Worms are just the best– you can’t deny it. These little, slippery guys are cultural touchstones that we just can’t help but loop around to every few years. You’ve got the sour gummy worms, the worm on a string, and even “would you love me if I was a worm?”, all of which are classics that honor these dirt loving decomposers.
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But worms aren’t exclusive to the real world: there are so many worms to see in the world of gaming. Worms are bosses, friends, items, and sometimes main characters in games, and deserve a lot more recognition for slinking their way into our hearts.
10Dark Souls 3 - Carthus Sandworm
What a large and magnificent worm. The Carthus Sandworm is a menacing boss inDark Souls 3that guards theOld Demon Kingboss fight, using its gigantic body to deal damage as it shoots in and out of the ground. What a loyal boy– but watch out, as even a worm will turn.
Granted, this worm isn’t the most intimidating of creatures, having a pretty predictable pattern of attack that can be easy to learn after an encounter or two. If you’re unprepared, though, the Carthus Sandworm can wallop you like the best of them.
9Binding Of Isaac - Larry Jr.
This is one lovely wormy guy. Larry Jr. is likely to be the first boss that you meet while combing through any of the versions of theBinding of Isaac, and is a great introductory bossto prepare youfor the more complex ones found on the lower floors.
Breaking Larry Jr. into pieces actually turns him into two separate worms, making him (slightly) more intimidating. He also defecates throughout the entire boss fight, and you have to respect someone who can get the job done during a bathroom break.
8Earthworm Jim - Earthworm Jim
Wow, this worm has got a gun. Earthworm Jim hails from everyone’s favorite worm themed platformer of the same name. He’s a worm that got super-evolved by a cyber suit while hiding from a flock of crows, turning him into the crow-busting hero you know and love.
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Jim isn’t just some stock heroic type, though; he takes every opportunity he can across his library of games to yell something that will probably end up dating him by 20 years. One moment, he yells “groovy”, the next, he yells “funky”– but you’ve got to love him for his spirit. Though he has no spine, that makes him no doormat.
7Terraria - Eater Of Worlds
What a dastardly worm; an evil worm filled with malice. The Eater of Worlds is one of those enemies in a game that you will always remember your first time fighting. It tends to be the threshold most players have to cross before they can enter higher tiers of gameplay, since it is the easiest way in the game to get a gun and unlock the gun dealer.
The Eater of Worlds islikely the easiest bossto fight inTerrariadue to its lackluster moveset, but that doesn’t mean that you should underestimate it, It’s a full-fledged boss at the end of the day, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be its next meal.
6Spelunky HD - Worm
This worm is as interesting on the inside as it is outside. InSpelunky, you’re able to enter this gigantic worm by throwing a damsel on its tongue, and hopping in with them; but be warned, this worm is filled with enemies that can be a nightmare if allowed to multiply.
While this worm challenges you with worm eggs that explode with baby worms and tough-to-kill bacterium, it also has one of the best items in the game in the Crysknife. If this item is picked up, you gain a permanent whip upgrade for your run that can take care of bacterium (and basically every other enemy in the game) in one blow.
5Exit The Gungeon - Bait Worm
This is the cutest worm of all time. The Bait Worm is a purchasable item in Exit the Gungeon that is used to access the Gloctopus boss fight after defeating the game’s final boss, The Last Dragun. It’s one of the most expensive items in the game at a whopping 200 shells.
Beyond its function, this worm is just too wonderful to look at. It has a delightful curve to it, a nice color palette, and two big eyes with which it can see its beautiful world. The game itself says it is “irresistible to a variety of gun-toting aquatic life” in its description, which is unsurprising for its adorable appearance.
4Worms - Worms
The worms from theWormsseries are easily some of the most famous worms in gaming, and it’s no big surprise; stick some rocket launchers and grenades into the hands of one of earth’s best creatures, and you’ve got a hit.
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You’ve got to admire these worms for the developing not only hands, but also the sociopolitical issues necessary to induce modern industrial warfare.
3Bookworm Adventures - Lex
This worm is a certified genius. Lex from the Bookworm series is at his best when he’s tussling with figures of mythology, using language as his holy weapon to slay any enemy who crosses his path. Despite being such a meek creature, Lex manages to prove that knowledge is power.
Lex is also one of the bravest worms of all time, having originally been working with the bird (Professor Codex) that ends up being the game’s antagonist. He doesn’t fear Codex because he has no reason to; the professor should be the one to fear him.
2Risk Of Rain 2 - Magma Worm
This worm is just too hot to handle.The Risk of Rain 2Magma Worm returns from the previous entry in the series to completely ruin your next run. This monster can appear during teleporter events as a boss to block your progress to the next level, and can return later as an even more powerful variant with five times the health.
This worm doesn’t even directly attack you, instead choosing to use its molten body to burn you through contact and cause fireballs to erupt from the ground as it moves. You can’t blame it; if you were a flaming worm, wouldn’t you just want to flail about?
1World of Warcraft - Magmaw
This worm is like a piñata of loot. Magmaw is the first boss ofWorld of Warcraft’sBlackwing Descent, prepared for combat with a variety of magma based attacks with which will require smart positioning from your raid group to overcome. This worm has quite the hard front side, so the best way to take it down is by pinning and attacking the backside of its head.
Magmaw, in lore, is the pet of Lord Victor Nefarius, who feeds it his failed experiments the way one might throw a table scrap to a dog. Nefarius will actually appear on Heroic difficulty to stop the players from killing his worm, which proves that this is the most wholesome (and only) dragon-worm relationship in gaming.
