'Bumpers & Broadswords' is Rad

If you've been following this blog, you know how enamored I am with mongames. Two mongames that have captured my interest are Metal Walker and Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB, not because of their quality but their potential. In the case of Metal Walker, it has an unacceptably high enemy encounter rate and Capsule items that do little to add consistent strategy to the game. While Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB is lacking because of its constant grinding and dice rolls that often determine the outcome of battles. However, the saving grace for both games lies in their battle systems. Metal Walker with its Flip Battles, turn-based pinball or flipper, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB with its monster-raising chess. The innovation of these battle systems embedded in me a desire to enjoy them without the baggage, and I'm pleased to say Bumpers & Broadswords delivers just that.

Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament

Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament is an RPG that combines the deck-building strategy of Yu-Gi-Oh! with the toy-bashing action of Beyblade. Battles in Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament consists of 4v4 duels between collectible bumpers with a range of unique abilities, just like Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB. Bumpers come in four types: warrior, magic, beast, and machine, each with three stats: HP, ATK, and SPD. How you slam your bumper into opponents is determined by the direction (angle), POW (velocity), and dice (multiplier). Bumpers also gain a field bonus if the battle environment matches their type, just like the Duelist Kingdom tournament in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Yu-Gi-Oh! influence isn't limited to the battle system, as the story and setting are reminiscent of the Battle City tournament from the manga. The gameplay loop of Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament is exploring the city and defeating other Bumper Battlers for money to purchase more bumpers to help you progress through the tournament, making more areas in the city accessible.

Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum

Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum is the sequel to Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament and refines the disc-slamming RPG gameplay of its predecessor in several ways. Rather than getting money from defeated Bumper Battlers, you receive one of the bumpers they used in battle. This change in reward cuts out the busy work of traveling to and from vending machines when purchasing new bumpers. Streamlining this process better suits Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum's premise of an infiltration mission (complete with codec calls ala Metal Gear) across multiple skyscraper floors, with little emphasis on exploration. The battle system of Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum remains mostly the same except for replacing the dice with Bump Up. Bump Up is a mechanic that offers a chance per turn to evolve a bumper into a powered-up form based on the fullness of the Bump meter. While the random factor of dice in Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament was often a source of frustration, in contrast, Bump Up is satisfying because its use is entirely up to you.

It's cool when someone sees the same potential in obscure games that you do, but it's even better when they're inspired to make something. If you want more Bumpers & Broadswords, there are two spin-off games, Bumpers & Broadswords Gaiden and Bumpers & Broadswords 64. Bumpers & Broadswords Gaiden is a tactical RPG in the vein of games like Fire Emblem, while Bumpers & Broadswords 64 is more of a 3D battle simulator similar to what Pokémon Stadium was for Pokémon Red & Blue. Unfortunately, Bumpers & Broadswords hasn't gotten much attention, a consistent trend for indie mongames that I wrote about here, so I'm doing my part to give this series of games more publicity.