A few years ago, I reviewed a game called Super Jagger Bomb that was a near carbon copy of an obscure arcade game called Bomb Jack.  It was such a blatant rip off that I was surprised Tecmo (makers of Bomb Jack), didn’t sue.  Well now the makers of that first game have the gall to release a sequel!  In Super Jagger Bomb 2, you play as a super hero who must collect all the bombs in single screen stages while avoiding enemies.  The sequel adds a few new things, but it’s more or less the same game.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

The main game has over 50 rounds.  You can continue, but only if you get to round 31!  Your super hero can jump very high, and if you press the jump button repeatedly in the air, you can glide down for a limited time.  They added a few new moves in the sequel.  If you press down while in the air, not only will you fall down fast, you’ll also crash through any breakable walls.  And if you are on the ground and jump while pressing down, you’ll be able to break walls above you, too.  You complete a stage when you collect all the bombs on screen, but you can get bonus points if you collect the ignited bombs first.  One thing I like better here than in Bomb Jack is that before the stage starts, they even show a path to take to best collect all the lit bombs.  If you hit an enemy you lose a life, and when you lose them all, it’s Game Over.  There are two types of power-ups: coins that give you points, and bouncing balls that turn all the enemies into coins when you touch it.

Some other new things they added in the main are bonus stages where you fall down a canyon collecting bombs along the way.  I guess the “Go East” subtitle in the sequel refers to the stage backgrounds, which have a more eastern setting.  They also sometimes have “rainy stages,” but I really didn’t notice anything different with those.  Aside from the main game, you can also practice stages you’ve beaten, and attempt to earn a “Flight License.”  This is a set of nine stages that kind of act as a tutorial.  But if you can complete them all perfectly, you can unlock a female hero to play as.  But it’s harder than it sounds because you have to make a near perfect run on all the levels.  I couldn’t do it anyway.  Which is a shame because I would’ve liked to have played as that character.  They could’ve even added her as a two player co-op character like in Bomb Jack Twin.

Even though there are some new additions in the sequel, I don’t think they really improved anything.  Controls still feel a bit loose, the 3-D backgrounds are still lifeless, and I’d just rather play the original arcade Bomb Jack instead.  I wish Tecmo would’ve made a Bomb Jack update instead of a company making a rip off.  Or maybe Tecmo could make a collection of their own Bomb Jack classics (Bomb Jack in arcades, Mighty Bomb Jack on NES, and Bomb Jack Twin in Japan).

Kid Factor:

Super Jagger Bomb 2: Go East is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence.  If you get hit by an enemy, you just fall to the ground and lie there and that’s it.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews