Bore Blasters review

What is it? A roguelike arcade shooter about dwarves mining for gold and diamonds with attack helicopters.
Release date March 8, 2024
Expect to pay $9/£8
Developer 8BitSkull
Publisher 8BitSkull
Reviewed on AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, 16 GB RAM
Steam Deck TBA
Link Official site

I find myself in an airship that hovers above a floating island in space. I plunge to the planet’s surface via rocket and emerge flying an attack helicopter. My only instructions: shoot rocks, mine gems, and delve as deep as I can. So begins the first level of Bore Blasters, whose straightforward yet satisfying game loop had me initially hooked. It's just a shame it doesn’t quite go the distance.

First and foremost, gunning through stone simply feels great in Bore Blasters. Little numbers pepper the screen as my bullets find purchase, and each exploded cube sends gems flying to the top of the screen, filling up an bar that unlocks temporary «bolt-on» upgrades, and racking up my gold count for spending on permanent bonuses back at base. The ultimate goal of each level is a giant treasure chest floating in the deepest depths—grabbing it rewards you with a shower of gold and a new toy to play with in future levels. 

The overall premise of the game is delightfully peculiar, and its colorful pixel art style imbues the world with an easy charm. Dwarves and sci-fi is a winning combo, and being given an attack helicopter as your primary mining tool is a great, silly twist. It’s a really easy game to fall in love with when you first start out—but sadly, it hits peak fun less than halfway through its short campaign, and my affection faded when it started to feel like my upgraded dwarf was outpacing the game’s ability to challenge me. 

That first floating island is just one of many that I travel to over the course of Bore Blaster’s campaign. Completing each island unlocks those surrounding it, until there’s an entire grid of them to dig through. 

Different islands feature distinct biomes, each with a unique flair. Some