BOMBFEST is a highly addictive and fun game by Sudden Event Studios and Whitethorn Digital. In BOMBFEST, you will try your best to eliminate other players by using a variety of bombs, explosions and other level hazards. Check out our review of BOMBFEST below to see why we can’t stop playing it.

Let’s start with the basics. Each round in BOMBFEST has four players which could be three local players with you or three AI controlled bots with you. You will need to use bombs and try to eliminate all other players from the level before the timer runs out and nukes start falling from the sky.

Playing the game is extremely simple with its two button controls. You move your character around with left joystick, pick up the bombs and throw them with O and jump or tumble with X. There is no other key to worry about. When you pick up a bomb, a white arc will help you decide the landing spot of the bomb and a red outline around the bomb will identify its explosive radius.

You will need these pointers to help you figure out the perfect spot to throw the bomb and make the most out of it. Once you pick up a bomb, you can keep holding on to it and throw it at the sweet second when it is about to explode so that it can be most effective in the game. Each bomb has a unique behavior so you must know how each bomb performs when you pick it up.

In BOMBFEST, there is only one rule and that is to be the last one standing when the match ends or everyone else gets knocked off the stage. The game gives you a wide variety of bombs to choose from. They will keep falling from the sky and you will need a different strategy with each bomb type.

In the game, you will have homing rockets, ice bombs, exploding bread, mines, nukes and many other unique bombs at your disposal. Each one requires its own strategy so you cannot simply pick up a bomb and throw them blindly around yourself. You can chain together bomb explosions and create some really spectacular slo-mo explosions in the game.

When I first played the game, I only had one type of bomb. I was hooked to the game and after nearly 2 hours of gameplay, I had unlocked all types of bombs and it is only when you unlock all types of bombs, the real chaos begins. The game allows you to set the spawn rate of each bomb so you can adjust that to your liking for each match.

You can create custom settings for each match as well. The game allows you to customize the match settings. You can activate or deactivate certain bombs, change their spawn rate, use different match modifiers such as big head mode or low gravity mode. You can also customize timer for each match which could be standard or elongated depending on your preferences.

One match in BOMBFEST comprises of a set number of rounds. You can set its limit as well from 1 to 10 so that you can choose best out of 3 with your friends or have a full championship of 10 rounds to see who reigns supreme at the end. The game has a very low learning curve so it will not be long before you blasting enemies with bombs even if you just jumped in the game for the first time.

Battles are fought on different little levels such as a toy room mat, office table, kitchen sink or a stump in the garden. Each stage will come with their own unique hazards as well such as moving toy cars, moving trains, pit falls or sinkholes. You can use them to your advantage if you do not fall a victim to them yourself.

The game features very simply controls and is extremely easy to jump into. Because of its simple design, there are literally no loading screens which means that the action is continuous. This is extremely helpful and highly adds to the streamlined gameplay of BOMBFEST. The action is streamlined and once you are hooked, you want to play the game again and again just for taking that win back.

The fun does not end when you are knocked out in a match. The game has a very cool mechanic where you spawn back as a bomb on the level after getting knocked out and you can move around and get instant revenge on the player who knocked you out. You can explode on them and then spawn back as a bomb until the last player remains standing in the round. This is the perfect way to get back in action even if you are knocked out early.

As you play the game, you unlock more visual customization options, new bombs and even new stages. There are no hard challenges or rules for unlocking new content in BOMBFEST. You simply have to play the game and reach certain match completion milestones to unlock new stuff in the game. It does not matter whether you will or lose. You simply just have to complete matches and you will continue to earn new stuff for yourself.

We tried the game both on PC and PS4 and the experience is same on both console and PC. We personally prefer on the console because since it is a party game so it is much more fun to play at a couch on a much bigger screen and trying not to throw your controller instead of a bomb. Trust us, throwing in-game bombs is much cheaper than throwing controllers for resolving disputes.

We love BOMBFEST and the only thing we found lacking in the game is the online support. At this point, there is no online in the game and we do not know whether it is something that the developers want to implement in the future. We really hope that in future, online is implemented in the game because it will really help to increase the lifespan of the game.

Limiting BOMBFEST to only local multiplayer will really set it back from other party games because it is a solid party game and is bound to keep you busy with your friends for hours. But the real problem is that you must have local friends to play with at this point. The singleplayer is fun as well however the real fun of BOMBFEST lies in local multiplayer.

Verdict

BOMBFEST is the ultimate local party game and it offers plenty of variety to go on with. Different levels, customization and different game modifiers will ensure that you stick to the game for hours. The best aspect is the streamlined gameplay because there are no loading screens. From the main menu, you are instantly taken directly into action. Its simple-to-grasp controls and mechanics further add to its highly addictive gameplay. If online multiplayer ever comes to the game, it will be the perfect party game. Even without it, it is addictive, it is fun and we cannot stop playing it.

Final Score 9.5/10