About This Work
Let’s play that board game everyone knows! With bombs!
Behind the Scenes
When I heard about this Software Challenge Contest, I hadn’t really worked with JavaScript before, but I thought: since I have the chance, why not join?
If I could make a game I could play myself, it would be a good learning experience and fun, too.
So what could I combine to make it interesting…? Shogi? Chess? Too hard… Poker? Explaining the rules is a pain… Which is stronger again, two pair or three of a kind…?
What about Mario? There are tons of great side-scrollers already… A board game, then… Reversi? …Reversi! The rules are simple, too!
Then let’s make a game where you battle while playing Reversi on the board… But how do you fight? Pinball? Breakout? But then it doesn’t feel like you’re controlling your own strategy… (skipping ahead) I know! Bombs! Perfect for a board! Bring back memories of the days I was hooked on the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo)! And so…
🔥💣 OtheBomb is Born!! 💣🔥
During development, the game was originally asymmetric, with a bomb-placing side versus a Reversi side, but after repeated test play it turned out to be too complicated (it was hard to tell what you were supposed to do), so I changed it so that both players place bombs. I wanted to stick with the concept of flipping discs with bomb blasts, so that stayed the same throughout.
Having players run around the board placing bombs while the Reversi side automatically placed the best disc was fine, but it caused a problem: every match felt the same. Of course it did, since doing the same thing every time worked. I wanted every match to feel different! I didn’t want it to be a game where you just place bombs in the same spots! I wanted a game that’s fun no matter how many times you play (that’s important)! Also, during test play, taking out your opponent directly with bombs always ended up being the best strategy… But this is Reversi, so I want you to flip discs! Then I need a reward for that. So what if lots of characters each had their own abilities, and flipping lots of discs let you use a special move? Wouldn’t that be fun? → Implemented → Played → Fun! And that’s how the OtheBomb concept came together. I’ve gone on at length, but there was a ton of trial and error I couldn’t fit here (all so everyone can enjoy playing). Have fun!
Totally unrelated: I think the Japanese summary’s "Osebon bakutan" (roughly, "Osebon is born with a bang") is a pretty clever bit of wordplay, and in the English version it’s "OtheBomb is Born!!", which I like too. Born, as in BOOM 💣🔥. Witty, right? Pardon the digression.
A Peek into the Game World
As the description above and the look of the game suggest, it’s a game where you battle by flipping placed discs with bombs.
I packed in lots of characters, 7 stages each with different gimmicks, and 6 original background music tracks.
I sacrificed my sleep to create 12 characters, each full of personality!
Each has different firepower and HP, and they all have different trump cards. (This is my top pick!)
There’s a wave cannon that destroys everything, a necromancer who summons zombie allies, a magician who drops as many bombs as the dice roll, a toy shop owner who sends wind-up mice running instead of bombs, and more.
(The rest is a secret.)
What you do in battle affects your score! Not just whether you win or lose, but also how many bombs you placed, how far you walked, and more. Even strange moves might earn points.
You also get bonus points depending on how strong your opponent is! Aim for S rank!
By the way, S rank isn’t the top rank, so please do aim higher (there are about as many ranks as in e-Typing).
