Battle Bull ManiaBattle Bull is a somewhat obscure top-down, action/puzzle game that was released in 1990 in Japan and 1991 in North America. The goal of the game is to drive your 'Battle Bull' around a deep space mine and eliminate the enemies that have infested each level. Game play is somewhat reminiscent of Pengo in that you must either use your shovel to destroy blocks, or push them into your enemies to kill them. There are 48 levels of increasing difficulty that must be cleared completely in order to complete your challenge. Along the way, you will acquire gold from the enemies you destroy that you must use to either upgrade your excavator or to buy extra lives.
Graphics get a 7
Nothing special here. Standard 1990 Game Boy LCD graphics. It's easy enough to tell what's going on without being confused as to who's who.
Sound gets a 7
Again, pretty standard fare for the time and platform. It's a little flutey, But not too annoying. Sounds like a lot of other games from this era.
Addictiveness 7
This is the type of game that I play in spurts. I'll play it for a while, then get frustrated, then forget why I quit playing eventually, then start over again. I've never beat it.
Story is a 7
There actually is a little bit of back story to this scenario. Apparently, mining robots on Perseus VI have run amok after being infected with a particularly nasty computer virus and have trashed the place, along with becoming extremely anti-social towards any visitors to the mine. So the mining company has hired you to eliminate the menace.
Depth 8
There are 48 levels of game play in all and more than one way to complete each one. The different enemies each have different abilities and after you begin to understand their tendencies the game can become easier. Some enemies chase you, some try to crush you with blocks, and others simply shoot at you.
The bad guys turn the ore to gold in their bodies, After they are destroyed and you complete the level, you can go shopping and use the gold you collected to purchase these upgrades:
1) You can turbo charge your engine up to three times for increased speed.
2) If you spend gold to upgrade your shovel you can eventually cut through blocks like a hot knife though butter.
3) You can buy three different levels of jumping ability that enables you to...jump. (I never waste money on this, you still have to kill the enemies eventually anyways and the money is best spent elsewhere)
4)If you get far enough you will begin to be able to afford offensive weaponry. Either a machine gun, grenades, or the ultimate weapon, the rocket launcher can definitely swing the odds back in your favor fast.
5) Finally, if you can afford it or think you may need it, you can purchase an extra life. You may only continue three times before it's game over, and every time you continue you lose all of your gold. This can create an interesting dynamic where the player has to decide whether to risk dying and losing out to save up enough gold for the more expensive upgrades, or to buy cheaper ones and extra lives.
Difficulty 7
It's Game Boy, so hopefully the controls won't be so complex that you can't figure them out. For myself this game has just about the right level of difficulty. Like I stated before, I've never beaten it, but it's not so hard that I don't think I never could if I put my mind to it.
Overall 7+
This is a pretty solid title really for early Game Boy. There aren't any aspects of the game that are particularly bad, but it's not too spectacular. When you first start out, before you upgrade your engine, you move so slow that it can be a bit frustrating. But that's part of the overall strategy you must develop to succeed. Back to battling the bulls..
Olé! Graphics
7 Sound
7 Addictive
7 Depth
8 Story
7 Difficulty
7
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