Metacritic Games

Bombastic (Playstation 2)

Bombastic puts you in control of a veritable minefield of explosive, moving dice. Roll the dice around the field to link them in like combinations. Once they connect, the dice are detonated and will explode. Don’t get too close as the explosion will knock you into next week. The object is to clear each Bombastic level. Be careful! The action gets harder and harder as you go along! Over seven modes of play include Standard, Attack, Limited, Quest Mode, Classic, War and more! So many ways to play! So little time! Get ready to go Bombastic! [Capcom]

Capcom Entertainment
Puzzle
Players: 5
E (Everyone)
Developer: Shift
Released August 26, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

72 / 100

Critic Reviews

85 IGN
For anybody with even a minor bit of gaming background, this is a highly addictive, incredibly brilliant puzzler that has enough depth, ingenuity and depth to keep you going for months.
82 Worth Playing
It’s very challenging, and the completion is rewarding.
82 GameZone
Bombastic blows away all other Playstation 2 puzzlers.
80 Eurogamer
If you're pining for something with charm, accessibility, instant playability, hidden depths, and above all else fun, then for twenty quid you can't go far wrong with Bombastic. Sure, it's the kind of game that could've been made ten years ago, and is as basic as games get these days, but that's exactly what appealed to us.
80 Electronic Gaming Monthly
What initially seemed overly mathematical and number-crunchingly complex has now taken over my psyche. When I close my eyes I see pulsating dice in fabulous combinations. [Sept 2003, p.113]
80 Deeko
Destined to become a cult favorite, which will most likely sell for a billion dollars on eBay one day, Bombastic is a puzzle gamers dream come true.
80 GMR Magazine
It's surprisingly addictive and really does make math fun. No, really! [Oct 2003, p.77]
80 PSM Magazine
If twisting your mind into knots sounds like fun, you'll love Bombastic. [Oct 2003, p.40]
80 Game Informer
It's a great puzzler. Definitely a little weird, but most certainly good. [Sept 2003, p.109]
75 GameNow
Once you begin figuring out the combo system and how to manipulate the dice, Bombastic becomes oddly addictive. [Sept 2003, p.54]
74 GameSpy
The one-player puzzle quest is a disappointing throwaway, and the strategy of the multiplayer mode is too chaotic to be entertaining, but the core gameplay remains simple, solid fun.
74 3DAvenue
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.
71 GameSpot
The logic is complex, and the pacing is manic, but if you commit to the concept, the experience is undeniably exhilarating.
70 GameShark
While the controls and the inability to use the analog stick can be difficult, Bombastic is a solid puzzle game with a lot of different game modes and replay value for people who enjoy a challenge.
70 games(TM)
While the addictive qualities are still intact, the addition of explosives has slightly upset the delicate balance. Big combos here tend to owe as much to good fortune as they do to prudence and it can feel like you're over-working your brain for too little result. [Christmas 2003, p.124]
70 Edge Magazine
There's not as much depth as Tetris or Puyo Puyo, but there's not much that disappoints about Bombastic apart from a rather lacklustre platform game that's been bolted on. The deeply involving puzzle mechanics brilliantly build on the foundations laid down by Devil Dice. [Christmas 2003, p.124]
70 GameBiz
An enjoyable thinking experience is what most will take from Bombastic, a game where rolling dice has never been so explosive or enjoyable.
69 GameReviewer
While what's here is very good, the problem is that there are perhaps twenty seconds of original composition in the whole game! The rest just loops for all eternity, prodding you to skip past menu after menu just so you can escape the irritation of not-quite-grinding guitar and the like.
69 TotalGames.net
The Quest mode is too loose and culminates in boss battles that do away with the puzzle element completely, in favour of random dice turning. The result is a game that's great with some friends, but fails to ignite when played alone.
60 eToychest
What Bombastic offers is a new take on a classic puzzle game. Unfortunately this new take is far too complex for its own good as it attempts to build on an already terrific game.
58 Game Revolution
There's nothing really functionally wrong with the game (besides the crack-induced plot), but it simply isn't nearly as addictive or fun as other puzzle games.
50 PSX Nation
So quirky in style, Japanese in appearance and intricate in difficulty (the numerical configurations for multiple dice rolling are staggering!) that even after learning how to play it I didn’t have any fun whatsoever playing it.
50 Gaming Age
The game's fun however depends on the players' knowledge of how a six-sided die can be manipulated to have the desired number on its top face. It's not easy to do, and only after that hurdle is crossed can players enjoy any aspect of the game.
50 Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
Maybe the most irritating thing is that, for all its complexity, Bombastic isn't the slightest bit difficult. [Sept 2003, p.93]

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