Overview – developed and published by TANZI GAMES, in collaboration with Regista for console publishing, BOMCAT is an arcade style action game about throwing bombs to rescue the damsel. As the hero Aoneko, collect bombs and blow up the machines while avoiding enemies to rescue the lady, who has been kidnapped by TakoBrain. This title is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank console publisher Regista for providing the copy of BOMCAT used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. As there is no real story for this release, I will be going directly into discussing the gameplay for BOMCAT.
Gameplay – BOMCAT is an arcade style single screen platformer, where players take control of Aoneko, the hero BOMCAT. His goal is to rescue Lady, who has been kidnapped by TakoBrain, who is keeping her at his factory. To save Lady, Aoneko must make his way through the different parts of the factory, destroying terminals to take down the barriers that protect the boss TakoBrain. Once the barriers are down, players can attack the boss to try and save Lady.
There are three game modes that players can select from. These consist of Easy Mode, Hard Mode and Endless, which are available right from the off. The Easy and Hard game modes are the arcade style modes, where the player must make their way through six stages. Each of the stages have the player control Aoneko, where he must collect bombs from spawn points and throw them at terminals, with bombs exploding when the fuse runs out.
As the player destroys the terminals, the barriers that protect TakoBrain will be deactivated, making him vulnerable when they are all taken down. But the destruction of terminals is no easy feat, as there will be the henchmen that roam the factory zones. These mechanical followers will wander the stages, needing to be avoided or blown up, as Aoneko will die if contact is made. As the player progresses, the enemies will become more dangerous.
Once all terminals are down, TakoBrain will be exposed and the player will be able to throw a bomb at him. But while he is vulnerable, he will attempt to attack the player by stomping, causing debris to fall from the sky adding to the obstacles in the stage. If the player can successfully blow up TakoBrain, they will flee to the next stage, taking lady with them. After this, ladders will appear, allowing the player to go to the next stage.
For the main stages, the hazards and obstacles will change, introducing conveyor belts, balloons and more challenging enemies. These keep the action varied and will require the player to think outside the box, making use of the stage elements and the ability to wrap around the screen. All of these elements work together, creating an authentic arcade experience for players. Between stages there will be little animations before the action begins.
Once all of the main stages are cleared, the player will go to the final boss stage, where the player will battle TakoBrain directly. During the boss battle, the player will need to directly attack TakoBrain several times to defeat him. But there is more than one phase to the battle, as the boss will reappear and must be taken down by throwing Lady at him. After the final hit, the player will rescue Lady and the game will be cleared, showing an ending screen.
During the arcade style game, the player has three lives, which are lost if the player gets blown up, makes contact with an enemy or falls into a pit. If the player loses all of their lives, a game over will occur and the player will be given the option to continue (if they have any) or go to the title screen. Continues are added by collecting fruit, with one appearing in each of the stages. If the player continues, they restart the current stage from the start.
The last game mode to discuss is Endless Mode, which is a special score challenge that will test the skills of the player. The majority of the game loop is the same as the arcade style modes, with the objective being to destroy the terminals. In this mode, once all terminals are destroyed, ladders will appear immediately for the player to move onto the next stage. As each stage is cleared, the challenge will increase, becoming more complex.
While playing Endless Mode, the player only has one set of lives to clear as many stages as they can, ending the game once the last life is lost. In this mode, if the timer expires during a stage, there will be debris that falls from the sky, acting as a sudden death mode. This will only go away once the stage has been cleared. This will also occur in the arcade style modes, but if the player can stay alive for long enough in the chaos, extra lives can be collected.
Finally we have the score systems for BOMCAT. In the Easy/Hard arcade style game, the player will earn points for destroying terminals, blowing up enemies and collecting fruit, with bonus points for left over time. If a high enough score is reached, the player will record their score at the top of the screen. In Endless mode, the score that players set is the number of stages cleared, giving the possibility of competition during game nights.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as BOMCAT is an arcade style game, there is a very limited control scheme for play with only two buttons for actions. These make it easy to get into the action, with an on screen tutorial showing the controls on the title screen. The inputs for this release work well, offering a comfortable way to play the game, which works with a variety of controllers. For an authentic arcade experience, the game works well with an arcade stick.
Difficulty – there is a relatively balanced difficulty curve to this release, with the arcade style modes escalating the challenge as each stage progresses. There is also a step up in difficulty between Easy and Hard, with additional enemies and obstacles in the stages. The Boss battle is the toughest part of the arcade mode, with the two phase battle and limited lives. In Endless mode, the difficulty can spike, with stage elements that can be a real challenge.
Presentation – The overall style for BOMCAT is right out of the arcades, with colorful sprite work and stage designs that are reminiscent of the classics. The animations are fluid and the designs are easy to see on the smaller screen of the Nintendo Switch, which can often be an issue with sprite games. All of the sound is pleasant with music that feels authentic to the era, with the blips and bloops creating melodies that are dynamic, adding to the charm of the game.
Final Thoughts – I like arcade style games that use the retro pixel aesthetic, as it feels like a lost art in the modern landscape. This is due to many games that use pixel art being overly simplistic, with little detail. BOMCAT does the opposite of this, with detailed sprites and vibrant use of color, being closer to what arcade games looked like. The gameplay is also fairly unique, making it stand out among the unfortunate deluge of shovelware that fills digital storefronts.
Now, this game is not without its faults, as it can feel a little awkward during play when getting used to the game. Thankfully, this can be adjusted to quickly. A second minor issue for me is the length of the main game, as it feels very short, but the replayability of it gives it speedrunning potential. For the cost of the game in general, it offers a lot of value for money, especially the Endless mode, so I am happy to recommend this game to everyone.
In the end, I give BOMCAT a final score of 4.25/5. This is a very good arcade style game, that has elements that are reminiscent of the classics, while offering a gameplay challenge that feels unique and engaging, all in a delightfully vibrant pixel art style. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
W.Kohaku Media 