Super Bomb Bugs is an action platformer developed by thePodge. It involves bomb-slinging bugs who romp through various environments and blow up baddies to get back their treasure that was stolen from them.
Controls[]
- Left/Right: Move left/right
- Up: Jump (hold to jump higher, tap twice to double jump), Fly (with certain Suits)
- Down: Crouch (with certain suits)
- M: Drop bomb
- Space Bar: Lob bomb
Gameplay[]
Super Bomb Bugs consists of four worlds, each one containing five levels. When first starting the game, the first level of each world is available to play. Each subsequent level is unlocked linearly by beating the one before it. All the levels are vertically orientated and the goal is to reach the golden flag at the top of the level (along with collecting all the gems in a level and collecting the level's Artifact Piece as additional optional goals). As the player ascends a level, a row of massive buzzsaws called the Destroyer will slowly make its way upward. The Destroyer will instantly kill the player on contact, so it's imperative for the player to not dawdle too long in order to avoid the Destroyer.
Each level is packed to the brim with enemies and hazards that will try to impede the player's progress. None of these things actually deal damage, but they do stun the player and make them drop a few gems. All enemies can be killed by the explosions from the player's bombs, and can also be stunned by hitting them with a bomb. Additionally, there are also a few different types of Suits that provide various powers that make it easier to traverse levels and defeat enemies.
The game has three difficulty modes: Normal, Hard, and Extreme. Normal is the only mode available from the beginning; Hard is unlocked by beating all 20 levels on Normal, and Extreme is unlocked by beating all 20 levels on Hard.
Worlds[]
- Industrial World: A mechanized world set in a construction zone. Contains simple enemies and hazards.
- Dark World: A medieval world set in an old castle. Contains slightly stronger enemies and some simple puzzles.
- Ice World: A frozen wasteland with plenty of ice physics to boot. Contains fairly powerful enemies and more complex puzzles.
- Future World: A futuristic, space-age world with very powerful enemies, lots of hazards, and plenty of elaborate puzzles.
Suits[]
Suits are costumes that can be donned while playing a level. They're found in crates that are scattered throughout the levels. Each Suit gives you different abilities.
- Dragon Suit: Lets you shoot fireballs that fly straight ahead, making it easier to kill enemies, hit switches, and destroy walls.
- Bunny Suit: Lets you jump higher than normal and crouch to avoid enemies.
- Ninja Suit: Lets you wall-jump and throw sticky bombs.
- Bumblebee Suit: Lets you jump infinitely.
- Raging Bull Suit: Lets you run faster than normal and kill enemies if you make contact with them while running.
- Penguin Suit: Lets you throw snowballs that freeze enemies and makes you able to walk on ice without slipping.
Enemies[]
- Wheelie: A wheel-shaped enemy that just moves back and forth. Found in Industrial World.
- Armored Wheelie: A Wheelie wearing protective armor that protects it from one hit. Found in Industrial World.
- Bit Shooter: Occasionally shoots a small drill bit as it moves back and forth. Found in Industrial World.
- Pile Driver: A jackhammer enemy that hops from tile to tile, damaging breakable tiles so they fall down. Found in Industrial World.
- Spiky: A small black critter that is similar to a Wheelie, but moves faster when it spots you. Found in Dark World.
- Dragon Grunt: Shoots fireballs and can be seen walking or flying. The ones that walk or fly up and down shoot fireballs straight ahead, while the ones that fly left and right shoot fireballs diagonally downward. Found in Dark World.
- Dragon Guardian: A Dragon wearing a helmet that protects it from one hit. Found in Dark World.
- Warp Wizard: Constantly shoots magic bolts that teleport you further back to the bottom of the level if they hit you. Found in Dark World.
- Cobalt Grunt: A small blue critter that is identical to the Spiky. Found in Ice World and Future World.
- Crystal Grunt: A Cobalt Grunt covered in ice crystals that protect it from one hit. Found in Ice World.
- Penguin: Occasionally uses sliding attacks. Found in Ice World.
- Snow Shooter: Occasionally shoots snowballs that freeze you on contact. Found in Ice World.
- Cobalt Bomber: Similar to a Cobalt Grunt, but can also drop and lob bombs. Found in Ice World and Future World.
- Crash Bomber: A Cobalt Bomber wearing a helmet that protects it from one hit. Found in Future World.
- Bomb Saucer: A flying saucer that constantly drops bombs. Found in Future World.
- Plasma Ghost: A flying ghost-like creature that fires lasers and can teleport to chase after you. Found in Future World.
Obstacles and Hazards[]
- Door: Blocks off part of the level. Its position can be changed by pushing a lever that's linked to it.
- Spikes: Hurt you on contact.
- Crusher: A metal pillar that crashes down whenever a button that's linked to it is pressed.
- Switch Spikes: Sometimes retract into the ground.
- Cannon: Shoots a cannonball whenever a button that's linked to it is pressed.
- Ice: Makes you slip and slide when you walk on it.
- Beam Barrier: A solid floor that can't be passed through. Its position can be changed by pushing a lever that's linked to it.
- Laser Spikes: Can reach out to try and touch you.
- Teleporter: Activates for a short time when a button that's linked to it is pressed. Warps you to another teleporter when you enter it.
Trivia[]
- The game's instructions mention that your bombs can damage/destroy some parts of the scenery and encourage players to find a balance between killing enemies and preserving scenery. However, what you do to the scenery actually has no effect on the game whatsoever. It could be that a score bonus for preserving scenery was planned for the game, but was never implemented.