Bore Blasters was provided by 8BitSkull for review. Thank you!
During the Steam Next Fest last month, I played a ton of different demos and tried them out on the Steam Deck. There were a lot of great ones, but one of the demos that stood out to me was Bore Blasters. The gameplay and concept were simple, and yet there was still a lot to love. It also ran wonderfully on the Steam Deck, which was a huge plus. And now, with the full release upon us, I can say for certain that it is a great game to play and one that is perfect to take on the go.
Bore Blasters will see you mining through levels to collect as many gems as you can. Each world is procedurally generated, with new ones unlocking as you complete them. As you dig down, you will find these gems, which you can use once you complete a level to upgrade your ship, and if you make it down, you can unlock new temporary upgrades that you get throughout the level.
For the most part, the gameplay loop is pretty simple, yet it's so addicting. Going through each randomly generated level, avoiding enemies, and getting deeper for the better ores that give more in-game currency is a ton of fun. While it can be slow, the upgrades you use the money on do start showing a difference, while the temporary upgrades you get through the levels really impact how you play and can change your strategy a lot. Some of the enemies you encounter can be annoying, but overall, it gets much easier depending on the upgrades you choose. There are also quests you can take on, which can unlock new ships with different ultimate moves to demolish all of the rocks and ores in your way.
The quest does have a story attached to it, but I never found it to be important or impactful. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and for a $10 game, I am pleased with what is included, but I wouldn't get this game hoping for a riveting tale. But other than that, there's a lot to love about this title. The gameplay is addicting, the pixel art is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is awesome. The sound effects help give the game that arcade feel, which I think makes it even more fun to get into. And playing it on the go is an even better experience.
Bore Blasters doesn't need any changes and will run flawlessly on the Steam Deck with ease, but there is an issue. The game can, in the middle of levels, push its framerate down to 60 FPS in some areas, even without a TDP limit. So, on OLED models, I would recommend a 60 FPS limit with a TDP of 5. This keeps the battery down a bit, around 7W - 8W, without sacrificing anything else.
There aren't many options to change in Bore Blasters, but there aren't many that are necessary anyway. The audio bars can be changed, as well as auto-fire, showing value numbers and screenshake, but that's about it.
The game doesn't have 16:10 resolution support, but it does have controller and cloud save support. There are no HDR options.
Bore Blasters is probably the perfect game for a portable device like the Steam Deck. The arcade-style gameplay loop is extremely addicting, with an upgrade system that can feel rewarding over time. The graphical style and soundtrack lend itself well here, too, keeping you engaged, even when some obnoxious enemies are trying to get to you. And since there are no in-game settings that need to be changed, it's an easy Best on Deck game that I highly recommend.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Bore Blasters is an awesome arcade-style roguelite that is perfect to play on the Steam Deck.
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