BOMB: Who let the dogfight?

About

"Bomb" is a comedy simulation game available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers both single-player and multi-player modes, supporting up to 16 players, with an emphasis on fun and arcade-style dogfighting. The game features nine playable planes, four cockpits, and an epic storyline with 17 missions set in various environments. It also includes multiple multiplayer modes, joystick-focused gameplay, and experimental Oculus DK1 support.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 64 reviews

story9 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging dogfighting experience with varied missions and charming characters.
It has a unique art style and decent graphics, reminiscent of classic flight games like Crimson Skies.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made improvements since the game's release.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes and issues with controls, particularly for mouse users.
The flight physics and controls can feel unresponsive and frustrating, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay.
There are significant pacing issues in the campaign, with long mission lengths and a lack of checkpoints.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
10%
The game's story is described as a mix of humor and charm, with witty dialogue and an interesting backstory reminiscent of classic titles like Crimson Skies. While the campaign features varied missions that include ground attacks and dogfights, some players find the pacing uneven and the overall narrative lacking depth. Despite some technical issues and a few tedious gameplay moments, the missions are generally enjoyable and provide a fun, arcade-style experience.
- “Yes, Crimson Skies' backstory is pretty interesting, as are the characters, and the dialogues are witty.”
- “The dialogue that strings the missions together is funny, brief, and to the point.”
- “The storyline gives a bit of background to the fuss and although not perfect, it does the job reasonably well.”
- “The missions feel totally unneeded.”
- “But after the fourth time I had to reload one of the first few missions because of gameplay bugs, I gave up.”
- “Clumsy campaign story representation (at least in English).”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
14%
21%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and artistic design, with many users appreciating the retro aesthetic and vibrant environments. While some note that the visuals may feel dated compared to modern standards, they still find them functional and appealing, particularly in the context of engaging gameplay. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's charm and immersive experience.
- “The graphics are pretty, the comments make me laugh, and the dogfights are fun and not that difficult, but you have to get a bit equipped to take full advantage of the game; a joystick, even a cheap one, is quite compulsory, and a TrackIR is nice to have to follow enemy paths.”
- “The gameplay, graphics, and artistic stylization are unmatched in any early access game I have seen.”
- “If you still have issues, lower your graphics settings.”
- “But the graphics are neat - I love shooting at a plane low to the water and seeing my shots kick up spray.”
- “With the current graphics engine and development skills, if applied correctly, this is perhaps an outfit that can bring us the next iteration of Origin's Strike Commander (one can dream, right?).”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging flight action and accessible mechanics, making it a suitable introduction to flight simulators. While some players appreciate the imaginative design and responsive development, others have encountered frustrating bugs and repetitive mission structures. Overall, it offers a casual and fun-oriented experience, though it may lack the depth of more serious simulators.
- “It's a nice intro to flight sims, with a responsive dev team and straightforward gameplay.”
- “A very imaginative and streamlined take on a flight action game that doesn't overcomplicate itself so much that it's inaccessible, yet doesn't feel too mechanical and arcadey.”
- “The gameplay, graphics, and artistic stylization are unmatched in any early access game I have seen.”
- “One has to fight off wave after wave of opponents (like swarms of mosquitos) and when one fails at the end of the mission one is forced to replay the last 20 minutes of tedious gameplay!”
- “But after the fourth time I had to reload one of the first few missions because of gameplay bugs, I gave up.”
- “Although it might not be a 100% accurate sim experience, it is a nice break from the stress of DCS World/IL2 mechanics, and does not require an expensive TrackIR and joystick setup (although a joystick is recommended because mouse controls are a bit wonky right now).”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by brief, laugh-out-loud dialogue and a lighthearted, arcade-style story that adds charm to the campaign. While the characters and missions provide amusing moments, some players may not appreciate the cartoonish art style. Overall, it successfully blends humor with classic gameplay elements.
- “The dialogue that strings the missions together is funny, brief, and to the point.”
- “- laugh-out-loud funny dialogue and story.”
- “If you are looking for an old-school airplane game with humor - old-style airplanes, challenging air fights and various missions, then this game is for you!”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, freezes, and crashes, particularly during cut scenes and specific missions. Users have reported frustrating experiences with the game becoming unplayable at times due to these technical problems.
- “This pains me to do, but I feel I must warn everyone: the game has bugs, freezes, and crashes.”
- “It was fun, but once I started the mission 'Invasion,' the game freezes during the cut scenes.”
- “Forgot to review it, as it was so terrible; it's terribly buggy.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for its overall lack of polish, with users experiencing significant frame drops even during low-demand scenarios. While the development team is reportedly addressing these issues, many players feel that the game should perform better, especially on capable hardware.
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even in demanding scenarios.”
- “I was amazed at how well the game runs on lower-end hardware without sacrificing visual quality.”
- “The developers have done a fantastic job optimizing the game, ensuring a stable frame rate throughout.”
- “Overall lack of polish, between the GUI and lack of optimization.”
- “My only negatives are that mouse control and optimization could use some work (both are being worked on by the development team).”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with dogfights feeling monotonous as they cycle through waves of enemies. Failing missions results in frustratingly long replay times, further contributing to the overall sense of grind.
- “Unfortunately, the game falls short of expectations: the dogfights are tedious and repetitive, as players cycle endlessly until an enemy plane comes into view and then try to shoot it down.”
- “Players have to fight off wave after wave of opponents, like swarms of mosquitoes, and when they fail at the end of a mission, they are forced to replay the last 20 minutes of tedious gameplay.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game feels never-ending and monotonous, making it difficult to stay engaged.”