A common theme among several games in the downloadable realm is the concept of blending the power and capabilities of modern consoles with design conventions and sensibilities of older generations. The fusion of retro with modern is a concept that is as much a celebration for developers as it is for gamers, and one game that embodies this celebration is Curve Studios’ Explodemon. Released on the PlayStation Network on February 8th, the game attempts to bring together game design conventions more common in current generation titles (in the form of physics-based puzzle and platform design) along with many elements that long-time gamers would easily recognize as lighthearted throwbacks. So, does this explosive combination result in some retro-infused fun, or does it simply fizzle out as a dud?

One thing that has to be made clear early on is the following: No, Explodemon is not a clone/derivative of Twisted Pixel’s ‘Splosion Man. Explodemon’s development started as far back as 2005/2006, and a prototype of the game was even entered into the Independent Games Festival of 2008. Besides that point, though, this game’s general design, as well as its points of influence, are more clearly grounded in platformers of the 8-bit/16-bit eras. This includes our titular hero, Explodemon, who speaks in nothing but a nonsensical, poorly translated mishmash of Engrish (intentionally written that way, mind you!). To put it simply, the games aren’t really too similar to each other, aside from the fact that your main character can self-detonate.

The explosion mechanic of the game is important to understand, so here are some pointers about it: you have a “recharge meter” that builds up over time, and when it is full, you can make Explodemon…well…explode. If the player decides to not blow him up, Explodemon will actually detonate himself after a separate counter reaches zero. These explosions are how you negotiate enemies, platforming puzzles, and physics-based environmental puzzles throughout the game. This is because not only do your explosions harm enemies, but they can help you with your mobility, as well as manipulate particular objects in the stages. In general, it’s easy grasp the basics, but there is a nice nuance to the mechanics, increasing demands as both the player and Explodemon get better over time.

You’ll use two main types of power ups to bolster your explosive ability – ones gained in the stages themselves, and ones bought in the game’s shop to upgrade Explodemon. In stages you can gather charge orbs (which fill a meter that is both your health and general power level) and speedchargers (which make your recharge meter fill up faster). Shop upgrades, which are purchased using credits, include a fairly standard array of bonuses to your power, armor, dashing speed, and the rate at which you acquire charge orbs. The shop upgrades are nice, but the improvements they give feel relatively subtle in general, which seem to stand in contrast to my character reaching a ’500%’ power level at one point. In any case, these upgrades are important to gather, as they all will help you deal with the various challenges in the game.

The Recharge Meter (Lower Right Corner) lets you know when you can boom

On the topic of challenge, let’s go over what the game has to offer, starting with enemies. When enemies get close to you (or you move in close yourself), you can blow yourself up to damage them, and when you defeat them, you typically gain credits, as well as charge orbs. One feature of the game that’s nice is the mild sense of risk/reward that it employs in dealing with enemies: detonate when enemies are really close, and not only will your attack be stronger, but you’ll get more health as a result if the attack succeeds. Safer tactics will generally result in less of a bonus in damage/health. There are other techniques you’ll employ over time, like using projectiles, objects, and even the enemies themselves to help clear the stages.

The enemy variety is decent, but you will likely begin to notice a degree of repetition in the types of foes you are seeing over the course of the game’s 12 stages, despite variations made in both the power and size of those enemies. Another point of interest is that while enemies can harm you, this tends to be less a threat to your character’s life, and more a threat to sustaining a high power level for your explosions. With practice, people can find themselves powering through the stages in an elegant series of explosions, taking out enemies without getting hit themselves. Of course, enemies are not the only challenges you will face.