Bombaman -registered!

The registered game!!

It looks like my freakish addiction to the Atari ST/e has paid off. I am proud to announce the availability of the registered version of Bombaman (click on that link to find out more!). It was kindly donated by Kevin Callahan, a man who has put up with my mithering for 18 months. Never once did he break down and ask me to leave him alone!! [download]. I hope everyone enjoys playing this fantastic Bomberman!!

Bombaman

Bomberman!

Ever since I first played Erik And The Floaters on my ZX Spectrum, I have enjoyed playing Bomberman clones, and here is another called Bombaman. Developed by Kevin Callahan for the Atari STe, this conversion is multiplayer for two to four people, with support for the often-forgotten enhanced joystick ports!

Being a take on Bomberman means we need to freely blow stuff up! Well, good news because Bombaman has fantastic controls that are light and responsive. There are tons of power-ups available and contain some favourites, like a molotov cocktail and chucking bombs over a wall. Others can increase the number of bombs we are able to drop, but watch out for chain reactions during their explosions. Roller skates speed up gameplay whilst flap jackets protect us, but slower players better watch out for zombies.

Want a screenshot? Well, brace yourself and get ready to squint...

It starts tame, but soon you're using power-ups and blasting everything!

Aesthetics

The visuals are incredibly colourful, but may require sunglasses to protect your eyes from all that glare!! The colour is completely over the top and looks like a child would have designed it, but who said Kevin was an artist? The game is smooth at 50fps, thanks to the Blitter and is also displayed in overscan, too.

Chipmusic plays throughout, which I really enjoyed because it's downright awesome. It never overpowers the DMA sound effects bursting out of your Atari STe, and this is how games should be!!

The colour palette is trippy, so let's annoy your eyes one final time with another screenshot...

All that colour could drive you insane - if it wasn't such a great game!!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a brilliant multiplayer game that has lived up to my hopes and expectations. It's a shame there is no solo mode, but I'm sure you will all love gathering around the computer to play it. In fact, my daughter says it's her favourite Atari ST game [watch our video recording]. High praise from an iPad generation kid!

A cracking game for those who enjoy throwing bombs at their friends. Who doesn't?

Update: Kevin has found the floppy disk of the registered version. It's safely stored on AtariMania. Go on and grab it!

Bombs And Bugs

Another game rescued

Bombs And Bugs is a multiplayer Bomberman, developed by Stefan Eilert of Awkward Software. Supporting two or three players, it has superb power-ups and the most vibrant and jazzy graphics. Although the game was never released, it has been saved and sent to Atarimania for safekeeping as of today. 🥳

This game is an exciting, frantic Bomberman-style blast of multiplayer fun that’s all about outsmarting your opponents in tight maze arenas. We are a battle bug, dropping bombs to destroy walls, uncover power-ups, and trap rival players, to be the last survivor. Simple stuff, but stupidly chaotic! Its colourful presentation and explosive gameplay make it a brilliant "party game". So gather around the ST like it's 1993.

Sadly, there’s no single-player support, which I miss as a lone gamer 90% of the time. My video shows my gameplay against our 8-year-old daughter. She said, "It's freaky and very silly". I think she's right!!

• Download this previously unknown game from Atarimania.
• Check out the Awkward Software website.