Bombing Bastards Review

If you were a gamer in the 80’s or 90’s then you have probably heard of, played or owned the game Bomberman, it was released in 1983 and although many variants have been released since then on a wide array of platforms it is still a game that is played and enjoyed today. Sanuk Games have now remade the game using their own unique and personal touch and helped by Steam’s Greenlight Project.

I have spent hours (probably weeks) playing Bomberman in my youth on various consoles throughout the years and playing Bombing Bastards rekindles memory’s of playing on my old Nintendo many moons ago as it is almost an exact clone of the game. There are some slight variations one being you propel the bombs around each map with a ClapTrap looking robot.

However it follows the same strategic place/throw bomb gameplay and as always you usually die with the only person to blame is yourself. This is generally achieved either by trapping yourself into a corner or feeling the backlash from your own bomb. The maps get tougher as more enemy’s are introduced who adapt and evade your attacks as the blast radius of each bomb increases through the item drop system. Timing each strike becomes pretty satisfying as you progress through the game, killing and collecting power ups to help and sometimes hinder your plight. The most important power up is the glove that allows you to pick up and throw bombs giving you a much better strategic edge on your enemy’s.

It’s actually a fairly addictive game, the graphics are bright and in high-definition, the soundtrack puts a slight bass remix on a handful of classical music pieces (some might say butchered) as you sink many hours into the gameplay helping Dr Wallow (your creator) become the ruler of the galaxy who is voiced by David Goldfarb (the voice behind multiple characters in Mario Kart 8). The game is split up into zones and at the end of each is a level end boss, the battle is a lot tougher than expected as a Donkey Kong looking gorilla throws poisonous mushrooms at you. I found this quite a tough battle and you get so much satisfaction once you finally defeat him.

The game might be easier to play with a controller as it feels like the keyboard/mouse option does hold you back a bit (but hey maybe it’s just me). Single player is great but does get repetitive after a while.

But the real strong point of the many reincarnations of the original is being able to play with/against friends and seeing this game had an online mode made me smile. Unfortunately though the smile was swiftly wiped from my face as there doesn’t appear to be anyone actually playing online which is a real disappointment especially for a game that has only recently been released.

Steam have given people the option of purchasing a quad pack of the game which decreases the cost of the game if you wanted to share with friends and play together. I have heard the multiplayer side isn’t working properly that should be patched, if this is fixed and you are able to play online this game will be greatly improved.

But being an obsessive gamer from the late 80’s I can’t help but feel, however good this game is or could be.. it’s not Bomberman and i think in all honesty that is my biggest problem with the game. Possibly someone who is new to the game will love it for what it is but i’m held back and have my dad’s words ringing in my ears “it’s not as good as in my day” and for that reason i give this game 6/10.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary PC code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.