119. Keroppi to Keroriinu no Splash Bomb (Geo Factory, Famicom, 1993)

And so we come to the final Famicom Sanrio game (and one of the last Famicom games released), Keroppi to Keroriinu no Splash Bomb (Keroppi & Keroiinu's Splash Bomb). The previous Sanrio Famicom game I sampled, #118 Kerokerokeroppi no Daibouken 2, got a lot of mileage out of combining 2 popular Famicom series, and this game does the same to great effect.

This time the titles that inform the gameplay are The Legend of Zelda and Bomberman, as you are navigating htrough a series of increasingly complex gird-based dungeons, but your only means of attack is laying down water bombs. Your bombs dispose of enemies and obstacles, but they do not damage you, so the end result is much easier than its inspirations, and I think the game is better off for it.

Not that Splash Bomb is a cakewalk, any enemies or fire that you touch leads to instant death, so you at least have to be careful as you explore each dungeon. There are the standard Zelda staircases and dungeon maps, it really feels very familiar. Because of the relative ease of the game, the real fun and challenge comes from exploring the dungeons trying to find the correct path. The music is peppy and fun, and even though it was a pretty short loop, it didn't really wear on me. In the second level, the floor tiles pulsed along to the music, which I really dug.

4/5, a nice, simple mashup of Zelda and Bomberman