There are a couple of different ways to build a mine, such as the typical underground tunnels that chase wherever the veins may lead or the ecological nightmare of strip mining. The tools for the job range from handheld picks to various types of excavation machinery, up to and including the behemothBagger 2xx machines, all with the purpose of moving dirt and rocks away from the shiny ores found in the heart of the earth. This is mining for humans, though, and the dwarves have different ideas. The best way to go underground, as it turns out, is with a gyrocopter featuring a high-powered machinegun drill.
Have subterranean airship, will travel
The dwarves want what dwarves always want, which is gold and gems, but inBore Blastersthey’ve not only got a heap of monsters unhappy about having their domain intruded upon, but also a hostile faction of goblins standing in their way. This would be a problem if the airship’s weapon was picky about being used only for mining, but it’s just as happy to blast through bats, goblins and flying eyeball monsters as it is to destroy the blocks of earth. Dirt and stone are hard, after all, while goblins are soft and squishy even when flying in their own aircraft. There’s still a lot of them, and it’s cramped underground until the dwarves' ship gets a few good upgrades, so even though most enemies go down quickly, they can still sneak in a few good hits on the journey to the bottom of the mine.
Each level is set up roughly the same way. Starting above the surface, the gyrocopter blasts the ground twin-stick style as the dirt blocks give way and carve out the beginnings of a tunnel. The goal is to get as much in the way of gold and gems as possible, with the valuable resources clearly marked in bright, glowing colors. Each gem adds a bit to the experience bar, and when full you get the standard survivors-style choice of one of three options. Bullets per second, shot power, a variety of sub-weapons and various effects are all available, with new options being added every few levels. The play area is several screens wide with its resources randomized, but each new level is a series of different biomes and those come in a set order. At the bottom of the level is a giant treasure chest, and once you get to bedrock a helpful arrow points you towards it so you may fly there as fast as possible before the fuel gauge empties.
While dealing with enemies and other hazards will probably result in a few deaths here and there, the biggest killer inBore Blastersis the fuel gauge. Initially starting off with only a few minutes before it hits empty, it can be upgraded several times, but will never be more than just barely enough to reach the end of the longest levels. Fuel tanks show up now and then in the level, adding more time to the run, but as a rule these are a nice bonus if you happen to find them rather than anything you have time to seek out. Without any way of knowing how deep a level is or how close you are to the final section, there’s always pressure to run straight down with only a little exploration when a larger gem deposit is visible to the side.
This also leads to only one of the three selectable characters being useful, with the other two having useful and interesting secondary weapons that simply don’t pay out enough to clear the longer mines at speed. The secondary ability recharges at a set pace and should be used as often as possible, but while Gunnar turns into a high-speed indestructible battering ram and Ragnhild fires an earth-clearing barrage of missiles, Jarl has a beam that turns all dirt within a decent range to low-quality, brittle gems. The thing about gems is that each one not only adds its value to the level’s total cash payout, it also increases the experience bar a set amount. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-point cheap gem or four hundred point gleaming jewel of unreasonable value, as far as the experience gauge is concerned it’s all the same. That means Jarl gets more levels, more levels equals more chances to create the optimal build, and that means tearing through the level at the required speed only feels practical with the one character. There does need to be some kind of pressure mechanic to keep the player moving forward rather than mindlessly drilling for ore, but the tight time limit coupled with the lack of information on level size and distance to the goal (other than dying a few times to get a sense of things) means always choosing the strongest character and always rushing forward.
While being eternally rushed by the fuel gauge is a major issue, it’s reallyBore Blasters' only stumbling point. The rest is pure satisfying destruction of everything that moves and the earth and minerals that stay perfectly still until bombs and bullets disintegrate them. A good run is a constant stream of firepower pummeling the enemies while chain explosions carve out caverns ahead of your descent. While the power-ups earned each level are random, it doesn’t take long to learn which are the must-haves and which are optional, such as “gems explode into projectiles when they break” and the ones that make all projectiles either bounce or explode, both of which stack with the gem-break ability. Maybe toss in exploding enemies as well, which does an amazing job of clearing out the fly-infested biome as the chain reaction rumbles away off screen. The crunchy impact of constant destruction punctuated by ongoing screen-shake and the ringing of collected gems makes for an engaging ride to the goal that’s easy to start again with the next level.
Closing Comments:
Bore Blastersmay have one rough edge in terms of its time limit, but the rest of the game is a solid blaster through a large series of fully-destructible levels backed by a pounding soundtrack. Each biome has its own hazards, like growing blocks that can regenerate right in your path, or lava blocks shooting fireballs, and all the firepower in the world isn’t going to be a substitute for paying attention to the level hazards. Even a failedBore Blastersrun is a lot of fun packed with satisfyingly-explosive moments, but there would be a lot more them if there was time to amble to the end rather than sprint.
Bore Blasters
Version Reviewed: PC
