Hedgewars

Turn-based artillery is a genre almost entirely defined by one paid series, and Hedgewars is the free equivalent that has been going since 2004.

The formula is Worms, faithfully: two or more teams take turns lobbing absurd weaponry across fully destructible terrain, with wind, angle and power to account for and a time limit per turn to keep things moving. The weapon roster is large and gleefully ridiculous — bazookas and grenades alongside sheep launchers, piano drops and things best discovered in play. Terrain deforms permanently, so a long match slowly demolishes the map beneath everyone.

What makes Hedgewars work is that it understood the assignment. The weapons are funny, the physics are readable, the turn timer keeps matches brisk, and the whole thing is designed around a group of people in one room shouting at each other. Hotseat multiplayer on a single machine is the primary mode and it is excellent. Online multiplayer works too, with public rooms, plus a campaign and training missions for solo play.

The roster is hedgehogs rather than worms, weapon balance differs from any specific Worms entry, and the presentation is charming but plainly less polished than recent commercial releases. Those are the honest gaps, and none of them matter much when four people are crowded around one keyboard.

At 180 MB it is among the smallest games we list and runs on anything with a screen.