is a

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

developed and published by

Tecmo , was a Japanese video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or ...

for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

. It was later ported to the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...

, Atari ST and Commodore 64. ''Mighty Bomb Jack'' is a sequel to the 1984 arcade game ''

Bomb Jack ''Bomb Jack'' is a platform video game developed and published by Tehkan for arcades in and later ported to various home systems. The game was a commercial success for arcades and home computers. It was followed by several sequels: the console a ...

''. Within PAL-A regions, the NES version was only released in Australia. The NES version was released on the

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Un ...

on May 7, 2007 for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

, on December 6, 2012 for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generati ...

and on January 23, 2014 for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...

. It is also available to play on

Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch video game console. Nintendo Switch Online features include online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat via a smartphone app, access to a library of Nintend ...

as of November 14, 2018, while an updated ''High Game Deviation Value!'' version was released on July 17, 2019. There was also a board game adaptation released by Bandai in 1986.

Plot

Jack, the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of the game, must make his way through 16 levels set within a

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...

in order to defeat the demon Belzebut and rescue the royal Pamera family.

Gameplay

Each level is split into two parts; an action zone and a Royal

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

room. The mechanics and level

designs A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

of the Royal Palace rooms are directly lifted from ''Bomb Jack''. Action zones can be split up into several portions and contain

power-ups In video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing ...

usually hidden in

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

chests such as money bags, Mighty Coins and Mighty Drinks. Mighty Coins allow Jack to change colors; blue allows Jack to open orange treasure chests, orange allows him to open any treasure chest by simply touching it from the side, and green transforms all enemies on the screen into coins for 5 seconds. Mighty Drinks add 10 seconds to the game's timer.

Secret passage Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow peop ...

s can also be found in the action zones, activated by finding a

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches o ...

in a visible or hidden treasure chest. To prevent the player from becoming too "greedy", the game automatically sends the player to a Torture Room if they obtain more than 9 Mighty Coins or 99 seconds on the game's timer. The only way to escape a Torture Room without losing a life is to complete a number of jumps, which are counted down on the screen. Once the player exits the Torture Room, Jack automatically loses all Mighty Coins, the timer is reset to 60 seconds, and the game recommences from the beginning of the current level.

VS. System version

A Nintendo VS. System version of the game was released in 1986 for the Japanese market (not to be confused with the original dedicated arcade version). Differences between the original and VS. versions include adding a

two-player A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

mode, changing the locations of some secret passages and removing a

warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

in the Royal Palace rooms.

Reception

In Japan, the game sold over copies by 1987. In North America, the game received a positive review from ''Computer Entertainer'' upon release, with a score of 7.5 out of 8 stars, the same as ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releas ...

'' in the same issue. They called ''Mighty Bomb Jack'' a fast-paced "adventure-action game" that is "loaded with nuances which you will continue to discover as play" and said it is a tough, frustrating, "just one more time" game that "will have you back for more and more!" The Virtual Console re-releases later received mixed-to-negative reviews, with

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

calling the game "repetitive" and "broken", while ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

'' called it "

ind of Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

clever", though "not exactly deep".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

called the Wii Virtual Console version of ''Mighty Bomb Jack'' "a poor candidate for your time investment". ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' criticized the game's platforming and level design, stating that "dynamics of

he game He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

are somewhat broken" and that "the key to success is anticipating how nemieswill move in order to get past", because their behavior is "almost random". On the other hand, Nintendo Life praised ''Mighty Bomb Jack''s secrets for adding some

replay value Replay may refer to: * Replay (sports), a replayed match between two sport teams Technology * Game replay, a recording of a game session. * Instant replay, in motion pictures and television, a showing again of part of a film * Replay Professiona ...

, as well as the game's sense of humor.

Notes

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/mighty-bombjack, name=''Mighty Bomb Jack'' 1986 video games Amiga games Arcade video games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Platform games Game Boy games Nintendo Vs. Series games Tecmo games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Mark Cooksey Video games scored by Tsukasa Masuko Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Wii U Nintendo Switch Online NES games Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS