Hambo, aside from having an absolutely fantastic name, also does gaming history a great service by displaying the debt that many titles owe to strategy games like the Worms series. Also it’s pretty fun, so that helps, too.
When discussing games like Angry Birds, Hambo, and the dozens of other imitators that have been released, it seems like Worms gets the short shrift. That’s odd, considering the idea of worms at war doesn’t fall that far from the idea of pigs vs. birds, or pigs vs. pigs, in Hambo’s case. While Hambo plays a lot like Angry Birds, in the sense that it’s a game where you have a character trying to eliminate the enemies on screen while dealing with the terrain and walls surrounding these enemies, it reminded me a great deal of those Worms games.
Sure, in Worms the enemy got to take shots back at the player, which doesn’t happen in Hambo. But in Hambo, unlike Angry Birds and a lot more like Worms, player aren’t trying to expend a handful of characters with specific powers. Instead, they have to eliminate all targets and keep their protagonist alive while using his remaining ammo. Also, the player can actually die in Hambo, albeit from stray bullets fired from their own gun as it ricochets back at them, but accidental self-inflicted pig homicide is a real concern in Hambo.
Trying to fire various guns and not accidentally hit yourself on a rebound adds an extra layer of strategy to the game that makes it fun to play. The later levels offer a true challenge, as you rack your brain trying to figure out how to get your silver medal to a gold when you realize you’ll need a trick shot like the famous shot Michael Jordan called on Larry Bird in their McDonald’s ad.
All of the references to Worms and Angry Birds here aren’t to point out that Hambo isn’t original. It borrows enough elements from various games to feel unique in its own way. But most importantly, it’s a fun game. It might even be enjoyable in a multiplayer setting, if an update ever comes through. For now, Hambo stands on its own as an enjoyable addition to the app game library.
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