I grew up playing a batch of old, low budget Game Boy games, and one of them was a port of an old Tecmo arcade game called Bomb Jack. Despite the name, Bomb Jack wasn’t like Bomberman; instead of placing bombs to kill enemies, all you needed to do was collect bombs scattered on a small screen, all while avoiding enemies. I can’t say it was the most enticing of games, but due to the lack of games at my disposal back then, I have a soft spot for it. I played that game a lot. You might wonder why I’m talking about a random Tecmo game from 1984 at the start of this review, and the reason is simple: EastAsiaSoft’s brand new title, Super Jagger Bomb, is literally just another Bomb Jack, with nothing new added to the mix.

Well, “nothing new” might be a bit harsh, as the biggest “innovation” featured in this title is its visuals. It’s fully polygonal, resembling one of those downloadable PSN games from back in the PS3 era, all while maintaining a somewhat steady framerate. It’s not very impressive. Sure, it looks cute at first, especially if you have any morsel of nostalgia towards Bomb Jack, but the visuals do get tiresome after a while, all due to one issue also featured on the original game: lack of background variety. After the fifth round, the background loops back to the first one. Five different backgrounds is all you’re getting in Super Jagger Bomb. And a chiptune soundtrack. A bland one at that.

You’re also getting the same gameplay loop, and the same power-ups, including one that momentarily transforms enemies in coins, the only way you can defend yourself against them. Still, somehow, Super Jagger Bomb feels worse to play than the original Bomb Jack, and that’s all due to its physics. Shockingly enough, the controls aren’t very good, all due to a slippery momentum mechanic added to your character’s movement. You never feel like you’re in complete control of your unpowered superhero’s movement. At first, that’s not an issue, as the bombs are easy to collect and levels aren’t too cramped. Once you play a few dozen rounds, however, Super Jagger Bomb becomes an exercise in patience.

In short (because there’s actually very little to talk about in this case), Super Jagger Bomb is just Bomb Jack with an average-at-best polygonal coat of paint. It plays just like a nearly forty year old game, with little to no interesting gameplay elements added to the mix. You might want to grab it if you have some sort of nostalgic feelings towards that Tecmo cult classic, but at the same time, if you do, the original Bomb Jack is available on the Switch eShop. You probably own it already. Super Jagger Bomb isn’t terrible, just somewhat forgettable, with little to no appealing elements to make it stand out from the myriad of budget titles available on the Switch.

 

Graphics: 5.5 It’s the same presentation from Bomb Jack, but polygonal. It looks like a downloadable PS3 title at best. Cute at first, but tiresome after a while, since there are very few backgrounds.	Gameplay: 5.5 Shockingly enough, the controls aren’t very good, all due to a slippery momentum mechanic added to your character’s movement.
Sound: 5.5 Super Jagger Bomb features a passable chiptune soundtrack and a handful of cheap sound effects. Nothing exciting, albeit not terrible either.	Fun Factor: 5.5 It’s fun for a few minutes at a time. It brings absolutely new to the table, so if you have already played Bomb Jack in the past, you know what to expect. If you haven’t, I doubt Super Jagger Bomb will entice you for long.
Final Verdict: 5.5

Super Jagger Bomb is available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Super Jagger Bomb was provided by the publisher.