Kaboom! (video game)

Not to be confused with Kaboom: The Suicide Bombing Game.
For the video game studio, see Kaboom Studios.
Kaboom!
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision[1]
Designer(s)Larry Kaplan
Platform(s)Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit
Release
  • July 1981: 2600
  • October 1983: Atari 8-bit
  • November 1983: 5200
Genre(s)Action[1]
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns

Kaboom! is an action video game published in 1981 by Activision for the Atari 2600.[a] The game involves a Mad Bomber dropping bombs at increasing speeds as the player controls a set of water buckets to catch them. The gameplay was based on the Atari arcade video game Avalanche (1978). Kaboom! was programmed by Larry Kaplan with David Crane coding the graphics for the buckets and Mad Bomber. It was the last game designed by Kaplan for Activision, who left the company shortly after it was released. The game was later ported by Paul Wilson for the Atari 5200 system.

General critical reception of the game commended its graphics, particularly the Mad Bomber whose expression changed depending on how well the player performed. Reception was mixed towards the simplicity of the game, with some critics praising it as a change of pace from games like Asteroids (1979) or Space Invaders (1978), while others found it lacking in variety and complexity. Retrospective reviews were more generally positive with it being praised for its simple and addictive action qualities and being among the best games released by Activision during its early era.

The game sold over one million cartridges and was one of the best-selling Atari 2600 games. Following the games release, cartridges with similar gameplay to Kaboom! were released for the Atari 2600 such as Lost Luggage (1982) and Eggomania (1983). A follow-up to Kaboom!, tentatively titled Kaboom!: The Return of the Mad Bomber was shown at the 1991 Summer Consumer Electronics Show for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was never officially released.

  1. ^ a b Weiss 2014, p. 123.
  2. ^ Montfort 2006.


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