Bore Blasters Review
Mining is an integral part of many games. I am not talking about that weird crypto mining or even data mining. I am talking about good ol’ fashioned pickaxe to mineral veins. Of course, you have Minecraft (the name is a dead giveaway), and I am sure Roblox has some mode that includes mining. Every MMO I have ever played (World of Warcraft, Rift, WildStar (remember that one?), Elder Scrolls Online), has mining as an integral component of the ecosystem. Then you have games that spotlight mining of some variety like Terraria, Spelunky, Deep Rock Galactic, SteamWorld Heist, and Below the Stone, just to name a few (the Steam search for “mining” yields over 5,000 results). What if we added a ship and replaced the trusty pickaxe with a gun?
Developed by 8BitSkull, Bore Blasters is a twin-stick shooter with roguelite features disguised as a mining adventure. You jump into the shoes of a dwarven (dwarf is also a growing Steam search) gyrocopter pilot who must use their machine gun drill (yes, that is a thing) to dig for loot and fight off goblins and other underworld denizens vying for that same treasure. You know what they say: if a mining excavation fails, just add explosives the next time…
After your five minute primer into operating a machine gun drill, you find yourself in a world map covered in tiny islands. Just pick one and start drilling or shooting or, drill shooting? Your main objective is to reach the giant treasure chest at the bottom of the level. Bad news though, you probably will not reach it your first or second go around. Many obstacles will hinder your progress like death or, shudder, running out of gas. Like most roguelites, you will have to put in some work. On the bright side, there is always progression. Whatever you collect, whether you succeed or fail, you keep. It does not matter if the run lasts 30 seconds or 5 minutes. This not only lessens the blow of failure (again, it has roguelite tendencies so get used to it), but makes you want to jump back in for another dig. As you dig, you will collect gems that fill your experience bar. Every time you level up, you get a choice of three upgrades which range from basics like increasing fire rate or damage to randomly dropping bombs or having drones accompany you that shoot at enemies.
Besides the power-ups, each pilot has a unique ability similar to the alternate fire you find on weapons in most FPS. These abilities can synergize well with many of the power-ups. For example, Jarl Gemwise shoots a Gemforge Ray and if you combine that with Gemshards….BOOM!
After each level, whether successful or not, you can permanently upgrade your ship using the gems collected. Ship upgrades can increase the amount of damage you can take, how much fuel the ship holds, or even increase the damage the machine gun drill does. Upon returning to the world map after a successful dig, the tiles that border the particular island reveal additional areas. The further you move from the center of the map, the deeper the digs you will encounter. Progressing the story enough unlocks Gloz’s Workshop, another avenue to spend your vast fortune. Gloz sells temporary buffs to aid the next dig.
If you were looking for a dwarven adventure filled with looting and explosions, you have come to the right place. Prepare yourself to dig, fail, dig more, fail even more, rinse, and repeat. The gameplay loop becomes evident very early on and is super satisfying not to mention highly addictive. There are also daily runs to participate in where you can compete against other players for high scores. Upon finishing out the campaign, you can try your luck at the Challenge Simulatron, an end-game activity that challenges you to increasingly more difficult digs. Bore Blasters is the game to play if you like a good mining run or really just want to play with a machine gun drill.
