Kaboom!

• Release Date: July 01, 1981
• Genre: Action
• Style: 2D Action
• Similar Games: Breakout (Commodore 64/128), Breakout (Atari Video Computer System), Super Breakout (Atari Video Computer System), Breakout (Arcade), Super Breakout (Arcade), Super Breakout (Game Boy Color), Super Breakout (Atari 5200), Breakout (PlayStation)

Game Description

In Kaboom! a devious criminal named the Mad Bomber moves back and forth along a ledge dropping bombs. Your goal is to catch them using three buckets of water, each stacked in a vertical line. For every missed bomb, you'll lose one bucket of water; lose all three and the game ends.

While players can replenish lost buckets after scoring 1,000 points, only a maximum of three are allowed at any given time. As you continue to successfully catch bombs, the Mad Bomber will move faster and faster and start to vary his patterns. Eight waves of bombs will continue one after another until you either explode from the pressure or score 999,999 points. For a real challenge, set both difficulty switches to the "A" setting and try to catch bombs using half-size buckets.

Review: Overall

Kaboom! is a good reason to dust off the Atari 2600 and paddles and finally see just how good your reflexes are. The object is mind-numbingly simple: Catch falling bombs by spinning your paddle left or right. The levels become increasingly faster until you are spinning so quickly that your buckets will phase in and out of view! Catching bombs quickly becomes a knee-jerk response -- when the Mad Bomber moves, you move. He'll change his pattern every now and then to keep you honest, but you won't care. You've got him under control.

Or do you? What makes Kaboom! so addictive is that it's incredibly hard to master. The first few levels are almost too slow, teasing you into thinking that you're better than you really are. Then the pace quickens until the Mad Bomber ultimately prevails. You'll say to yourself: "If I only moved one second faster, I would've made it." Then you'll take one glance at the smiling felon and convince yourself to try again.

It's surprising to think how many times you'll play over and over again, even after you realize the game never changes. There's no two-player simultaneous option, there aren't any power-ups or changing scenery, and the game is little more than a glorified test of hand-eye coordination. Yet it works.

Kaboom! is one of those games that you'll put away for awhile, pick up every now and then, and play for hours at a time. It's a blast!

Review: Enjoyment

The game is a bit simplistic and will bore some people with its emphasis on having quick reflexes. Still, it's a hard game to put down!

Review: Graphics

The Mad Bomber wears a striped prison uniform with a black mask. Now why bother wearing a mask when you have prison clothing on? The Bomber changes his expression whenever he wins: his frown is turned upside down!

Review: Sound

The explosions and splashes sound very nice.

Review: Replay Value

Each level is made up of waves. The first wave consists of ten bombs, the second has twenty, the third has thirty and so forth. The six, seventh and eighth waves consist of 75, 100 and 150 bombs, respectively. Once you complete the eighth wave, the game will repeat it over and over again until you die or reach the maximum score.

Review: Documentation

Designer {$Larry Kaplan} provides some tips and strategy. The instructions explain everything clearly.

Production Credits

Kaboom Box