated best I could be trying to copy and translate sheet music, which was very, VERY slow as I am not a musician.
Play My Worm Whomper (demake)
Shoot pests! Protect your corn!
🕹️ Controls
- Arrow keys: Move
- X: Shoot Pesticide
- Z: Plow ball
Play on Lexaloffle
https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=wwhomper_wip
I hope you enjoy playing my version of Worm Whomper as much as I enjoyed creating it. Who knows, maybe it will bring back some memories of your own childhood gaming experiences.
Pico-8 Resources I used (or should have)
I couldn't have created this game without the resources below.
