Bomberman-inspired action game Bombslinger blasting out of Early Access next month

Bombslinger is a Spaghetti Western "action-maze" game unabashedly inspired by Bomberman. It can be played solo or in local co-op with up to three friends (or bots), and it's launching out of Steam Early Access on April 11. It's currently $12, and developer Mode4 says they're planning to increase the price once it officially releases.

You are the titular Bombslinger, a former bandit on a quest to avenge his wife's murder by taking down the gang he once led. To do so, you'll have to explode your way through procedurally generated levels in order to reach the gang's new boss, then make him explode too.

There's more than a bit of roguelike to Bombslinger. Judging from the images on its Steam page, you can increase your health and bomb count as you progress, and loot dozens of items which add and alter abilities. The core loop is true-blue Bomberman, though: place and avoid bombs that blow up entire lanes.

But again, it's not just singleplayer. There are currently two multiplayer modes: deathmatch, your classic kill count contest; and Last Man Standing, which Mode4 describes as that "classic Bomberman formula," so presumably also blowing each other up but doing it more decisively.

Austin freelanced for PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and has been a full-time writer at PC Gamer's sister publication GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a staff writer is just a cover-up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news, the occasional feature, and as much Genshin Impact as he can get away with.