REVIEW
Written byDethyan
Dungeon Bomber fooled me a little at first. I thought I had found a nice casual game about placing bombs, making big explosions and passing some time. Then I started clearing stages and the game just kept adding more layers.
I was already having fun when I realized I could fuse bombs and create bigger, stronger explosions. Then the second stage introduced elemental bombs, and suddenly I was thinking about a lot more than just blast radius. What surprised me even more was finding out that elements can stack instead of replacing each other. That opens the door to some ridiculous bombs, and experimenting with them quickly became the part I enjoyed most.
The funny thing is that bigger isn't always better. =P
There were several times where I thought I had made an amazing move: huge combo, explosions everywhere, half the screen disappearing... only to realize that my chain reaction had also pushed enough enemies down to completely fill the bottom row and kill me.
That was when the game really clicked.
At first, all I cared about was making the largest explosion possible with the highest damage I could get. After a while, I started realizing that sometimes the best move is a tiny, controlled explosion in exactly the right place. Dungeon Bomber rewards spectacle, but it also punishes you pretty hard when you stop thinking about what happens after the spectacle.
The little frog enemies that split are pure panic, by the way. Keep a poison bomb around. Trust me.
Some of my favorite moments came when a run looked completely lost. One bad turn away from dying, enemies crowding the bottom, barely any HP left... and then one well-planned chain reaction clears everything and somehow leaves you healthy again. Those comebacks feel fantastic.
What impressed me most is how much depth the game hides behind such a simple first impression. Every new mechanic made me rethink how I was using the bombs I already had, and I kept finding new combinations instead of just chasing higher numbers.
I started Dungeon Bomber expecting something light to play for a few minutes.
I ended up staring at the board, planning explosions several steps ahead and learning that sometimes blowing up half the dungeon is actually the worst possible idea.
That's a very good problem for a game about bombs to have.
— Dethyan / Noobsnoplay