Would the boss promote me if I was a worm? (Plot twist: they don’t have a choice!)
I’ve played my fair share of goofy games before, but Worming From Home is some of the most fun I’ve had playing a demo, let alone while sending a simple Teams message. The game’s premise has you control a very worm-sized, well, worm and you wake up from your worm pot to get out one tail end after the…other (this preview is not going as planned)? The bottom line is, you’re a tiny, spineless animal trying to make it up the corporate ladder by doing daily work tasks, making money, upgrading the fragile worm’s body and mind, all while fighting the inevitable worm physics.
It’s day one at work and I am questioning everything about how this game works with the daunting first task: entering my password to login. Since I’m just a worm, I slithered around a desk with a computer and keyboard on it. I took a look at the controls by pausing and quickly realized the only option was to use my head to press the keys. Using the right trigger your worm bashes the top of its head in the most uncanny and weirdest motion possible, and I love everything about it.
The first ever worm-like game.
After logging in you’re greeted by your job’s mascot, a crumpled up piece of paper with big googly eyes named Tippy. Tippy is pretty much the assistant who explains what to do next and guides you through newly discovered sections. I was pleasantly surprised that this game actually had voice acting in it, which added on to the games already existing charm. They proceeded to let me know I’m a Junior Financial Analyst who just took a very unpaid vacation because I probably don’t earn PTO hours, and apparently they provide lowlife’s like me phones now.
The phone rings and I have to get from Point A to Point B to answer. I could just slither away like normal, but a wild mechanic that takes me out is the charge jump. There’s a simple jump that can get you on the keyboard. But if you hold down the jump button you can launch yourself across the desk to get to where you need to go faster and with style. I get to the phone and by holding down another button, it lets me grab onto objects that I then can drag elsewhere with my squishy tube-like body. Totally normal worm things!
My manager Steve calls to say I’m in the running for a long awaited promotion. A new position for Associate Financial Analyst has opened up, so if I help run the company’s numbers up, it would make me quite the team player because we’re a family after all. This is when I realized the game is making a total mockery of what it’s like working a corporate job, except as a worm. This leads me to believe the developers (Zach Northrop and Mason Sabharwal) possibly have several work stories and decided to make the funniest game about working for a toxic mass-market business and I applaud them for it. Even if they haven’t, the spot on humor makes for great writing for painfully relatable scenarios we’ve all found ourselves in.
The work day has officially started and time is money! You make money for every task you complete on your calendar. Some tasks have a deadline and are due by a certain time that same day, which you would think isn’t a problem. Another interesting mechanic is the in-game clock moving at what feels like supersonic speed. You’re assigned to fill out a spreadsheet, when suddenly, it’s already 8AM? We now have two things to factor in to get that promotion we so desperately want, and that’s perfecting our worm physics while on a time crunch for maximum productivity. Now this is when the cash starts flowing!
No one is safe from deadlines and action items. Not even worms.
Filling out spreadsheets, buying things online, and messaging your boss all earn you money. And while some aren’t exactly mandatory, they do help you get the hang of the movements and almost tricks your mind into having this wormy routine. Everyone has had some type of job that has them doing their assigned duties and this is no different. It really is up to you on what you want to work on to earn more while upgrading your skills and buying cosmetics. It’s kind of like real life work!
One of the last things I was introduced to before ending my demo was buying a reading nook. It shows up on the edge of the desk and I had the option to interact with it, so I did. I’m now a worm reading a book and playing a game of “Snake” in order to level up my financial insight. Leveling up earns you one point and you can use it to purchase a perk ability that helps you make more money for specific assignments, no matter how silly they might be.
It’s now 10PM and Tippy tells me I can hop back into my pot to go to sleep and finally end my work day. Each day ends with a daily progress report letting you know your net worth (plus a detailed breakdown), the tasks you completed, and the hours of sleep you’ll get, which have effects that apply to the next work day stats. I hit continue and wake up at 7AM sharp just to do it all over again on Day 2.
Man, I wish jobs were real.
I can’t get over how much joy Worming From Home gave me. This was definitely my favorite demo from Day of the Devs and GDC overall. It’s so playful and charming with an outlandish premise I never thought I’d ever see, but it simply works for what it is. The various day-to-day assignments are creatively implemented with worms in mind and the amount of money I can make with skill upgrades has me dreaming of the endless possibilities on how I can become the top worm. I have to mention again how impressed I was with the inclusion of voice acting for Tippy and look forward to seeing what other coworkers make an appearance. The struggle of attending to my work duties as a worm alongside the wacky physical mechanics leaves me wanting more to get to the top of this made up corporate food chain.
While there’s still no set date for the game to come out, it looks like the developers are shooting for an estimated release for later this year. My fingers crossed if that’s the case. If you’re eager to start your worm-like adventure as soon as possible, you can try out Worming From Home by downloading the demo available on Steam.
Would the boss promote me if I was a worm? (Plot twist: they don’t have a choice!)
I’ve played my fair share of goofy games before, but Worming From Home is some of the most fun I’ve had playing a demo, let alone while sending a simple Teams message. The game’s premise has you control a very worm-sized, well, worm and you wake up from your worm pot to get out one tail end after the…other (this preview is not going as planned)? The bottom line is, you’re a tiny, spineless animal trying to make it up the corporate ladder by doing daily work tasks, making money, upgrading the fragile worm’s body and mind, all while fighting the inevitable worm physics.
It’s day one at work and I am questioning everything about how this game works with the daunting first task: entering my password to login. Since I’m just a worm, I slithered around a desk with a computer and keyboard on it. I took a look at the controls by pausing and quickly realized the only option was to use my head to press the keys. Using the right trigger your worm bashes the top of its head in the most uncanny and weirdest motion possible, and I love everything about it.
The first ever worm-like game.
After logging in you’re greeted by your job’s mascot, a crumpled up piece of paper with big googly eyes named Tippy. Tippy is pretty much the assistant who explains what to do next and guides you through newly discovered sections. I was pleasantly surprised that this game actually had voice acting in it, which added on to the games already existing charm. They proceeded to let me know I’m a Junior Financial Analyst who just took a very unpaid vacation because I probably don’t earn PTO hours, and apparently they provide lowlife’s like me phones now.
The phone rings and I have to get from Point A to Point B to answer. I could just slither away like normal, but a wild mechanic that takes me out is the charge jump. There’s a simple jump that can get you on the keyboard. But if you hold down the jump button you can launch yourself across the desk to get to where you need to go faster and with style. I get to the phone and by holding down another button, it lets me grab onto objects that I then can drag elsewhere with my squishy tube-like body. Totally normal worm things!
My manager Steve calls to say I’m in the running for a long awaited promotion. A new position for Associate Financial Analyst has opened up, so if I help run the company’s numbers up, it would make me quite the team player because we’re a family after all. This is when I realized the game is making a total mockery of what it’s like working a corporate job, except as a worm. This leads me to believe the developers (Zach Northrop and Mason Sabharwal) possibly have several work stories and decided to make the funniest game about working for a toxic mass-market business and I applaud them for it. Even if they haven’t, the spot on humor makes for great writing for painfully relatable scenarios we’ve all found ourselves in.
The work day has officially started and time is money! You make money for every task you complete on your calendar. Some tasks have a deadline and are due by a certain time that same day, which you would think isn’t a problem. Another interesting mechanic is the in-game clock moving at what feels like supersonic speed. You’re assigned to fill out a spreadsheet, when suddenly, it’s already 8AM? We now have two things to factor in to get that promotion we so desperately want, and that’s perfecting our worm physics while on a time crunch for maximum productivity. Now this is when the cash starts flowing!
No one is safe from deadlines and action items. Not even worms.
Filling out spreadsheets, buying things online, and messaging your boss all earn you money. And while some aren’t exactly mandatory, they do help you get the hang of the movements and almost tricks your mind into having this wormy routine. Everyone has had some type of job that has them doing their assigned duties and this is no different. It really is up to you on what you want to work on to earn more while upgrading your skills and buying cosmetics. It’s kind of like real life work!
One of the last things I was introduced to before ending my demo was buying a reading nook. It shows up on the edge of the desk and I had the option to interact with it, so I did. I’m now a worm reading a book and playing a game of “Snake” in order to level up my financial insight. Leveling up earns you one point and you can use it to purchase a perk ability that helps you make more money for specific assignments, no matter how silly they might be.
It’s now 10PM and Tippy tells me I can hop back into my pot to go to sleep and finally end my work day. Each day ends with a daily progress report letting you know your net worth (plus a detailed breakdown), the tasks you completed, and the hours of sleep you’ll get, which have effects that apply to the next work day stats. I hit continue and wake up at 7AM sharp just to do it all over again on Day 2.
Man, I wish jobs were real.
I can’t get over how much joy Worming From Home gave me. This was definitely my favorite demo from Day of the Devs and GDC overall. It’s so playful and charming with an outlandish premise I never thought I’d ever see, but it simply works for what it is. The various day-to-day assignments are creatively implemented with worms in mind and the amount of money I can make with skill upgrades has me dreaming of the endless possibilities on how I can become the top worm. I have to mention again how impressed I was with the inclusion of voice acting for Tippy and look forward to seeing what other coworkers make an appearance. The struggle of attending to my work duties as a worm alongside the wacky physical mechanics leaves me wanting more to get to the top of this made up corporate food chain.
While there’s still no set date for the game to come out, it looks like the developers are shooting for an estimated release for later this year. My fingers crossed if that’s the case. If you’re eager to start your worm-like adventure as soon as possible, you can try out Worming From Home by downloading the demo available on Steam.
by Adriana Rodriguez
