Doodle Bomb, a new physics puzzler reminiscent of games like Ragdoll Blaster, has been released by Bottle Rocket and is now available from the app store. With its endearing doodled interface and tricky puzzles, you’re sure to have a blast on your way to becoming a Bomb Master.
Doodle Bomb Pros:
- 50 exciting missions
- Fun and silly graphic interface
- Plentiful sound effects
- Great replay value
Doodle Bomb Cons:
- No global leaderboards
- No achievement system
- Needs additional levels, and even a level editor
Doodle Bomb contains 50 exciting missions (35 Standard Missions and 15 “Master Missions”) requiring you to explode a bomb close enough to the green control panel to activate it, opening the door to the next level. The goal is to open the door using the fewest number of bombs, for which a par score is available. Each level contains a hole-in-the-wall from which your bomber character lobs time bombs into the gaming area. Bombs do not explode on contact, unless they hit a red barrier. Often, you will need to toss a bomb into an area where it will come to rest on a moving platform or next to a control panel, while you wait patiently for it to blow up. Tilting the device can cause a bomb to roll a bit to the left or right, positioning it properly for the ensuing blast.
There are several items and characters throughout the game that you must interact with in order to complete the levels. In addition to the green control panel, there are many blue control panels that activate various items, such as moving platforms, water wheels, pipe pieces, trap doors, magnets, and more. You may encounter Bomb Bouncing Rats, which act as springboards, launching a bomb high into the air. Trigger Happy Soldiers will shoot bombs in their immediate visual field, so you’ll need to drop one on their heads to stun them, wait until they aren’t looking, or sneak one close enough to blast their trigger happy heads off. Standard Missions can be skipped if you encounter some difficulty. Master Missions, however, must be completed in order, are not unlocked until you complete all Standard Missions at par or better, and require you to meet or better the par bomb score to advance through the series.
The graphic interface is fun and silly, as is the norm for these doodle-inspired games. Set on a graph paper background, everything appears hand-drawn in an appealing way. There is no soundtrack, but the sound effects are fun and plentiful. You can choose to play music from your own library if you prefer to hear something in the background. Controls are very simple. Tap anywhere on screen to launch a bomb. The farther you touch from your bomber, the more powerful your throw. A fuse burns down, taking approximately 5-6 seconds before it explodes. If the bomb comes to rest on a flat surface, you can use the accelerometer to roll the bomb slowly. Controls worked very well and were simple to get used to for effective use.
Replay value is fairly good, as you’ll likely find several levels where you can shave a few bombs off of your best score. Given the enjoyable nature of the game, playing again for fun is a likely possibility, too. Unfortunately, there are no global leaderboards, so there is no telling if others have completed levels in fewer bombs than you. There is also no achievement system, which tends to add some replayability to these types of games. Our biggest disappointment was how quickly we completed the game. Additional levels, and even a level editor, would be welcome future additions to the game that would certainly extend the life of the game. We loved the unique take on this genre and found several of the Master Missions to be quite difficult upon first glance. At $1.99, Doodle Bomb is a great value and a solid 4-Dimple standout.
