I was intrigued by Space Worm for two reasons. Firstly, nostalgia. You can’t help but feel taken back by the arcade style and overt snake inspiration.
The second reason was Reiner Knizia. Their games just seem to have an elegance, a hidden complexity. And while Space Worm is definitely on the lighter end, it still holds that signature Reiner Knizia charm.
… Maybe it’s the scoring system. I don’t know.
Anyway, Space Worm.
So how does it work. Well you start with a grid that looks like if Pac-Man and Snake had a baby. It’s littered with planets and fruit (three of four kinds). If you’ve played a roll-and-write before you’ve played a version of this game. Everybody starts on a random planet. Hungriest player goes first (I like this). That player rolls the eight dice and selects one. They then draw a straight – straight – line from their worm outward into the abyss of space, moving as many pips as the number on the dice. You cannot hit the sides and you cannot cross over yourself.
Then the next player takes a dice and does the same. Then the next. Repeat until the dice are all gone. Move the first player token clockwise. That player rolls the dice. Repeat.
It’s a game you can teach in a few seconds and to be honest, if this was it then that would be nice but not a theme that would necessarily pull me in to repeat play. But as with all Knizia games, a lot is packed into a little.
Positives
And it is the scoring system. You only score when you collect all of one fruit and you score most if you collect them first. You score more if you collect them with the same coloured dice. And you score minus for every planet not eaten. So there’s a lot to think about. Also you have to go straight and you are at the whim of the dice. It's luck mitigation, essentially. And I cannot tell you how annoying it is to need a low roll to get out of a trap you’ve built yourself and then the first player rolls six fives (yes, it happened). You aren’t out until you can’t move four times. But the moment someone is out the game ends immediately – immediately! – and scores are counted. Also if someone eats all fruit the game ends immediately.
This combination of scoring and end-game trigger creates an interesting puzzle. Do you rush to finish or obsess over completing the puzzle. After all, you could win or lose either way. And the way you select dice can be antagonistic or just self-focused.
Negatives (sort of)
Perhaps that brings me to what I don’t like about the game, because as with many roll and writes, it’s full of negative player interaction. And that’s fine if that’s your thing, but it’s worth noting.
Luckily the game is short, which is either good or bad depending on what you're after. It's a chill game, a sort of relaxing puzzle experience. The kind of game you play at the end of the night when your brain can’t do much else.
Luckily the game is short, which is either good or bad depending on what you're after. It's a chill game, a sort of relaxing puzzle experience. The kind of game you play at the end of the night when your brain can’t do much else.
And I like the fact that it has four different maps, all with a slight tweak to the rules so you can always do something a little different. I do wish perhaps that instead of paper they used dry-erase like some of their newer games (looking at you There and Back Again. That’s a great game). And I do think that is a strike against it. But they provide a lot of each map which is nice. Probably more than you’ll use.
So yeah, I’m rambling a bit. I think you’ll like Space Worm if you like either roll-and-writes, chill game nights, or Reiner Knizia. There. It has more meat than you would expect but it’s still a light game, a filler. And very, very easy to pick up and teach, which for someone like me who enjoys introducing people to board games is a real plus.
