How to play Worm Escape
- Press Start. Level 1 shows you which worm to tap with a short animated guide.
- Look at the head of each worm. The eyes and the small arrow in front of it show the way it will crawl.
- Tap a worm whose path to the edge is clear. It wiggles out of the bed and you score points.
- If anything is in the way, another worm or a rock, the worm bumps into it and you lose a heart. Three bumps and the level is over.
- Free every worm to finish the level. No bumps earns three stars, one bump earns two, and two bumps earns one.
About Worm Escape
Worm Escape is an arrow escape puzzle set in a busy garden bed. Every worm points somewhere: its head shows the only way it can crawl. Tap a worm and it slides forward, head first, until it is out of the bed, but only if nothing sits in its path. Tap one that is boxed in and it bumps into its neighbor, and you lose one of your three hearts. The trick is working out the order. A worm near the middle may look stuck, yet once two others have left, its road is wide open. One hundred levels grow from a four by four starter bed with three worms to crowded nine by nine gardens with long, bendy worms and stubborn rocks. Clear a level without a single bump for three stars, collect stars to unlock new gardens, and try the daily garden, which is the same puzzle for every player that day.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap or click | Send a worm out the way its head points |
| Arrow keys | Move the yellow cursor over the garden bed |
| Enter or Space | Send out the worm under the cursor |
| H or the bulb button | Highlight a worm that can leave right now (3 per level) |
| P and R | Pause and restart the level |
Tips and strategy
- Start at the edges. Worms that face outwards from the first or last row or column often have nothing in front of them and make room for the rest.
- Follow the line in front of a head all the way to the edge before you tap. A worm two squares away can block a path just as well as a neighbor.
- Work backwards when you are stuck. Pick the worm you want to free and ask which worms sit in its path, then which worms sit in theirs.
- Long worms leave a lot of space behind them. Freeing a long worm early often opens paths for two or three others at once.
- Rocks never move, and no worm is ever pointed straight at one. Use them as landmarks: they split the bed into lanes, and each lane usually clears in its own order.
- Tap quickly once you know the order. Freeing worms within about a second and a half of each other builds a wiggle streak that multiplies your points.
Questions and answers
Is every level solvable?
Yes. Every board is built by placing worms one at a time, each with a clear way out, so there is always at least one order that frees them all. Most levels have several.
How many levels are there?
One hundred, in five chapters: Garden bed, Pebble path, Flower patch, Rainy day and Moonlit garden. Boards grow from four by four up to nine by nine, and rocks appear from chapter two.
What happens when I run out of hearts?
The level ends and you can try again straight away. The board is the same each time, so what you learned carries over to the next attempt.
How do I get three stars?
Free every worm without a single bump. One bump gives two stars and two bumps give one. Stars unlock new garden themes, from a buttercup meadow to a moonlit garden.
What is the daily garden?
A new seven by seven puzzle every day, the same for every player, so you can compare scores. Your score counts worms freed, quick streaks and a bonus for a perfect round.
Do I need to sign up or download anything?
No. Worm Escape runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and your stars and settings are saved on your device.
