Kaboom! (video game)
Kaboom! is an action video game published in 1981 by Activision for the Atari 2600. The gameplay was based on the Atari arcade game Avalanche (1978), with the game now involving a Mad Bomber who drops bombs instead of falling rocks. 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 the release of the game. The game was later ported by Paul Wilson for the Atari 5200 system.
| Kaboom! | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | Larry Kaplan |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit |
| Release | July 1981
|
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, two players |
General critical reception of the game praised its graphics, particularly the Mad Bomber whose expression changed depending on how well the player player performed in the game. Reception was mixed towards the simplicity of the game, with some critics praising it as a change of pace from games like Asteroids or Space Invaders, while others found the game lacking in variety and complexity. Retrospective 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.