Bombshell

Bombshell is a top-down twin-stick shooter featuring Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, a badass female protagonist with a mechanical arm. The game offers a mix of shooting, RPG-lite upgrades, and platforming elements wrapped in a cheesy, B-movie style sci-fi story. Players appreciate the solid gunplay, diverse weaponry, and the game's vibrant graphics powered by Unreal Engine 3. The soundtrack, composed by Andrew Hulshult, is praised for its heavy metal and synth influences that complement the game's mood.

However, the game is plagued by numerous technical issues including frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches such as getting stuck in geometry, invisible walls, and broken quest items. The voice acting outside the lead cast is often criticized as poor, and the story is considered bland or overly serious without enough humor to engage. Gameplay pacing suffers from tedious backtracking and repetitive environments. Despite these flaws, many players find the core gameplay fun and recommend it if purchased on sale.

Highlights

Players praise Bombshell's smooth and satisfying twin-stick shooter mechanics with a good variety of weapons and upgrades. The graphics are vibrant and detailed for an indie title, with well-crafted environments and stylish animations. Shelly Harrison is noted as a strong, likable protagonist with solid voice acting. The soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult receives positive remarks for its heavy metal and synth style that fits the game's tone. Fans of classic 90s shooters and B-movie style narratives find the cheesy humor and one-liners entertaining. The game also features interesting level design with puzzles involving Shelly's detachable mechanical arm, adding some variety to combat and exploration.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as characters getting stuck, quest-breaking issues, and crashes. The voice acting for NPCs outside the main characters is often described as amateurish or distracting. The story is seen as generic or overly serious without enough comedic or self-aware elements, making it less engaging. Controls, especially jumping mechanics, are reported as floaty and awkward. The game suffers from tedious backtracking and repetitive level design, which can make progression feel slow and boring. The UI and map system are criticized for poor functionality, and some players find the combat balance uneven, with certain weapons being overpowered. Lastly, the game is considered overpriced at full price given its rough polish and length.