Bombing Bastards

Bombing Bastards uses familiar grid bombing for a surprisingly severe Wii U action puzzle. Expanded blast ranges and remote detonation create positioning choices, while themed worlds add slippery ice and hazardous gas. Enemies quickly learn to evade bombs, however, so many stages feel dependent on finding the right power-up rather than improving a route. Arenas regenerate on death; their variety comes at the cost of learning from a failed layout. Bosses can be skipped, and four-player local battles offer relief, but versus options are sparse and the reviewed release has no online mode. Soft cartoon art and Dr Wallow’s announcements give the game an amusing mismatch of cheerful looks and cruel difficulty. Repeated classical-melody remixes are less engaging. The direct Wii U review reports a consistent frame rate and an uncluttered screen. It documented missing GamePad sound at launch, while a later developer comment states a North American patch added it, so that flaw cannot be described as permanent across builds. This suits players who welcome punishing bomb puzzles and random resets.

Who it is for: Players comfortable with punishing bomb puzzles.

Play notes: North American Wii U review; launch audio issue reportedly patched.