Heckabomb

About

Heckabomb is a single player arcade shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Allicorn and was released on February 27, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Heckabomb" is a single-player Science Fiction Shooter game for Windows, with support for both controller and mouse+keys play. The game features a circular arena with varied levels, upgradeable stats, six additional weapons, and numerous enemies, including boss warships and an alien ace pilot. With a spectacular arcade soundtrack, the game offers campaign, survival, and hardcore modes, as well as online hiscores. You play as the Heckabomber, the only surviving weapon after your home planet's destruction by aliens.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews

music13 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Heckabomb features tight controls and full controller support, making it easy to pick up and play.
The game offers a nostalgic arcade experience with a variety of upgrades and a decent soundtrack.
It provides a fun challenge for fans of twin-stick shooters, with engaging gameplay that can be addictive in short bursts.

The gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, with a lack of meaningful progression and variety in levels.
Visual clarity is a significant issue, as enemy projectiles often blend into the busy backgrounds, leading to frustrating deaths.
The upgrade system is poorly designed, with consumable shields and unbalanced difficulty spikes that can make the game feel unfair.

music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
20%
15%
The music in the game receives consistent praise for its quality, with many users highlighting the enjoyable soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While some players encountered issues with sound settings, the majority found the music to be a standout feature, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack is described as great, with a mix of styles that resonate well with players.
- “The soundtrack rocks tho!”
- “Sweet oldschool game with great soundtrack 9/10”
- “It oozes style in every way (I adore the main menu with its shifting viewpoints of planets and suns!) from the graphic design to the excellent, pulse-pounding music.”
- “Then when entering the settings menu to turn down the extremely loud music, it just wouldn't do anything, so all in all the beginning of trying this game was awful, and it seemed as though the game was extremely buggy.”
- “Music / sound sliders don't work with keyboard and mouse.”
- “Music and sound are okay.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The gameplay is a mix of classic arcade elements reminiscent of titles like Asteroids, featuring simple controls and a dual-stick shooting mechanic that is easy to learn. However, it has been criticized for being repetitive and linear, with some players finding the mechanics frustrating due to issues like a broken aim system and poor checkpointing. Despite these flaws, the game offers a colorful visual experience and a rewarding skill tree that encourages extended play.
- “Challenging gameplay, good learning curve, skills, dual stick (Xbox 360 works perfect) left stick steer right stick shoot switchable for left handers, some classic gameplay like asteroids, Gyruss mixed with new elements + skill tree, demands for more game time here :)”
- “It's a top-down arena shooter, very arcade-like gameplay.”
- “Very colorful and vibrant gameplay makes this game easy to look at and enjoy.”
- “This is because this game's gameplay is so horrendous, I stopped playing after 10 minutes.”
- “I would recommend it, but the aim mechanic is so broken that it makes it extremely unfair to play, not to mention the horrendous checkpoint system for a game this difficult.”
- “But a great soundtrack does not make up for poor or lacking gameplay, as is the case here.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them decent but not particularly impressive, often comparing them to indie titles. While certain backgrounds can obscure important gameplay elements, others appreciate the visuals at higher resolutions and commend the overall style and design. Overall, the graphics are considered acceptable for the game's price, though they may not stand out in a crowded market.
- “Beautiful graphics.”
- “The graphics are surprisingly decent for the price of the game too.”
- “It oozes style in every way (I adore the main menu with its shifting viewpoints of planets and suns!) from the graphic design to the excellent, pulse-pounding music.”
- “For the graphics, my biggest issue is with some of the backgrounds, like the asteroid ones; it's visually difficult to see the real asteroids when they're mixed with the background asteroids.”
- “The graphics are decent, but the planet in the middle of some levels affects visibility, and the checkpoints aren't as helpful as they should be.”
- “More importantly though, the devs fell into a graphical trap that afflicts some space games. That same excitingly colored background, however, can camouflage enemy shots that you would like to avoid, unless the graphics are carefully managed to prevent this problem.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and presentation, with players noting that it feels non-existent or poorly developed. The narrative revolves around a grim premise of planetary destruction, but it fails to engage players, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience devoid of meaningful context or motivation. Overall, the absence of a compelling story detracts significantly from the game's appeal, leaving players feeling disconnected and bored.
- “The story (if any) is hilariously grim - your planet got destroyed (by what I assume the people/aliens spacecrafts you shoot) so now you go full on genocide mode, visiting every single planet that these poor bastards live in, and blowing the whole world up.”
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “I enjoyed playing casual, but the story mode is too difficult for me.”
- “The story (if any) is hilariously grim - your planet got destroyed (by what I assume are the people/aliens' spacecraft you shoot), so now you go full-on genocide mode, visiting every single planet that these poor bastards live on and blowing the whole world up.”
- “The story wasn't presented at all, so it just felt like I was placed next to a glowing ball shooting whatever for just resources.”
- “You don't have a story to entice you to stick around for the harder levels, and most of the upgrade purchases appear to be rather uninteresting, with a few exceptions.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The humor in the game is described as "hilariously grim," with a darkly comedic premise of planetary destruction and genocide. While some players find the absurdity of the gameplay amusing, others criticize the repetitive nature of the missions and lack of engaging controls, which detracts from the overall comedic experience.
- “The story is hilariously grim - your planet got destroyed, so now you go full-on genocide mode, visiting every single planet that these poor beings live on and blowing the whole world up.”
- “Heckabomb is a funny game and contains all the good elements of the arcade games of the genre.”
- “Exit game and go to the main menu, and the funny thing is you can't go to the main menu or turn off the game in between missions; you actually have to go to the next mission and then go to the main menu. It's amusing how the levels are structured, with one level being about shooting meteorites and salvaging money from them, and the next being about fighting enemies until you reach a planet to destroy it.”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
- “The attempts at humor are cringeworthy and miss the mark.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Players find that "Heckabomb" embodies the typical grinding experience, requiring significant effort to progress. While some skills can be learned, the presence of seemingly useless abilities may lead to a tedious grind for players.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “If you know what grinding games are like, that's exactly what Heckabomb is.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You can obviously learn which skills are useful, but some appear fairly useless, so this could get a bit grindy.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally find the game's replayability lacking, citing its repetitive nature and absence of meaningful incentives to play again.
- “It's just repetitive, and there's no real replay value to it.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a powerful emotional experience, often describing it as an "emotional damage simulator" that evokes a wide range of feelings, from laughter to tears. Moments of realization and high stakes contribute to its impactful storytelling, leaving players deeply moved.
- “My favorite emotional damage simulator.”
- “I laughed, I cried, I alt-tabbed.”
- “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to be quite unstable, with users experiencing numerous bugs, including issues with achievements and unresponsive settings. Additionally, the requirement for an internet connection for a simple game adds to the frustration, leading to an overall negative impression of its stability.
- “The game is extremely buggy, especially when trying to adjust the settings; the music was too loud and the options wouldn't respond.”
- “Buggy achievements make the experience frustrating.”
- “The game requires an internet connection for a simple asteroids clone, which adds to its instability.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported issues with the game's monetization strategy, particularly highlighting that it relies on network access for advertisements, which can hinder gameplay if blocked by firewalls.