The original Bomb Jack arcade game was a big hit at the time. It featured a screen with 20 bombs which had to be collected in a specific order if the player was to achieve the highest score. Players would play religiously attempting to find the best route around the baddies and get the perfect chain. Arcade perfection!
So now we come to Mighty Bomb Jack. Namco obviously took note of how well side-scrolling platform games such as Super Mario Bros were doing and decided to make their own. Fair play. The results are however less than great. Super Mario Bros featured tight platforming action and level design which cannot be said of this game. With the character being able to do crazy high jumps and glide about the dynamics of the platform game are broken somewhat. The baddies as with the original Bomb Jack game fly about in a almost random fashion. The key to success is anticipating how they will move in order to get past them without losing a live. Chests are found along the way giving you power-ups.
One good thing about this game is the secret rooms you can find which adds to replayability somewhat. You often stumble across a hidden key if you search about. No one can argue that Mighty Bomb Jack doesn't have a sense of humour either, you are only permitted to collect up to 9 coins per level, if you go over this limit then the message "You are greedy! Go to the torture room!" flashes up and you are punished to jump 49 times whilst avoiding the baddies swarming around you in order to escape. Are we having fun yet?
Being a massive fan of the original arcade game so when I first played this I had high hopes for it. In the translation to a platform game something just seems to be missing. It will keep you entertained for a while but this game is not in the same league as Super Mario Bros and Kirby's Adventure.
1. Kelvin
27 Apr 2007, 09:25 GMT
Yeah, I think I'd prefer the original. I played it for hours on my C64, the version that had that great music "borrowed" from elsewhere.
2. Cowmansr
30 Apr 2007, 16:46 GMT
"Bomb hungry caped super hero" eh? That's... weird. Check out the box art. It's pretty funny. I guess that explains the "crazy high jumps" and such though...
3. nephew77
09 May 2007, 03:31 GMT
I agree with Daz yet again. I actually appreciate the control scheme: your vertical jump can cover about half of the screen, and you can float in an almost horizontal line, but the monsters tend to try to corner you. The secrets save this one, but the repetition and banality of this title prevents me from giving more than a 2/5.
4. Billy Pilgrim
09 May 2007, 05:00 GMT
I never played the arcade game so I have nothing to judge on, but I was looking for something new and I really knew nothing of this title and I was not disapointed, it's provided me lots of excitement. I'm not one for new video games so when I come across an 8-bit gem like this I'm quite pleased. This is definately not as good as PunchOut, Zelda or Kirby but for Christ's sake it's a fun little arcade game and I don't know how this one escaped me as a kid.
5. SKTTR
11 Jun 2007, 10:04 GMT
Bomb Jack was a hit with my family and friends back in the 80ies. I've played the Arcade-port on C64. It was fun and still it IS fun!
After reading some bad reviews about Mighty Bomb Jack, I couldn't believe it and gave it a try.
I'm far away from disappointed. Controls are just perfect. The adventure-maze-part around the classic stages are vast and full of variety.
It has much more to it than the arcade version.
Only the graphics are a bit lacking.
Apart from that, I thinks it's a very unique platforming game
with controls and gameplay that I never found somewhere else.
I like it, got my 4 stars.
6. KhaoShar
02 Sep 2007, 20:14 GMT
I think I saw the original arcade game on my dad's C64. But i was like 6 years old or so back than. It would be good to get that original in here, maybe some day more systems are added to the VC, but for now I'll pass on this NES version.
7. learn japanese ds
10 Jan 2008, 01:42 GMT
Whoa, they punish you for being greedy? That is so weird. I wonder if it is a slight against mario?
8. StarSoldier1
22 Jan 2008, 17:13 GMT
This is a bomb alright!
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