Bombshell Review (PC)

*For this review we are covering the game on the PC*

Whenever we hear the name 3D Realms, we usually listen. Bombshell is the latest game published by the once super giant in all of gaming. Starting out from scratch again in their earlier years. A new team of developers from Interceptor Entertainment have put together Bombshell as a love song to all fans who loved Duke Nukem. Or at least the one liner side of it. Usually known for their first person shooters, they now decided to apply a fresh coat of twin stick shooter paint. Having a vibe of old school believe it or not with a good collection of upgrade-able weaponry and skills to boot. But the game itself is not quite a complete RPG.

The story plot is broken down to a rescue mission. You are Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, an ex-colonel for the Global Defense Force, or the GDF. Her career is abruptly brought to an end after an event titled “the Washington Incident”, which caused her to lose her arm and her team. Shelly is then offered a new contract by a private military contractor and offered a second chance and a new mechanical arm. This of course brings you into the past of a old “friend” called Jadus Heskel. They are not what you would call friends of benefits here. You are sent in to stop him from doing nasty things to the madam president. Heskel himself reminds me off the old villain from Duke Nukem. You know.. that Dr. Proton guy. Perhaps past your time.

Ironically back in 2014 this game was supposed to be called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. But due to Gearbox flipping a table in the form of a lawsuit. They had to recall the idea and change around the main character into Shelly. The younger step-sister to the foul mouthed veteran of the gaming industry. So ping ponging back between dialog, and the overall big picture of the game. It makes a lot of sense why some of the story itself felt off. For most things action you generally only need a footnote of what the heck is going on and just pointed to the right direction where your bullets, or rockets need to land. The game itself however exposes its weakness within the actual story. I can see why it felt so weird and out of place within it self at the same time. Think about it. Have a clear cut script and scenario planned for another character then bluntly you are have to had to cease operations to proceed with that idea last minute. Wouldn’t that suck? Some things from the game felt redeemable out of the wreckage/repackage. Whichever you see this outcome as. The main protagonist for one was funny at points and made sense within the game. Everything else round her felt just awkward. They have a solid character. That is a given. Shelly is a good replacement with the concept of we will perhaps never see a game with Duke Nukem with 3D Realms behind the helm again. In a first person/third person shooter? Perhaps. Or even a Metroid-vania kind of good with the same style of game play we have in front of us here. The game now sort of feels that way already. With the requirement of finding new toys of destruction.

 Gameplay is pretty darn fun looking past the lacking story plot. Enemies aggressively come at you guns, poisonous acid, and rockets a blazing. The game spans across 3 different alien locations all looking freaking menacing and pretty at the same time. You can hop shoot and explore most of these pretty large locations all leading down to a end zone boss that well… Let me explain. The rest of the game itself offers a good challenge. The bosses themselves just felt like bullet sponges. although all pretty awesome in design. I would sit there for a while just tagging the big mofos’ with tons of bullets hoping I did not run out of ammo during the process. It was a bumper. The ending boss on the other hand, that thing can go to hell with that bullet hell stuff. Haha!

As you kill enemies and or run over pots across the levels you can get exp, health replenishing orbs, and ammo for the assortment of guns you own. Over time you feel like you keep doing the same thing. Does it get boring? That is the big question. Dependent if you love arcade style games then this all the way to the end will keep your blood flowing.  Otherwise it will frustrate your brain into chaos.  Personally I love a good rumble into arcade themed games if executed correctly. I felt if this were a genuinely applied arcade game, it would have been done to the right cords. However it tries to be more a hybrid of Action -RPG. So For most this perhaps might be a annoyance.

In Closing:

Duke’s adopted little sister’s adventures in alien land has its perks. And downing tones to it. Its core game play is fun. Around that features fun to use weapons. Smooth controls, and visually stunning. On the flip side you are stuck with less then variant game play which if this was a arcade game it would have hit it home. The price tag of the game is more then suitable for the game. It is a game where if you do not mind a story of which is not its strongest suit then sure who skips cut-scenes you are one step closer to buying the game. It offers some cool moments like the third person rail shooting of hordes of enemies at once. Which at first was pretty fun, then shortly after was just there. Bombshell 1.5 or Bombshell 2 could learn from its hic-ups and perhaps be a game that no one will want to put down. Since Duke Nukem 3D came out it has been hard on the Dukester. We all get that. This game is more then fun, if you do not mind the repetitive style of game play here and there. The protagonist(Shelly) is very likable but needed a few more catch phrases after awhile that is for sure. The game lasted seven hours for us. It featured a kick ass sound track and visuals to boot. The Role-playing elements are simple but get the job done for folks who do not need to think too complicatedly. I liked the touch the makers provided with the item system for the collection of games she owns. You hear that no two guns at once crap!

So we would say this game is a passing grade for us. It needs some work for future releases but for now should keep Duke fans who want a Duke-like experience busy until Gearbox looses the IP.

Recommended:

If you love twin-stick shooters. Like trash talking heroines with a bad-ass chaingun arm. Do not mind a little repetitive game- play here and there.