Bombshell Reviews

3D Realms’ Bombshell has finally been released last weekend, but judging by the wave of reviews it has received so far, it won’t be remembered as a return to the company’s former glory. If anything, the message is quite loud and clear: avoid this title. Bombshell is described as “buggy”, “unfinished”, “bland” and “crude”, and very few publications have given it even a passing grade.

PC Gamer, 30/100.

The more I think about it, the more Bombshell just doesn’t feel finished. Several levels feature long, wandering sections with no enemies in sight. Graphics are muddy and blurry, even at the highest settings. On my GTX 970, the in-game cutscenes stuttered and I saw a lot of screen tearing. A couple of times, I saw enemies fall through the floor and die. Once, I fell through the floor and died.

There’s not much I can point to as a recommendation for Bombshell. For crude humor and bombastic sci-fi schlock, look to Saints Row 4. For the brain-tickling feedback loops of great ARPGs, look to Torchlight or Victor Vran. Look anywhere, basically, but here.

GameSpot, 2/10.

I don’t like being disrespected–and I doubt you do, either. And yet it’s reasonable to feel that way when playing a buggy, bland game with some of the worst writing you’re likely to hear in some time. It doesn’t make a bad first impression, but that’s how it fools you: it shows you the Bombshell that could have been, only to disappoint you by becoming the bomb it soon becomes.

IGN, 6.9/10.

Bombshell is a fast-paced, energetic, deliberately absurd action shooter that’s mostly competent at everything it tries to do. Stunningly crafted, downright epic environments and tight, responsive gamepad controls steal the show. But it certainly doesn’t pull off anything innovative or revolutionary, and the whole experience is dragged down by spiky difficulty, half-baked RPG mechanics, and poorly constructed (though varied) boss battles.

Ars Technica, scoreless.

Bombshell is much too thin to support the amount of game its developers have built (though not that it’s even that long to begin with). There are bright spots. The shooting itself has a pleasant impact to it, at least in very short bursts. Shelly and Amiga have, if not outright chemistry, at least an amiability that felt endearing. All the more shame then when their camaraderie comes to an abrupt and unsatisfying halt.

None of this remotely makes up for the rest of Bombshell, however. The other 95 percent is still a bog-standard, top-down shooter (whatever that means in 2016) and not a very sturdy one at that.

Destructoid, 2.5/10.

Every once in a while, during a taut firefight that actually necessitates mixing and matching weapons (the shotgun alt fire, a stun gun, is possibly too useful), there are glimpses of a solid shooter let down by everything else around it. As it stands, playing Bombshell for more than an hour at a time is like ingesting a sedative, save for flashes of rage as you fall through the map one more time or are asked to find six more crystals.

PCWorld, 1.5/5.

That’s it. Bombshell isn’t that great to begin with, but the bugs are really killing any remaining desire I have to see it through, so after six hours I’m throwing in the towel.

HardcoreGamer, 2/5.

To put it bluntly, Bombshell is a dud. What once began as something that had potential to become a so-stupid-it’s-awesome classic ended up being merely.well, it isn’t even really that stupid as a whole, just dull. It may have the basics for a decent old-school shooter lurking at its core, but unfortunately all of that is then covered by multiple layers of shoddily-designed gameplay consisting of failures to provide a consistent challenge, tedious enemy encounters, bland story and environments, and severely botched attempts at both humor and attitude. So unless Serious Sam can make a comeback and Lo Wang’s next outing is a darn good one indeed, any future plans for late ’90s action game revivals should be put to bed for the time being.

GameWatcher, 4.5/10.

Bombshell isn’t the worst game I’ve ever played, but it’s among the most dull and uninteresting. From its cheesy, late-90s alien blasting plot to its absolutely repetitive action, it’s tough to pull out any redeeming qualities. Even assuming its bevy of technical issues get ironed out, this one still isn’t worth your time.

EGMnow, 2.5/10.

Overall, *SHIELD ACTIVATED* Bombshell is not just *SHIELD ACTIVATED* a bad game due to poor plot, *SHIELD ACTIVATED* poor design *SHIELD ACTIVATED* choices, or *SHIELD ACTIVATED* even personal *SHIELD ACTI*SHIELD ACTIVATED* pref*SHIELD ACTIVATED*erences it’s just a bad game.

GamerHolics, scoreless.

In all honesty it’s hard for me to whole-heatedly recommend Bombshell. The $30 price tag may help you overlook some of the game’s flaws, but those flaws are still there. The game suffers from a lack of polish that would have made the game more enjoyable, memorable, and less frustrating. If you’re looking for a somewhat competent action-RPG and can appreciate the campy story, then perhaps Bombshell is worth a look, otherwise you may be better off playing Diablo III and watching a Dolph Lundgren joint.

Gameplanet New Zealand, 4.5/10.

Just as developers don’t go into a project looking for failure, no critic or player wants a game to disappoint. I think that both developers and players are optimists, wanting every game to be at the very least an enjoyable diversion, and maybe more. Some games are cynical cash-grabs; some are technically or artistically inept in one way or another; but few products fail in as many ways as Bombshell. For a game that was promised to be about a saucy, wisecracking female version of Duke Nukem, Bombshell is dull and broken, and definitely not worth your time or money.

Brash Games, 7/10.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Bombshell, although a little frustrating at times. I’m a big fan of games like Diablo, and this certainly has that sort of feel to it. The story is weak, but the gameplay is fun. There’s items to collect, multiple abilities and upgrades and there’s also a New Game + mode. I would recommend this game if you enjoy games that involve shooting, levelling and finding new gear.

MMORPG.com, 5.8/10.

Bombshell has a lot of potential that has not been fully realized in its current iteration. A game with a female protagonist, not as a choice but as the defacto character, is a breath of fresh air. As with Duke Nukem, Shelly has some laugh-out-loud commentary and some that is just goofy bad. There is a good game inside, at least in theory if not execution. Between the generic story and the absolutely awful control system regardless of platform, Bombshell is going to go the way of many games that did not live up to potential. Hopefully, developers hear what will doubtless be said and make some alterations that will give Bombshell a second life down the road.

As much as I wanted to love Bombshell, and in some ways do despite its flaws, I cannot recommend the game in its current state.

CGMagazine, 2/10.

The developers included a list of known issues along with our review code saying they are preparing a day one patch to address them, this along with all the glitches I experienced shows they rushed this out. Why? I have no idea, and it is all the more perplexing when you consider the game had already been delayed once. If Bombshell had some more time in the proverbial game development oven, had the best third of it carved out, and cost $10 it could have been a decent game. Whatever you do, don’t shell out your money for this bomb.

Softpedia, 5.5/10.

Bombshell is a relatively decent twin-stick shooter. It most certainly isn’t an action role-playing game, like its marketing claims. It’s also weighed down by its shoddy story delivery and by its tedious stages. Some players can have fun with it but, especially at its 35 USD/EUR, it’s not worth the investment.