Bombuzal is one of those games that can look cute and yet thoroughly boggle your mind. This puzzle title from Image Works, released in the late 1980s, put the player in the role of a little wizard whose task is to detonate all the bombs arranged on a square grid floating in the air — and of course to survive in the process.
The core of the gameplay is beautifully straightforward and treacherous at the same time. On each level you have to detonate all the bombs, but each bomb has its blast radius, which can destroy the surrounding tiles too — and you along with them, if you are not careful. There are bombs of various sizes with variously powerful blasts, so you have to carefully plan the order in which you detonate them, so as not to block your own path or cut yourself off on a falling piece of floor.
Every destroyed tile disappears, so as the levels progress the playing field crumbles beneath your feet and you have to move strategically. A wrong step means falling into the void or getting stuck on an isolated islet. The game thus forces you to think ahead — it is a combination of spatial planning, risk management and classic logical reasoning wrapped in a brisk and playful form.
Bombuzal was released on a range of platforms, and on consoles it also appeared under the name Ku-Bombuzal with an alternative isometric view. This version changed the perspective and gave the game a slightly different feel, although the basic principle remained the same. The title's ability to work across viewpoints testifies to how strongly its game concept was built.
In the era when puzzle games flourished and computers like the Amiga provided them with an ideal home, Bombuzal joined the ranks of clever, addictive puzzles with a distinctive identity of its own. For lovers of puzzles who are looking for something between deliberation and pressure, it is a little treasure that does not age — the principle of detonating bombs in the right order is universally understandable and still just as satisfying.
Why play: An addictive puzzle about detonating bombs on a crumbling grid — simple rules, treacherous depth and fun that is still fresh.
Game 32 of 121 for Commodore Amiga
