Bombuzal

Image Works

Company type	Video game publisher
Industry	Video games
Founded	1980s
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Bombuzal

Bombuzal is a puzzle video game created by Antony Crowther (under the pseudonym "Ratt") and David Bishop for Image Works. Initially launched in 1988 on the Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64, it later became available for MS-DOS in 1989 and for the Japanese market on the Super Famicom in December 1990. The North American release of the SNES version occurred in August 1992, retitled as Ka-Blooey.

This title led to a follow-up/remake called Charlie Blast's Territory for the Nintendo 64, distinguished by its ability to toggle between overhead and isometric perspectives.

In July 2021, the Super NES edition was reissued through the Nintendo Classics collection for the Nintendo Switch platform.

Gameplay

The objective spans 130 levels where players must eliminate all bombs. The player character ignites bombs by standing directly on them and can only move one tile away before they explode. Bombs positioned on Rail tiles are movable, with their size influencing strategy—only the smallest bombs can be safely ignited without triggering harm. Most stages demand setting off chain reactions to survive. Each bomb type has a defined blast radius: small bombs destroy their own tile and affect adjacent bombs one tile away, whereas large bombs impact an area covering 13 tiles with broader effect zones.

Level layouts include contributions from notable developers such as Jon Ritman, Andrew Braybrook, Geoff Crammond, and Jeff Minter.

Two adversaries named Sinister and Dexter patrol each stage—Sinister consistently turns left while Dexter always turns right. Neither enemy actively chases the player, but contact results in instant defeat.

Reception

Critics offered varied opinions; Zzap!64 awarded high scores of 97% for the C64 version and 92% for the Amiga edition, commending its addictive puzzle mechanics and attractive visuals. Conversely, Commodore User gave it a low rating of 49%, citing issues with gameplay, graphics, and controls.

The game was published by Spotlight Software and distributed by Cinemaware as part of the BrainBlaster compilation for Amiga, alongside Xenon 2. This collection received a perfect 5-star rating in Dragon magazine's 1991 review.

Furthermore, the Amiga iteration of Bombuzal was included as a fully playable title on the cover disk of the inaugural issue of Amiga Power magazine.

External links

• PC remake featuring 3D graphics