Bomb Monkey

Genre: Unlimited Pattern Puzzle

Players: 1-2 Competitive / Co-Op (Same System)

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Review:

Bomb Monkey is a family-friendly Unlimited Pattern Puzzle game released on Nintendo 3DS in 2012, with a re-skinned version of the game called Mudd Blocks getting re-released in the 2017 Nintendo Switch Compilation Mutant Mudds Collection. This game has players taking the role of a monkey tossing blocks and bombs down at a constantly-growing pile beneath them, hoping to use the bombs to clear the blocks.

The presentation in this game is good, using appealing 2D pixel art visuals with some monkey sounds and a really catchy tune to play along with. It’s nothing especially impressive, but it’s nevertheless very appealing and polished for a $3 game.

Players play this game in “book mode”, turning the Nintendo 3DS sideways, using just the D-pad, with up and down turned sideways moving you left and right, and down dropping blocks and bombs. This also leads to the fun and creative way that this game does multiplayer, by having the other player grabbing the other side of the Nintendo 3DS and using the face buttons in a similar manner on the opposite side. It’s a clever way of going about things that really adds something extra to this game.

The core gameplay here is great too, drawing inspiration from Puzzle Fighter by having players connecting like-colored pieces and then clearing them in a chain using a bomb. There’s a good selection of game modes here too, with traditional endless and three-minute modes, a mode where players are trying to repeatedly damage one piece to free a caged monkey, and a game mode where players are trying to destroy three specific blocks in an order, as well as both co-op and competitive modes.

I suppose my main complaints here are a few modes and features this game doesn’t have – there’s no “Vs. Computer” mode, no puzzle mode, and no way to play multiplayer in local wireless or online.

However, given that Bomb Monkey is a $3 game, the lack of features here is easily forgivable, since this is a delightfully fun, catchy, and creative Puzzle game that should be considered an absolute must for anyone with a Nintendo 3DS, perhaps even if you own the reworking of it that comes with Mutant Mudds Collection on Nintendo Switch. With such a low price point, it’s kinda’ hard to resist.

tl;dr – Bomb Monkey is a family-friendly Puzzle game where players toss bombs at multicolored crates to try to clear them before they stack too high. This game combines fun gameplay with a good selection of game modes and a really creative approach to multiplayer, all with a tiny $3 price tag. The result is a truly excellent entry in the genre, and a must-have for Puzzle fans.

Grade: A-

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