I originally made WRMR (from here on WRMR Classic or just Classic) in high school during the boring downtime at robotics club. I was learning my first real programming language, Java, specifically to do robot stuff for that club but I'd also wanted to make games since I was a small child. I started to use what I learned to create many prototype games, and eventually my first full game, WRMR Classic. The game started as an underwater themed metroidvania, heavily inspired by Ikachan by Pixel, starring a mono-color red crab. Eventually, the computer virus theme was decided, and the red mono-color MC became a worm, as in a computer worm. The ZX Spectrum-esque graphics with one color per sprite was due to my own limited abilities as a pixel artist. This is just one example of the way Classic was defined by my limitations, as an artist, musician, and programmer. After I finished it, I entered the game into a contest, and then uploaded it after I confirmed I wasn't the one to win. Frankly, I wasn't happy with the end product. I think creativity can flourish under limitation, but my limitations were too harsh. I could do better.

As I went through college, the idea of remaking the game kept floating in and out of my head. I was too busy (and depressed) to work on personal projects, and I didn't want the remake to be my project immediately following the original, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head, and it stuck with me for years. When I finally graduated and had no job but was still being supported financially, I finally felt ready to give gamedev another shot. I wanted to learn Godot Engine, because I believe in its strength and versatility. I figured a remake would be the perfect way to learn it and also finally get this idea unstuck from my brain. Part of me still regrets the fact that I've made the same game twice in a row as my first projects, but at the same time the remake felt like a good way to get a fresh start as a developer.

WoRMeR Deluxe is everything I dreamt of as a teen for this project. The game has NES-style graphics, much improved game design, and a soundtrack by someone who actually knows what they are doing. I've considered making a list of all the changes between the versions, but its length would be much too long, and I'm not even sure if I could make it comprehensive. I think the two goals I set out to achieve with WRMR DX were accomplished successfully. I've learned a lot about the engine, to the point where I could throw together a prototype idea in an afternoon if I wanted to. I also made WRMR into the game it was meant to be, the one I imagined walking around the track on my own in high school gym class. I'm really proud of myself, and I'm excited to move on to new things.