Boom Boat Review

Boom Boat is really quite topical. It's about the player's plight to stop oil gushing out into the sea. In order to stop it, a fairly unorthodox approach is used - you have to drop bombs on the gushes. It works in Boom Boat but I'm suspicious of just how well this would actually work. Still, it makes for a fun game.

Controls are tilt based with a tap of the screen to release a bomb. You must direct the boat to above the oil gush then release the bomb. It's often a careful matter of keeping steady while lining up your shot as the tilt controls are very sensitive. This is made harder by the fact that often there are various objects in the way of your goal. Things turn a bit like Angry Birds here as physics plays an important role in clearing the various crates and poles in the way of the oil gushing. As you progress, more things to help you out are unlocked which help mix things up a bit.

There's also a nod to Angry Birds with the scoring system whereby you gain up to three stars for great success. Stars come from making a direct hit, clearing all the crates in the level, having 2 bombs left after finishing, the usual sort of things that you'd expect a friendly virtual pat on the back. A series of Game Center based achievements and a leaderboard are also on hand to keep you interested.

There are 30 levels in all which doesn't sound a huge amount but when you factor in the urge to 3* star them all, it's a much more attractive proposition.

Boom Boat is a fun little game all in all. The controls are a little sensitive at times so it'd be nice if you could adjust the tilt sensitivity. Other than this though, it's attractive fun and its star system will scratch an itch that completing Angry Birds left behind.