Bombastic

After the release of Devil Dice, developer Shift would produce a handful of other titles related to it, however only one of them, Bombastic (XI Go in Japan), would see a release outside Japan. Between these two games, I actually ended up playing Bombastic first, which I picked up for cheap from a GameStop back when they still sold PS2 games. I enjoyed my time with it, however I spent most of my time with it on one mode and gave up when the final boss proved to be too difficult for me. Upon finally getting to play Devil Dice, I decided to revisit Bombastic and actually explore its other offerings, finding myself enjoying it just as I did back then.

The basic gameplay of Bombastic is similar to Devil Dice, wherein you control a devil (called an Aqui in this game) to move and match dice, with some changes to help it stand out. Dice must still be matched based on their number facing up (ex. if the number is four, you have to match four dice), however dice sets explode after a short period of time instead of sinking into the ground. Additionally, the range of the explosion depends on the number of the die (ex. a “four” die has a four-square explosion) and any die caught in the explosion with an equal or lower number (by one) starts a chain reaction that lasts until there aren’t any more targets. Much like Devil Dice, however, pressing the action buttons, and even the shoulder buttons, causes the Aqui to perform various small actions for flavor.

The game does not feature a dedicated Puzzle mode, however you can choose between three different gameplay styles. Bombastic, the default style, follows the new gameplay rules as described above while also featuring three different gameplay modes: Quest, Trial and Wars. Classic style follows the same rules as the original Devil Dice, even including that game’s main menu music, and replaces the Quest mode with Battle from the original game. The third style, Advanced, plays like Classic style, except with the added ability to jump, lift and throw dice, as well as roll dice on top of other dice and stack them to create new combos.

The aforementioned Quest mode, which I spent the most time on, is a story mode in which a family of five Aqui sneak out to look for their grandfather. Throughout Quest mode, you travel across five differently-themed Worlds, each comprised of four Stages where the last one is a boss fight with its own unique rules. In most Stages, you have to solve puzzles to reach the end while dealing with enemies along the way, usually by matching dice to make them explode. Items are also placed around the stage that have either beneficial or detrimental effects, such as instantaneous explosions, increasing/decreasing your speed and temporary invincibility. Some Stages also feature additional obstacles to deal with, such as a tutorial level that includes a swinging axe.

While traversing levels, you also have five lives to work with, each represented by a different Aqui. Losing all five leads to a game over, however you can still save your progress and restart at the beginning of the last Stage you were at. If you lose one of your lives in the middle of a Stage or Retire an Aqui upon getting stuck, you instantly restart at the last checkpoint, represented by a flag.

During my experience, I found that the final World, Realm of Clouds, felt somewhat like playing 3D Chess due to it involving having to take multiple levels of space into account. The prelude to the final boss, a dice game with an angel, involves a lot of split-second reactions since you have to attack or defend depending on whether your roll was higher or lower than the angel’s. The final boss, RoboDice, on the other hand, is a bit difficult since you have to match burning dice to designated spaces to fire a set of cannons at it. While I did get better at the final boss this time around, the tedium required to pull off the win condition led me to still lose patience with it even years later.

It's nearly impossible to find screenshots for this game, so
here's a shot of The Realm of Ghosts, the tutorial World.

The Trials, Wars and Battle modes all function similarly to their appearance in Devil Dice, though Trial and Wars follow the Bombastic rules when played under that style. Trial, however, introduces a new rule across all styles, in which eliminated players return to the field in a zombie-like state, wherein they move slowly and all they can do is push blocks in order to mess up the combos of other remaining players. The additional rules of Advanced style add an additional layer of complexity to each of these modes, creating some extra potential replay value as well.

With the transition from the PS1 to the PS2, the graphics take on a more cartoonish art style hat builds off the style present in Devil Dice. Quest mode takes full advantage of this style well, with very vibrant and unique backdrops for each World. The enemies you encounter in this mode all have unique designs that fit in with their special abilities and allow them to be instantly recognizable by their silhouette. Other modes, meanwhile, retain the minimalist presentation featured in their Devil Dice counterparts, though with greatly improved visuals.

The game also features a great soundtrack, with some tracks more memorable than others. Among the more memorable tracks, aside from some of the menu music, is the one that plays during the angel dice battle, which is catchier than it has any right to be and can affect the speed of your reaction times. It should also say something if, even though I didn’t play the two games back-to-back, I was able to instantly recognize the Devil Dice main menu music. I will also note here that the announcer present in this game sounds a bit more enthusiastic when compared to Devil Dice, giving Bombastic a generally more energetic atmosphere.

Much like its predecessor, Bombastic is an overlooked PS2 title that is worth seeking out for puzzle game fans. While it features more impressive graphics that still hold up, it also takes just about everything about the original Devil Dice and expands upon it with new content to deliver a more expansive package. Fans of Devil Dice will likely enjoy what’s on offer in Bombastic, however it is designed such that you can easily start playing with this game if you can’t find the PS1 title.