Bomb Busters: Rapid Review
Information:
Player Age: 10+
Player Count: 2 - 5 Players
BGG Weight: 2.00
Time to Play: 30 Minutes
Year Published: 2024
Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the VR Distribution.
Rundown:
Bomb Busters is a cooperative game where players work together to deduce the correct wires to cut where the goal is to cut all the correct wires. Too many wrong guesses and the bomb explodes, or if players cut even one red wire then the bomb will explode. This game is filled with 66 scenario cards that change the game by adding new components and challenges. These scenarios are easily repayable with no destruction of components.
Wires:
48 blue wires ranging numerically from 1-12 appears four times each.
If all four of one type (number) of wire is cut, it is visibly denoted on the board using a validation token.
There are also yellow and red wires that fit in between the blue values. Different amounts of these wires will be used for each scenario. These will be denoted on the board using red or yellow markers to help the players remember which are hiding amongst the blue during the game. Sometimes there will be a number of them revealed at the start of the game but not all used, keeping an element of uncertainty for the players as they play.
One other vital information for players to be aware of is that as part of setup, each rack will have the wires ordered from lowest to highest while hidden from their co-player.
Action:
There are three main actions and one will be performed each turn; Dual Cut, Solo Cut, and Reveal Red Wires.
Dual Cut:
This is your main action throughout the game. Choose a wire in another player's rack that you also have in one of your racks. Verbally claim the number you believe the wire is or whether you believe the wire is yellow (no value needed when claiming yellow). If you are correct that wire will be cut and revealed, as will the same value of one of your corresponding wires. If you fail, however, you will either explode if the tile is red, or advance on the detonator dial. If you reach the bones on the detonator dial the bomb will explode.
After the dial is advanced the incorrectly guessed wire will have the correct info token placed in front to provide the correct information for a future turn.
Solo Cut:
This can only be done when you contain all four wires of one number, all remaining yellow wires, or the last two wires of one number. This allows you to cut the wires across any of your racks.
Reveal Red Wires:
The last action you can do is reveal your rack when only red wires are left across all your racks.
Free Actions:
Two free actions can be performed on any turn; activating equipment and activating your character ability.
Character Ability:
All characters have the same ability that can be used once each game. When doing a Dual Cut they can choose two numbers instead of one. This gives them a higher chance to guess the correct number and prevent an increase on the detonator dial.
Equipment:
There are several equipments included in the game and each game will use equipment equal to the player count. All equipment starts as inactive but can be used as a free action when the wire number shown on the left-hand side is cut for the first time. Each piece of equipment can only be used once but they have various methods of helping players gain information and assisting in defusing the bomb.
Packs:
At the start of the game, eight scenarios exist that work as a tutorial into the game. As you play through the scenarios you will open up five packs, each covering a certain amount of scenarios and adds new components.
An example of this is a pack of cards with numbers 1 to 12 that is used in various ways throughout the scenarios including those that come in later packs. These scenarios are not limited to one-time use, you can compile all your favorite scenarios and play a one-off scenario at any time.
Interaction:
This is a heavy interaction game due to the cooperative interactive puzzle it presents. I wasn't sure if there would be enough tension and interaction at a two-player game since you already know half the information. However, there are two elements they add to help keep the tension. Firstly, each scenario has a specific two-player setup (normally increasing the yellow or red wires).
Secondly, each player has two racks. Each of these racks is ordered sequentially, meaning you know what the other player has but not how it is spread across the two racks.
Determination:
- Works great at two players.
- A good cooperative challenge.
There is an abstract game in my collection called Coda/Da Vinci Code where players are deducing and guessing the tile the other player has ordered in front of them sequentially. The aim is to guess all of the opponent’s tiles first. Bomb Busters feels like a reinvention of this game but instead of being competitive, it delivers a tense cooperative experience. The base game itself is fun as players start with very little information to go off, so you have to decide how to guess effectively and reveal information about your wires to the other players without losing chances through increasing the detonator dial, or worse, accidentally cutting a red wire. The designers have gone further than this and added numerous components through 66 scenarios that help keep the game constantly at a different pace, revealing new challenges for the players to overcome. If you enjoy good cooperative games that can be played with anyone, Bomb Busters is an easy recommendation. If you enjoy scenario games that grow larger with more plays then I think there is an abundance in this box that will keep you coming back every time.
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