Home /
Arcade

Bomb Jack

Arcade

Arcade

In Bomb Jack, the player controls Jack, who must collect all the bombs in order to complete the current round and go onto the next one. This sounds easy, right? Wrong! Making Jack's task difficult are numerous enemies such as birds, mummies, turtles, and orbs. In each round, collecting a numbe...

Download

0/5 Votes: 0

Report

Developer
Tehkan

Released on
1984

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Platform

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Wikipedia
View article →

Report this app

Images

Description

In Bomb Jack, the player controls Jack, who must collect all the bombs in order to complete the current round and go onto the next one. This sounds easy, right? Wrong! Making Jack’s task difficult are numerous enemies such as birds, mummies, turtles, and orbs.

In each round, collecting a number of bombs results in a bonus coin appearing, and collecting this coin will make the player’s score increase 2 to 4 times. More often than not, the “power ball” appears, and when you collect this, you can defeat enemies and have more time to collect all the bombs. There is also the “E” coin, which gives Jack one additional life, but rarely does this coin appear.

The more you progress through the game, the more difficult it becomes, as enemies travel more quickly to get you.

Bomb Jack

Overview & History

Released by Tecmo in 1984, Bomb Jack is a vibrant, fast-paced single-screen arcade platformer that captivated players with its unique blend of aerial acrobatics and timing-based puzzle solving. The game casts you as Jack, a caped superhero resembling a miniature Superman or a futuristic circus performer, tasked with defusing twenty-four explosives scattered across famous world monuments like the Sphinx, the Parthenon, and the Tower of London. Distinct from standard platformers of its era, Bomb Jack eschews offensive combat against its menagerie of floating enemies—such as mummies, flying saucers, and fire-breathing monsters—focusing entirely on evasive movement, item collection order, and momentum management. Its addictive score-chasing loop made it an enduring hit in arcades worldwide, cementing its legacy as a golden-age classic.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core mechanic revolves around collecting 24 ticking bombs scattered across each stage. While you can grab them in any order, the true depth of the game lies in the glowing 'Special' bombs. Collecting these in a specific sequential order—indicated by a flashing letter above the screen—multiplies your score exponentially and triggers screen-clearing power-ups like extra points, bonus lives, or the highly coveted 'Transform' item, which temporarily turns all enemies into floating coin bags. Jack’s defining ability is his gravity-defying flutter jump; by repeatedly tapping the jump button, you can glide gracefully through the air, meticulously controlling your descent to weave between erratic enemy flight paths. Enemy pressure mounts over time: lingering too long in a stage causes the background to darken and enemies to transform into faster, more aggressive fireballs.