Review Information
Game Reviewed Bob-omb's Ice Game, by littlelum
Review Author Q-Nova
Created Jan 28 2019, 3:22 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
A Bob-omb from the Beanbean Kingdom has stolen a bunch of Yoshi eggs! I don't know if this is for the better or not, since on one hand the Yoshis might go toss them at something, but on the other hand this Bob-omb is also abusing the eggs, but in a different way: playing pool with them. I have no idea why would this Bob-omb do such a horrible thing to the eggs, but I guess they want to play pool but couldn't do it the way we do, because Bob-ombs normally DON'T have hands!

This game, which is apparently named Bob-omb's Ice Game, is littlelum's entry for a Minigame Competition that is about Bob-ombs and their trademark explosions. Bob-omb's Ice Game placed second and an updated version of the game was released here, on the main site. To come think about it, this is the second time in a row that I reviewed an updated version of a Minigame Competition entry!

So, there's not really much else to say about this game on the surface, so let's get on our ice skates and save the eggs, I MEAN play with the Bob-omb and review the game!

Fun fact: This game made me realize that Bob-ombs aren't spelled as Bob-Ombs (which is how I've spelled them for years).
 
Pros +Unusual gameplay
+Small file size
+Good music
 
Cons -Lackluster graphics
-Odd controls
-Only a few sound effects
-Very unpolished
-Only one level
 
Impressions
Gameplay
3 / 10
The gameplay is pretty much what the description states: you play pool, except that the stick is a Bob-omb and the balls are Yoshi eggs. The Bob-omb builds up speed and can go KA-BOOM to make the eggs fly all over the icy field! Wait, won't that break the eggs? Oh, they seem unaffected. Hm, are these actually eggs? What if the Yoshis tricked the Bob-omb by leaving rocks that are painted like Yoshi eggs!?

Uh, theories aside, the eggs can be shot in many different directions, depending on where the exploding Bob-omb and eggs are at. The Bob-omb's goal is to get all the eggs into those... holes with as few explosions as possible. Once you do that, everything repeats. The Bob-omb gets to keep sliding around the field and blast those eggs away over and over until you put your finger on the little Esc key.

Bob-omb's Ice Game plays in a rather unusual way; I mean, it's definitely not a SMB3 clone. Does it play well, though? Eh, I think it could use some work. The Bob-omb's speed is built up by mashing the arrow keys (no, my keyboard isn't broken or anything, that's how you literally move the Bob-omb), which feels rather clunky at first. It doesn't feel so bad later on, but I think it would feel more fluent if you can just hold the arrow keys. Getting the eggs to the holes is tricky, but I suppose it's not too frustrating and I can't think of any way to improve that aspect.

Aside from the controls, I think Bob-omb's Ice Game would have a lot of benefit if there was more to do. Right now, you only have one basic level. No extra levels, no difficulties to choose from, no customization, just one level. The game feels more like a prototype than anything, which is kinda disappointing when you consider that this is supposed to be an updated version. In fact, to be honest, nothing seems to have changed from the previous version. littlelum did say that the collision detection was modified, but it seems to be very minor, if noticeable at all.
 
Graphics
3 / 10
Hey look! It's the Bob-omb and Yoshi eggs from Superstar Saga, in a... ice hockey field? What I'm saying is that we have GBA graphics running and sliding on a very simplistic field, one that looks like it's made of placeholder graphics. The "ice" is just a single color, with not even any shines, and the "holes" look more like censor bars (the Bob-omb can even appear to go under them). Aside from the field, the title screen is really barren, with nothing but 8-bit text that tells you how to get help or play, not even a logo is seen.

While the Bob-omb itself looks nice, it would've been nice if it had frames for going up and down rather than have it move sideways like a Sidestepper. It would also look better if the explosion wasn't just one image.

In other words, while there's a bit of charm and it's not really an eye-sore, Bob-omb's Ice Game looks very unpolished. It seemed like not much time and effort was spent on the graphics department.
 
Sound
7 / 10
Ah, the snow music from Super Mario 64! You can't go wrong with this song, especially when it sounds rather good in this game! For sound effects, we have the Bob-omb's "BAM", the eggs' "CLUNK", the holes' "GLUM", and... that's it. Bob-omb's Ice Game can really use some extra sound effects; there can be a sound for the Bob-omb running into the walls and another one for the moment all of the eggs are in the holes.

I think the title screen can also use some audio too; music and a sound for starting the game would be nice. There's not really much else to say about this part of the game.
 
Replay
1 / 10
As I stated in the gameplay section, Bob-omb's Ice Game is just one basic level. There are no extras in the game and the gameplay has some issues, so there's not really much of a reason to come back to this once you've gotten all those eggs down. Maybe if extras WERE added, such as a high score system for explosions (really, that would really work so well), and some problems were fixed, this game would have more of a lasting appeal.
 
Final Words
3 / 10
Bob-omb's Ice Game sounds rather unique, but it has slipped in a few big areas to be worth your time.

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