Kaboomania from Fancy Factory is a fast-paced retro-style maze bomber with colorful pixel art that pays homage to classic arcade releases from ages past. Check out our Kaboomania review!

 

Kaboomania from Fancy Factory is a fast-paced retro-style maze bomber with colorful pixel art that pays homage to classic arcade releases from ages past. It takes us on an adventure through a 120-color-pixel-world with large maps and plenty of enemies ready to try and put a stop to your single-player campaign run… or, you know, you can also have up to four players trying to outsmart and outbomb each other, thanks to the local multiplayer option. The action is complemented by a brand-new soundtrack crafted by legendary composer Chris Hülsbeck.

Kaboomania was originally developed with the Amiga 1200 and Amiga 500 in mind, and it has now been ported to the Nintendo Switch as well. The game stars Scott Whiskers, who finds himself trapped inside the titular game after one late night of gaming has him falling asleep from being so tired. He also stars in two other games currently on Nintendo Switch, the aptly titled Scott Whiskers: the Search for the Golden Cat, as well as Scott Whiskers in: the Search for Mr. Fumbleclaw. Yes, Scott Whiskers is very fond of cats.

 

Fancy Factory took the game to Kickstarter earlier this year, seeking €3,500 in funding for creating physical versions of the game on an Amiga Floppy Disk, CD, or USB stick, as well as a big box classic-style package. Once the crowdfunding campaign was over, and thanks to the support of almost 100 backers, the project ended up with €7,600+, which meant that one stretch goal was reached, which bumped the multiplayer from two to four players max.

Once you start to play, you’ll be taking control of Scott by using the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you move through each maze, trying to avoid enemies, since a single hit will make you lose a life. You can drop down some dynamite by pressing the A button. Be careful, because each piece of dynamite will be on a timer and will end up going BOOM after a bit.

The game uses a classic password system, for that extra retro feel. For each of the 1,000 levels – yes, that number is indeed correct – you’ll be working on defeating all enemies as you try to avoid coming into contact with them or the hazards in each of the mazes, all while collecting power-ups to aid you on your journey. You can get a lightning bolt that will double your speed for 10 seconds, increase the fire field length of each explosion, get extra dynamite to place, add an extra life to your count, gain full invulnerability for 10 seconds, and more.

Kaboomania is a fast-paced retro-style maze bomber with colorful pixel art that pays homage to classic arcade releases from ages past. It takes us on an adventure through a 120-color-pixel-world with large maps and plenty of enemies ready to try and put a stop to your single-player campaign run… or, you know, you can also have up to four players trying to outsmart and outbomb each other, thanks to the local multiplayer option. The action is complemented by a brand-new soundtrack crafted by legendary composer Chris Hülsbeck.

As you can tell from the trailer and screens in this Kaboomania review, the game has been inspired by the game from which all other games draw their main gameplay mechanics and premise: the original Bomber Man from 1983. That classic from Hudson Soft was the first in the long-running and beloved series – now known as Bomberman -, and it has spawned many games with similar experiences. Kaboomania is out on Nintendo Switch with a $9.99 price tag.

Disclaimer
This Kaboomania review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Fancy Factory.