Developer: Tecmo Publisher: American Sammy Released: June 1990 Genre: Action
There is something to be said about preconceived notions. I avoided Silkworm back in the day because the name made it sound like a Millipede spinoff. I have nothing against Millipede of course but it was not one of my favorite games in the 80s. Had I known it was a cool shooter with a dual vehicle mechanic I would have tried it sooner. Silkworm is awesome, the type of low key release that flies under the radar but is far better than you expect.
Silkworm was originally released in the arcade by Tecmo. The home ports to various computer formats were done by the Sales Curve. It must have sold incredibly well as the Sales Curve would use the central conceit of the game to create their own similar title named SWIV. This would come to the SNES as Super SWIV/Firepower 2000 which is where I would discover it. The loose connection is I went back to the source. I found a great game thanks to my curiousity.
The stand out feature of Silkworm is its two playable vehicles. You have a choice between a jeep and helicopter with each featuring distinct mechanics. The jeep cruises along the ground and can jump to avoid colliding with enemies it cannot destroy. Its cannons can spin to attack enemies coming from behind as well. The helicopter is far easier in comparison. You can actively avoid enemies whereas the jeep has to destroy nearly everything in its path. It can tilt to destroy ground targets but otherwise can only fire forward. The free movement you gain is a worthwhile tradeoff however.
Silkworm has an odd yet limited power-up system. The sole weapon upgrade is a twin shot which is earned by destroying an enemy named snakehead. You can gain temporary shields that double as smart bombs from ground turrets frequently but otherwise that is it. The only other items are emblems which have various levels. Your emblem level will allow you to keep your power-ups after death. These are hard to find and do not sound great on its face considering the lacking weapon lineup. But seeing as you only get two weapon drops at most per level you will want to hold on to them.
The vehicle you select will play a large factor in your experience with the game. The helicopter is essentially the easy mode. Having full range to move about in the sky and avoid most enemies is freeing even if there are more frequent waves. Even though you can’t fire in reverse attacks from behind are rare. The jeep has a rougher time of it. You cannot avoid many enemies and you have to get adjust to swiveling the turret and moving at the same time. Even the boss battles are a war of attrition in the jeep since you have less room to maneuver. For those wanting a challenge the jeep awaits. It is a legit different experience.
As a single player game Silkworm is solid but not overly exciting. Which is surprising as it has a faster pace than most NES shooters. That the developers managed to retain the arcade game’s speed with so little slowdown is great. But outside of that the game can be repetitive and predictable. Even though there are nine levels it uses the same three or four enemies for ¾ of the game. It isn’t until the last third that there is a dramatic change in scenery and enemies. Bosses are recycled as well. Some shooters fall victim to this as well but at least you have cool weapons to break up the monotony. You don’t get that here. In coop Silkworm shines as both players coordinate and watch each other’s backs. I’ve never been much for multiplayer but admit coop enhanced my enjoyment of the game.
Overall this is not a terribly difficult game until close to its climax. As I said before the action can be predictable. If you are in the helicopter it is easily manageable; the jeep not so much. The generous scoring system grants extra lives at a decent clip and you will need them for the final set of levels. The game becomes extremely cheap leading up to the final boss battles which is why the emblems are so critical. Those that have a reasonable amount of skill in the genre won’t have much trouble. For everyone else you can probably brute force your way through.
In Closing
Silkworm is an awesome shooter that is good on its own but truly excels in multiplayer. It does not reinvent the genre but instead offers solid action and a long quest. I did not expect much but was pleasantly surprised. Forget tripe like Stinger and go for this winner.
