First announced in May, Dynablaster from BBG Entertainment has now arrived on all console platforms (except for PlayStation), PC and Mac, and even Atari VCS and Apple TV. The Bomberman-style battle game has had us excited because of its promise of both local and online co-op for up to four players. Now that it's here, we've dived into the co-op mode to bring you our first impressions.
Dynablaster offers two main game styles: Tournament (a series of competitive matches) and Key Picker (a single-player or cooperative mode). We're focused on the co-op Key Picker, which can be played online or locally with 2-4 players. Online matchmaking for Key Picker seems to create a 2-player game, but we assume that the "Play VS. Friends" option (which is actually co-op when playing Key Picker) will allow for 4-player.
In co-op Key Picker, players progress through a series of ten increasingly challenging levels. The goal is to blow up soft blocks and find the set number of keys needed to clear the level. In co-op games, some keys are color-coded and can only be grabbed by the matching player. The number of keys needed to clear a level increases with the level count, and enemy bots start to appear as well. Killing bots in Key Picker is unnecessary, but you'll likely get blown up if you ignore them for too long.
Clearing rounds of Key Picker will earn the player XP that contributes to overall rank and points to spend on cosmetic items. A full 10-round game of Key Picker feels like a mini co-op campaign, a nice way to spend some time with a Bomberman-loving friend or two. Cross-play is also supported, though we're not sure which platforms can play with each other just yet. The Xbox and Windows Store versions are cross-buy, so those versions should be compatible with each other.
To learn more about Dynablaster, check out our developer interview, and stay tuned for our full co-op review!
Dynablaster sells for $19.99 on Xbox and Windows Store, Switch, Steam, Atari VCS, and Mac and Apple TV. A PlayStation version is planned for later this year. The Steam version is fully Steam Deck compatible.