Explodemon

The game is an homage to the 16-bit era, and is a reminder of everything I love about gaming. Unfortunately, repetition does sneak in, and the boss battles are a little disappointing, but if you are a fan of the genre you really should check it out.

Ultimately, Explodemon doesn't coalesce into a product that's as refined or as beautiful as the Treasure classics that inspired it. But thought it may be a bit rough around the edges, it's also precisely the kind of game I would've bought used from a Japanese import store -- so, in that sense, it's still something of a gem.

Mastering each stage, finding all of the collectibles, and earning various Trophies should prove to be a very satisfying experience.

Explodemon is great fun for a few hours, providing interesting puzzles to blast your way through and many a secret to uncover. Repetition swiftly sets in, however, and you may well find yourself not bothering to play through to the end. Still, it's worth grabbing the demo to see whether you're into the concept.

Explodemon! is a must own for old-school platforming fans, but anyone else should do a bit of research for they drop their hard earned cash on it.

Explodemon can't speak right (intentionally, that is), but explodes in a much more sophisticated manner. Casual and core gamers alike will love the simplicity of the controls, but don't expect too much variety.

Explodemon! is a decent action platformer which bases its gameplay on the explosions and does it pretty well. Across three different planets you have to deal with a large number of enemies, but the funniest part is the puzzles you must solve in order to activate switches and doors. Too bad the boss fight are very repetitive and the graphics lack of originality.

It's let down slightly by occasionally frustrating controls and monotonous boss encounters, but the inventive level design keeps you returning for more. [Issue#203, p.99]

Regardless of these minor draw backs, Explodemon! is a fun game, and does a good job of bringing back retro game elements that are rarely seen in new titles any more.

An eclectic mix of platforming and combat mechanics help compensate for Explodemon's mundane inclinations.

As is seemingly the law with platform games, new abilities get bolted on, the challenge becomes more multi-faceted, you go blue in the face, forget to breathe, and pass out in front of your PS3 from platformitis. It's a common condition. Look it up.

There's the odd difficulty spike, too. [Apr 2011, p.90]

Explodemon tries its best to bring back fond memories of games that are nearly twenty-five years old, but it's geared towards such a niche audience that most gamers will be hard pressed at finding any long-term enjoyment.

Explodemon feels nice and weighty as you move through the stages, but overall, the game's physics are unwieldy. It's too hard to predict how objects will react to explosions: A missile that seems like it should deflect instead explodes, for instance, or a block ends up on your head instead of on a switch.

Explodemon isn't a broken game by any accounts, but the presentation, controls, and level design are wholly unoriginal and unsatisfying if you enjoy action platformer. Those that dig deep enough may find some fun buried beneath the repetition, but it won't last long. If you're looking for a downloadable distraction on your PS3, there are many more fulfilling options than Explodemon.

16-bit retrostylings, humorous writing and the explosion-based platforming entertain for a while, but unless collecting items and looking for secrets is your cup of tea, the game gets repetitive even in the short time it takes to finish.

Still, it isn't all bad. Explodemon has a lot of heart and some interesting ideas at play, but even in its short shelf life it wears a little thin. There are leaderboards and lots of collectibles to uncover, but once you've played the first two levels you've seen it all.

Its explosive thunder has already been stolen (twice) leaving this unfortunately-timed platformer to arrive late for its own party.