How do you play Bomb Maze Battle?
On a 13 by 11 grid maze you drop bombs to smash bricks and win by catching rivals in the cross shaped blast. A bomb goes off 2.4 seconds after you set it, and the flames run up, down, left and right until they hit a brick, which they destroy, or a stone pillar, which stops them.
The robots start in the four corners with one bomb and a two cell flame. Breaking bricks sometimes reveals a power up, and you need those to drop several bombs at once or send flames further. A round lasts two minutes and the last robot standing takes it. If you have played a bomber style or water balloon arena game, the rules are exactly the ones you remember.
Stone pillars sit on every odd cell of the grid. They never break and they block flames, so even if you are standing next to a bomb, stepping one cell around a pillar keeps you alive. That single sidestep is most of the game.
When do you lose?
The moment a flame touches your robot it goes down, whether the bomb was yours or not. Getting crushed by a falling stone in the last 30 seconds also counts.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| A flame touches you | You go down, whoever dropped the bomb |
| A flame reaches another bomb | That bomb explodes at once (chain reaction) |
| A flame reaches a brick | The brick breaks and the flame stops there |
| A flame reaches a pillar | The flame is blocked. Behind the pillar is safe |
| A flame reaches a power up | The power up burns away |
| A falling stone lands on you | You go down, and any bomb or power up on that cell is gone |
| The last two go down together | Draw. No point, next round |
| The two minutes run out | Draw. No point, next round |
| You are the only one left | You win the round. First to the chosen number of wins takes the match |
What power ups are there?
About four bricks in ten hide a power up. There are four kinds: Bomb +1, Fire +1, Shoes and Kick, and they apply the moment you step on them.
| Power up | Effect |
|---|---|
| Bomb +1 | One more bomb can be on the floor at the same time, up to 8 |
| Fire +1 | Flames reach one cell further, up to 9 |
| Shoes | You walk faster. Stacks three times |
| Kick | Walk into a bomb and it slides until it meets a wall, a bomb or a player |
Longer flames make your own bombs more dangerous. Drop a five cell bomb, run three cells and you are caught by your own blast. Kick works both as an attack, sliding a bomb up against a rival, and as a way to clear a bomb that blocks your path.
How do the computer levels differ?
Easy reacts slowly and sometimes walks into its own blast. Normal breaks bricks, closes in and drops bombs. Hard works out when every bomb will go off, avoids the dangerous cells and drops its bomb where your escape routes are cut.
Before dropping a bomb the Hard computer checks that it has a safe way out, and it looks for the spot where a nearby rival would be left with no safe cell to reach. Walk into a dead end and the Hard computer will seal the entrance. You can face one to three computers; with three it is a four way melee from all four corners.
What happens in the last 30 seconds?
The clock turns red and stone pillars fall from the edge one by one, shrinking the arena inwards. Stand where a stone lands and you are crushed.
The stones go clockwise around the outer ring and then move one ring inward. A stone about to land shows a shadow first, so move inward early. About fifteen cells in the middle stay open to the end, and if the two minutes run out there it is a draw.
Tips for winning
- Sidestep the moment you drop a bomb. Flames only travel in a cross, so one cell behind a pillar is enough. Turning is faster than running straight.
- Spend the first 30 seconds breaking bricks for power ups. With one bomb and a two cell flame you cannot catch anyone.
- Seal dead ends. When a rival walks into a corridor with one way out, a bomb at the entrance finishes it.
- Two bombs in an L shape chain into a blast that covers two lines at once. Whichever way the rival turns, it is hit.
- Run further once your flame is longer. Getting caught by your own blast right after a Fire power up is the most common way to lose.
- Head for the middle before the last 30 seconds. Breaking bricks near the edge is how you get crushed.
Controls
- Keyboard: WASD to move, Space to drop a bomb. Playing alone, the arrow keys and Enter work too. With two players the left side has WASD and Space, the right side the arrows and Enter.
- Phone: push the stick at the bottom left to move and tap the bomb button on the right. Two players split the screen, each with their own stick and button.
- Mouse: click the arena once and the stick and button appear, ready to drag and click.
- Title screen: pick vs Computer or Two players, the number of computers, the level and the rounds (1 round, best of 3, best of 5), then press Start. Your choices are remembered.
Every picture and sound is drawn and synthesized in code, so nothing is downloaded. Your win count against the computer is stored in this browser only.