Bomb Jack
Developed by:
Tehkan Ltd.
Tecmo was founded on July 31st 1967 in Japan, initially as a supplier of cleaning equipment. In the field of electronic games, the company has been focusing on the arcades throughout much of its history. Tecmo is known for Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, Fatal Frame, and other series.
Multiplayer:
Split screen
Platform:
Rated:
1 x
Current rating:
Your rating:
Not rated -
login
- and rate
Uploaded by:
Anonymous
External links:
Description
Bomb Jack (1984) is a legendary, fast-paced arcade platformer originally created by the Japanese developer Tehkan Ltd.
While the smash-hit arcade cabinet debuted in 1984, home computer ports rolled out over the following years. The official MS-DOS version was
ported and released a bit later in 1988 (published in the West by companies like Elite Systems and Infogrames). It remains a masterclass in
risk-and-reward score chasing.
You control "Jack," a caped superhero who can leap incredibly high and float slowly through the air. Your task is simple: clear the screen
of 24 bombs scattered across famous tourist backdrops (like the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Neuschwanstein Castle, and the Athens Acropolis).
While you can just collect the bombs randomly to finish a level, doing so leaves massive amounts of points on the table. The game is entirely
designed around a brilliant fuse-lighting system:
- The Multiplier Chain: At any given time, one specific bomb on the screen will have a lit, flickering fuse. If you collect the lit bomb,
another bomb’s fuse catches fire.
- The Perfect Bonus: If you collect 20 or more lit bombs in a single level sequentially, you earn a massive "Perfect" score bonus. If you mess
up and grab a cold bomb, the chain breaks. Jack floating through the air to collect lit fuses over the Egyptian pyramids.
As you try to plot the perfect path across the screen, a variety of clockwork enemies spawn (like mechanical birds, mummies, and balls of
energy). They drop down from the top or track your position along the platforms. To survive, you have to utilize the floating mechanics and
look out for the "P" (Power) coin that periodically appears:
When you collect the "P" coin, all active enemies instantly freeze and turn into helpless, edible gold faces. This temporarily flips the game
into a Pac-Man style frenzy where you can hunt down the frozen enemies for immense bonus points before they break free.
Other coins drop too, like "B" (Bonus) coins which multiply your score for the rest of the stage, and "E" (Extra) coins which award an extra
life.
More games from the same developer
Comments