Anyone who is a fan of my channel is well aware that I am a fan of roguelikes so I was very excited to sink my teeth into Bombslinger, which has just blasted it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch.
Playing as an ex bandit who has chosen to settle down on his ranch with his wife, only to have that ranch burned down by members of your late posse. Now you are on an explosive revenge mission toAnyone who is a fan of my channel is well aware that I am a fan of roguelikes so I was very excited to sink my teeth into Bombslinger, which has just blasted it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch.
Playing as an ex bandit who has chosen to settle down on his ranch with his wife, only to have that ranch burned down by members of your late posse. Now you are on an explosive revenge mission to settle the score.
Beginning each new run on your destroyed ranch, you journey out into the world at first with only bombs in hand. Using these bombs to pulverize your enemies and to clear your path. This very simple formula doesn’t take long to learn, but does take a while to master. As different enemy types require very different maneuvers to defeat them without taking any damage. As you defeat stages you earn more XP and level up, each level gives you three random options to choose from strengthen each run. Choosing an extra bomb to drop, more health, quicker spirit regen, or a simple refill health all change the tide of battle greatly and if timed correctly can mean the difference between life and death. Going into a boss battle with only one heart, leveling mid boss fight, then refilling my health and coming out victorious goes to show you that strategy is just as important as perfectly executed gameplay in Bombslinger.
Opening crates, defeating enemies, or frequenting shops will unlock more items to make each run more unique. Picking up a special boot allowed me to dodge roll, a six shooter for some ranged retaliation, or camouflage for a scarecrow sneak attack kept this cowpoke on his toes. The more unlocks you rack up allow the biggest and baddest upgrade of all. You can begin each run with upgrades that you have unlocked, allowing you to start with more bombs, more health, or crazy cool unlocks like the ability to kick the bombs after you place them, adding an amazing level of gameplay to this potent puzzler. An upgrade that has been my mainstay ever since.
As you move through each level you collect cash from your fallen foes, this cash can be used to open random loot boxes throughout the world, or in the shop. When in the shop you can pick up some great weapons like a hatchet to throw or a shotgun, when in the thick of the game you can fire these ranged weapons which uses up your spirit, the blue little meter in the top left hand corner of the screen. Throughout my gameplay I didn’t find the ranged weapons to be that much fun, but they are very useful in certain situations i.e. boss fights.
Which I have to say are really incredible. Some bosses really getting you steamed up until you figure out that perfect strategy to blow them to smithereens. Just as any good boss fight should be...now when going head to head with that damn Ram, I know I will come out on top.
For such a simple looking game the world is very fleshed out. The ambient sounds do alot to ground you in the environment of the wild west and the simple yet incredibly well executed artstyle looks fantastic. I especially enjoyed the close up pixelated 3d animations and pre-boss battle cutscenes. As normally getting close up to a pixel game is a big mess, in Bombslinger it’s a big and nice surprise.
If you enjoy a tough roguelike like I do, then bombs away ladies and lads because this game is absolutely for you. In the world of indies, the retro roguelike explores some very interesting genres. From platformer, twin stick shooter, but this bomberman style gameplay which seems so simple at first, but becomes so incredibly complex as it layers up throughout the game. I have heard some criticism for this game being a little too punishing, starting back over when you die without any items you’ve earned, except for additional starting items, but thats the bread and butter of a great roguelike game.
Please be sure to watch my video review at my YouTube channel TheFlannelFox… Expand
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