Release Date: 1981
Publisher: Activision
Controller: Paddles
Players: 1 – 2
Genre: Arcade
Alternate Title: N/A
Model #: AX-010
Rarity: 2
Programmer: Larry Kaplan
This is one of the very few must own games if you had the paddle controllers.
Grab your water buckets because itโs time to face off against the Mad Bomber. This masked jailbird has reached his breaking point and is ready to unleash the full fury of his arsenal upon you. Perched atop his wall, he will throw bomb after bomb at you, and the only way to prevent them from detonating is to catch them.
The gameplay starts out at a leisurely pace, giving you a little time to get accustomed to the controls. Only ten slow moving explosives are thrown in your direction, making the task at hand simple. This goodwill on behalf of the criminal mastermind is short-lived however, as by round three you will be scrambling to prevent death and destruction.
By the forth or fifth wave a constant stream of munitions descend upon you, not only at a rapid pace but also all over the map. This is the point where most players go from being calm and calculating to employing a strategy turning the paddle controller as fast as they can back and forth and praying that everything is captured. For the most part this isnโt a terrible strategy, at least until you lose one of your buckets.
When a bomb reaches the ground it explodes with such force that it destroys the lowest water bucket you have remaining. This adds a lot of pressure since it gives you less time to catch the explosives. For most players, losing the bottom two buckets results in the controller being set down and letting your inevitable death take place.
Despite itโs simplicity, Kaboom! is one of the defining games on the 2600. The action is fast paced, challenging, and incredibly addictive. It really should be checked out by everyone.
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