If first impressions are anything to go by then Boom Blox Bash Party is a game solely for kids. But over the past few years the gaming industry has been presented with more family-orientated ideas and creations. Plus of course, the family market is thriving right now and is, in fact where most companies are getting their money from. But with the high success rate for family games being an advantage for Bash Party, the fact that the game is being released on the Wii – next to many other titles focusing on the same audience, will mean it will really have to work hard to find its place.
At the very start of the game you’ll get a glimpse of the characters, due to having to choose a representative for your profile. There’s a huge selection in this particular aspect – mostly seeming to focus on animals. And naturally, each proves to be cutesy in its own simplistic design, which consists of basic shapes and a rectangular body. So while Bash Party certainly won’t be winning any awards for character design, it does fit in tremendously well with the overall game theme – blocks, of course. Anyway, I decided to choose a respectable racoon for my profile before setting off for some light training concerning the game’s control system. The actual setting of the game is in an adventure park featuring many different sections to it – basically these are just differing in theme, such as pirates and space. All of the sections have different tasks for the player, but in short, each of them aims to do the same things using slightly differing techniques so the game does begin to prove tedious. Fortunately the winning formula here is that your overall objective is to destroy the blocks, which in a sense will remind you of your destructive, early childhood days. Then by the end of each game, you’ll be given either a bronze, silver or gold medal depending on your performance.
The interaction between the WiiMote and the game is a big factor with Nintendo Wii games, and admittedly Bash Party doesn’t take particular advantage of all the remote’s possibilities. In each section of the adventure park there are tasks for each of the different uses of the WiiMote – some of these being to throw, grab and sling. Basically each of these requires you to simply hold down the A button and move the WiiMote, with throw and sling requiring you to let go of the A button near the end of your movement to release whatever you happen to be throwing. Personally I found that the best usage of the throwing mechanic was in a paintball type of game, where you have a certain number of different coloured paintballs, which you’ve to use to alter the colour of blocks to get 3 of the same colour touching. In fact some of the tasks can actually prove quite difficult and require some thinking and tactics to obtain enough points to pass. This is probably a factor that contributes to Bash Party driving more into the family genre than just a kids’ game. Thankfully if you’re REALLY struggling with a particular level in the game you’ll be offered the chance to buy through to the next one – using a currency that you earn by completing the levels. This is a pretty good feature to have in a puzzler game like this because the levels only give you a certain amount of ‘ammo’ in the throwing challenges, so if you can’t for the life of you figure out the best tactic to obtain the most points, you’re saved from an eternity of frustration. And for some gamers this particular feature could prove to extend the replay value for them as in the end, you may well want to go back to them and attempt them once again – especially since earning gold medals unlocks new objects to use in the Create Mode. But then, that is only if you’re not sick of doing the same thing over and over again.
A Create Mode is introduced from the very beginning of the game, complete with a tutorial to get you started in making your own games up to play either alone, or with friends. This is a pretty flexible mode and goes into deep detail, even dipping into the rules and such. But you’ll need some patience to get used to the WiiMote when using this as it feels somewhat clumsy at times, otherwise the tutorial will have you well on your way to creating your own games.
Bash Party also features a multiplayer mode for local play, sadly there’s no online content for you to get stuck into. Even so, playing this particular game with friends is most likely the best move to make with it and you’ll find it far more enjoyable than the single player experience. You can play both co-operatively to blast structures apart or against one another in a frantic attempt to sink your opponent’s block ships. Bash Party offers a great multiplayer experience on the Wii and this is definitely one of the finest aspects of the game.
Boom Blox Bash Party is a puzzler that’s stuck to a simplistic design, but has used the block formula to great affect. It therefore creates a gaming experience that’s worthwhile to play both alone and with friends – fun guaranteed. Sure, there are a few setbacks such as the fact that the gameplay gets a bit tedious after a while and there seems to be a strange pause after each game, as if unaware that you’ve completed the level. In short: This is definitely a game to check out, especially if you’re looking for a puzzling multiplayer worth your time.
VideogameUK verdict: 8.5/10
