Smart Bomb Review (no fat)

Game Description

Packed with innovative puzzles that are cast in a unique 3D environment, Smart Bomb is a game that should have tested the skills of puzzle fans, but then again, even good puzzles mixing with shoddy controls and gameplay don’t make a winning formula.

Smart Bomb Gameplay

Though the developers have given a fair amount of thought to the puzzles, the gameplay suffers from every aspect. For starters the plot is non-existent. Diffusing bombs via a series of puzzles without an active storyline to bind them makes the game drag along aimlessly.

The puzzles are unique and there are plenty of them to go around. They range from manipulating objects to establish the correct connections or sequence to maneuvering objects to diffuse triggers that may set off the bomb. Though they do have some entertainment value, the puzzles, the core gameplay component in Smart Bomb, lack depth and replay value. Some of the puzzles are pretty hard to solve and the unintuitive nature of the game can amount to a lot of grief for players

Even the final interpretation of puzzles on the PSP is shallow and lackluster. Sluggish load times, rough edged graphics and quirky view mars the experience even further.

Smart Bomb Game Modes

The game modes include Story mode where you move from puzzle to puzzle, cracking them and diffusing bombs in the process. In Arcade mode, you find yourself slapped with puzzles in random order and you mindlessly crack them one after another. A multiplayer mode exists but it does not have enough essence to warrant a mention.

Smart Bomb Graphics

Whatever potential the puzzles possessed have been nullified by the graphical shortcomings of the game. The cut scenes are shoddy and the game's continuity is affected by messed up frame rates and slow load times.

Sound effects are just slightly above average but that’s a secondary issue. With the whole house out of order, the sound effects are the last thing on your mind when you think how much you wasted on the game.

Smart Bomb Summary

Puzzle lovers do not have enough content in here to test their abilities, and since they form the core target audience, the game suffers badly. An acute deficiency of plot, decent graphical elements and overall presentation flaws land Smart Bomb in the elite category of games which is put on shelves to stay there as long as there is need to fill spaces… it is a title worth avoiding.

Smart Bomb Cost

At the time of this review, the game retails for $19.99US.