To understand Bombastic Brothers, think: the third generation of console games; the golden age of arcade games; Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. If these mean anything to you, then Bombastic Brothers will be a thoroughly entertaining, albeit slightly nostalgic, experience that will tap into that long-gone feeling of the 80s and 90s. It seems that developers are getting more proficient at meeting the preferences and needs of their consumers.

We certainly applaud My.com’s initiative. After all, the Metal Slug universe also shaped our childhood to a great extent. And, boy, do we miss the rush of side-scrolling gunfights against scores of enemies. There’s something about blowing up fictional aliens that hits the spot. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here –  millennials now comprise the biggest demographic that can spend real money on games and they are also the main audience of such games.

Does BB truly honor the platformer or is it a cheap attempt to bank on our most cherished memories? For now, let’s just say that playing the game on BlueStacks definitely helps. Find out why below.

When Video Games Entered Pop Culture

We’ve been waiting for something like My.com’s Bombastic Brothers all our lives. The Metal Slug/Contra (or Gryzor, depending on your region) vibe can easily be replicated on a smartphone, as this game proves all too well. What with Super Mario, Terraria, and Rayman Jungle Run, we were surprised nobody came up with a BB much sooner. We definitely see the potential in it, although we do wish some mechanics were slightly different.

Before we get to what we don’t like, we have to applaud the visuals, amazing performance, as well as RPG elements. Sure, gearing up and getting more characters might be staples of the mobile game industry, but, in this genre, they truly shine. As of right now, BB has four classes and 12 different characters – each with their own playstyle. All we can say is: yes. Yes! Give us more, please.

Despite this, there are several soft paywalls you encounter throughout your main story progression. The PvP system needs a bit of work (hint: we’d like to actually control our characters), while the auto-aim feature is almost always bittersweet. Still, the action and the fun you can get out of this well-made shooter are probably worth it.

Why BlueStacks is Better for Bombastic Brothers

If you don’t happen to have an arcade game in your home, but you do have a computer, there’s still hope. When you run Bombastic Brothers on BlueStacks, you can replicate the feeling of playing on an arcade much more than you could on a smartphone. For one, the emulator provides you with top of the line performance. It’s one of the fastest Android set-ups you can run and it’s all for free.

In addition, the Keymapping Tool lets you bind every action to a keyboard shortcut. We found this to actually be the deciding feature in terms of how the playthrough feels. With two thumbs on a tiny screen, the game leaves us with a mixed, confused impression. However, with two hands on the keyboard, we’re ready to go. If you close your eyes (which we wouldn’t recommend when you’re fighting aliens) you can almost conjure up an arcade room filled with action and brimming with people just waiting for another record to be broken.

The big screen of your computer certainly helps. The story mode sees you going through levels of ever-increasing difficulty and, of course, big, intimidating bosses. If there’s one thing that we never thought we’d experience again, it’s the underdog race against an unnerving, scary-looking NPC who has bigger weapons than we do. To defeat them easily, just find a setup that works best for you. We’d rather move with the right hand and shoot stuff with the left, but there’s really no limitation to what goes where.

If you really want to take things to the next level, then you can get a gamepad. Whether you had a SEGA, Nintendo, Sony, or any other console, holding a controller is one thing that one does not easily forget. We can compare the intensity of the memory with the first time we (successfully) rode a bike. We might just purchase a gamepad for the fun of it.

Play Bombastic Brothers- Top Squad on BlueStacks!

What would be even more amazing is if My.com actually implemented a real-time PvP system, as well as the possibility to play in co-op. Although the second feature was confirmed and (likely) in the works, we can’t say for sure what BB’s PvP arena will look like in the future. We certainly don’t find any pleasure in the current system: it’s little more than a stat match-up, yours vs theirs, and all you get to do is watch.

Incredibly Fun Now, Possibly Huge in the Future

If the developers manage to implement both a working co-op, as well as decent PvP system, then we might be looking at one of the most successful platformers on Android. Imagine what this would do for the millennial public who grew up with top scores. What we’d give for the possibility to directly challenge our leaderboard nemesis in a live game!

We might have left the story in the background, but, don’t get us wrong, there’s plenty of humor and pop/gaming culture references to be had. If you think about it, the main plot is actually you, as well as an Alien race, trying to get their hands on your beloved corgi. Isn’t that the cutest thing ever?

We just can’t wait to get back on, dodge bullets, and then blow up more aliens. If there’s one thing that the devs are spot on about, that’s the visuals, especially the color theme. Oh, and the difficulty. If you find yourself craving some hardcore arcade shooting action, you’ll get enough of it. And more. We just don’t know whether this is meant to get us into the store looking for better heroes or remind us of how delightfully punishing arcade games used to be.

If, at any point, the game is giving you too much of a hard time, feel free to check out some of the most important tips for beginners in our BB tips and tricks guide. You won’t regret it one bit.

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