Strategies to win at Bombeco

The game looks simple, but whoever knows a handful of ideas wins comfortably. These are the ones that make the most difference, from the opening of the round to sudden death.

Opening: clear a path, don't look for a fight

In the first fifteen seconds nobody can hit anybody, because the bricks separate the corners. Use that time to clear a path toward you, grab the items that show up and gain bombs and speed. Whoever rushes to the middle with a single bomb and range two usually dies alone.

Always have an exit

Most eliminations are the bomb's own owner. Before dropping, trace the path in your head: after the bomb, you need at least two free squares of corridor and a corner to turn. In a straight corridor, the fire reaches you. Turning the corner is what saves you.

Chain reaction

A bomb hit by fire explodes at once. Whoever knows this turns bombs into traps: drop the first one near the second, so the explosion of one triggers the other and hits where your opponent will be. The opposite also holds: never flee between two bombs, especially other players' bombs.

Trapping your opponent

In a narrow corridor, drop the bomb at the entrance. An opponent in a dead end has only one choice: wait for the explosion and lose. With big fire, their escape needs more squares, and you can cut it off. This is the most common play in decided matches.

Using the rare items

• Kick: push a bomb down the corridor into your opponent. If someone has the kick, never leave a bomb of yours in the corridor between you.
• Shield: save it for a decisive play, not just because you picked it up. Eight seconds go by fast.
• Streak: with three or four bombs, it closes a whole corridor. Combine it with the chain reaction.
• Skull: grab it only if you are far from everyone. The curse that drops bombs on its own can eliminate you.

Sudden death

When the walls start to fall, whoever controls the center controls the round. Get there early, along a path you already opened. Watch the square that blinks: it falls next. If you are in a corner, the walls reach you last, but the exit may close before you reach the center.

Against bots

Easy-level bots hesitate and hit themselves. Hard-level ones flee bombs well, but still fall for chain reaction traps. Practice this: put a bomb next to theirs to force the escape in one direction, and put the second bomb where they will pass.

Playing in a group

In matches of four, the last two players have usually played defensively. If you are one of them, do not rush into the fight: let the others wear each other down. See also how to organize a match with your crew and check the arenas to pick the one that fits your style.