Bombastic PS2 Review

Puzzle games aren't exactly the most remembered games except for classics such as Tetris. In the new generation of consoles gamers are looking for ways to immerse themselves into a game more and more which is why a puzzle game in most cases is going to struggle. Sony Japan created Bombastic, a puzzle game which on the surface may seem quite a silly concept, rolling dice and exploding them, but it makes for a fairly decent game that any fan of the puzzle genre will probably want to check out.

Bombastic is primarily a single player game and offers many game modes to prospective players, but they are all variations on the main aim of the game itself. Bombastic is played with numerous dice. You control either Aqui-Chan, Verde, Momo, Rossi or Azul (each time one is defeated in the quest mode,  the next character becomes controllable) who stand upon the top of the dice. From there you have to move the dice into a position which will make them explode, making sure you get off the exploding dice before they self destruct in an explosion giving you points and moving you closer to the next level. To get the dice to ignite, you have to link the face number of dice together. So to get six different dice ignited, you must have six dice in a row with the face number of six.

There is numerous reasons you do this, firstly is to gain points but in the quest mode which will be explained further on, you also encounter enemies trying to stop you reaching your goal. Chain reactions also occur so you have to be careful as to where your character is standing when the explosions occur. That is pretty much the game itself. The different modes of the game expand on this concept.

One other mode of the game tasks the players with gaining as many points as they can before succumbing to an exploding dice. The main mode of the game is the Quest mode and this is where a storyline is played out and actual goals have to be completed. The storyline is divided into five different worlds, each of which is unlocked when the previous one is completed. At the end of each world you will encounter a boss fight before being able to move on, and this is where most of the challenge will come from. The previous sections of the current world do offer a challenge but the only task really in this area is to get the dice to line up to destroy enemies. Sometimes this isn't even required, the only reason you destroy the enemies in the quest mode is so you can progress. So it may be possible at times to just move forward without blowing any dice up. In the boss fight sections however, exploding dice is the only weapon you are given and the focus is much more on survival.

That's not to say that the game is a walk in the park because its not. It is a very deceiving game. On the surface it doesn't look like it has much depth but as you move through it, and especially during the tutorial sections you will see an interesting level of depth to the game. Some very useful tips are also given such as the fact that two opposite sides of a dice always add up to seven. It's not a case of just walking around on a dice and they will eventually explode, you may have to move more then one or two dice to get the numbers lined up and the enemy defeated. The enemies aren't hard, except for the boss characters and have distinct traits about them you can use to your advantage. One enemy, which looks like a rag doll, will charge towards the character as soon as it can see them. Leading them onto the ignited dice is the best strategy in that situation.

The graphics of the game feature a cartoon style and suit the feel of the game well. The different worlds revolve around a certain subject. In one world you will be fighting in cream cakes and other pastry treats with the final boss being a chef. The music is a techno style soundtrack which features some quite catchy tunes and again suits the style of the game well.

Bombastic is a game that puzzle gamers will probably enjoy but at the full price point being asked for it, it really isn't the best value on the market. It features a great variety of modes and decent gameplay mechanics but when it boils down to it the different modes are built around the same engine just with different attributes such as length of time, tasks at hand etc. Bombastic is great for puzzle gamers but those who only play games casually should wait till it drops in price a little before checking out this game.