Nuworm

Nuworm (stylized as nuworm) is a free grid-based puzzle game in which a strange one-eyed critter makes its way through a vaguely organic environment. This critter travels around by swapping between larger shells and taking control of them — a mix of hermit crab behavior and snake-like movement. Nuworm only has a few mechanics, yet they create a host of surprising interactions to discover as you try to get this odd little creature to the next stage.

Each level of Nuworm starts with the creature being spat out of an entrance conduit into a controllable blocky shell. The creature snuggled into the shell by entering through an opening on one side, and you can move the shell around by pushing it from within. However, if you try to move back in the direction of the opening, the creature flings out of the shell. Once it’s out, it cannot stop moving until it either bounces on a wall and returns to the shell (nullifying any attempt at immediate backward movement), or it’s aligned with the opening of another shell and nestles inside, giving you control of a new shell. By possessing various shells in succession and aligning them to your needs, you should eventually meet the goal of spitting out the creature into the exit conduit and towards the next level.

Nuworm presents a few simple movement rules at the start which eventually prove to be a narrow view of the full mechanics of the game, as each area demonstrates a new way this odd environment functions. The mechanics were there all along but they were deftly hidden by the level design, in a way similar to Stephen’s Sausage Roll, A Monster’s Expedition or Can of Wormholes.

Nuworm doesn’t have a hint system, but if you’re ever truly stumped by any of the levels, or if you ever lose your save progress, it has a level select that allows you to skip ahead to future levels with no penalty. The game has no story elements, but its burbling, bubbling soundtrack, paired with the twisty organic folds that embellish some walls, all contribute to the abstract sense that you’re perhaps inside the digestive system of some larger animal.

This description was written by Asher Stone.