Hedgewars 0.9.15 Review

Everybody remembers the games from our childhood with great pleasure. There was a time when the Internet was almost a luxury and few people actually had a subscription that allowed them to be permanently online.

That is the reason why Internet-cafe joints were so popular and why so many games we played there were actually single player titles, with multiplayer support. A fabulous game from that era was called simply Worms. Released in 1995, this game and its following reiterations were able to gather four people in front of the same PC monitor, battling out for supreme control of the battlefield and total humiliation of the other opponents.

Build on the recipe of Worms, Hedgewars was launched almost 15 years later. It has the same appeal as the games it was inspired from, and best of all, it's completely free.

Installation

The game is easy to install for Ubuntu users. Hedgewars 0.9.15-4 can be found in Ubuntu Software Center, and this is also the version we tested. The developers also provide a 0.19.16 version on the project's website, but the differences are not that significant.

So, if you fancy building the latest version, there are some easy steps to follow. First, you need the source package, which can be downloaded from the link provided by Softpedia, in the upper part of the website.

After getting the source package, there are some dependencies that need to be installed. Just use the following command:

sudo apt-get install mercurial cmake qt4-qmake libqt4-dev libsdl1.2-dev libsdl-net1.2-dev libsdl-mixer1.2-dev libsdl-image1.2-dev libsdl-ttf2.0-dev liblua5.1-dev fpc

Extract the archive and open a terminal window in the newly created directory. Use these commands:

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="DEBUG" -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$HOME/games" -DDATA_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/games" -DWITH_SERVER=0

sudo make install

Cmake will provide users with a percentage that reflects the condition of the building process. It’s a nice thought from the developers.

Gameplay

The core principle of the Hedgewars is so clear and easy that it’s almost to simple to work. If in the Worms series there were two teams of worms facing each other with all sorts of weapons, on various maps, in Hedgewars, the enemies are obviously hedges.

There are four major modes to be played. The first one is a quick game where a match is started, on a random map between the player and the computer. Then there are multiplayer, either with other players on the same computer, or with others on the Internet, a campaign mode which is still in development and a training mode, where players can hone their skills.

The multiplayer mode is by far the most complex part. Here, players can choose from a ton of options, like which map to use (there are almost 40 predefine maps to use), choose to use a randomise option, a feature which insures that no one is too familiar with the terain and that no one gets an unfair advantage.

Also, the types of gameplay can be changed as there are a few available: normal, capture the flag, no jumping and random weapon. The game and weapon schemes can also be completely edited, changes ranging from modifying the timer on the grenade, to how many types of ammo are dropped in a match.

We can summarize that Hedgewars is a more complex game that anyone can imagine, and giving the fact that there isn’t a stable version available, there will be a lot more features implemented.

The Good

The game is fun and free, the perfect combination. It can be played locally, with an AI, against your friends, in the office LAN, cross-platform (if everyone has the same version), or with strangers on the Internet. No matter what you choose, a serious fun gaming session will ensue.

The Bad

This is one of those games that have managed to get everything right, even before arriving at a stable release. We couldn't find anything wrong with it and we hope it stays that way.

Conclusion

Hedgewars is an amazing game and it’s no wonder that is one of the most downloaded and highest rated titles from Ubuntu Software Center. It has something for everyone, it can be played either by young or older people and we wish it could capture a more wider audience.