Nnooo is an Australian developer best known for the Wii, 3DS and Vita game escapeVektor. The developer is taking its talents to the next-generation with Blast ‘Em Bunnies for PlayStation 4, PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS.
At the EB Games Expo, I had a chance to play the PlayStation 4 version of the game. Blast ‘Em Bunnies has a simple premise: fire a cannon at bunnies who are trying to take you down in a wave based, base defence format. On the PlayStation 4, the cannon is controlled by the DualShock 4′s Sixaxis gyro control, and you use R2 to fire the cannon. The controls are simplistic, but that makes the game perfect for players of all ages.
At first, I was wary of using the DualShock 4′s Sixaxis to control the cannon. I assumed it would feel like a gimmick and not control well at all. Thankfully, I was completely wrong. The motion controlled movement was accurate and easy to control. I was never fighting with the motion controls throughout my whole playtime, which is something I’ve had trouble with when playing other motion games in the past. With the PS Vita and 3DS both having motion controls as well, I suspect this will be the primary control method for Blast ‘Em Bunnies. I’m sure some players would prefer to use the analog sticks, so hopefully that control method is also possible in the final product.
Do not let Blast ‘Em Bunnies‘ cartoonish-animated art style fool you, this is not an easy game. After I defeated the first few waves, I was thinking that Blast ‘Em Bunnies was aimed at children so it was easier than most games. Nope. That’s not true. After a few easier waves, Blast ‘Em Bunnies catches you off-guard. Suddenly, I was being overwhelmed. I frantically spun my cannon in the full 360 degrees to stop the bunny assault.
With different types of bunnies, you are always kept on your feet. There are flying bunnies, little bunnies that run fast, and evil bunnies that threaten to kill cute little bunnies – which is kind of terrifying for a game that looks to be aimed at children.
To help stop the onslaught, you can acquire more powerful weapons by shooting weapon crates that some bunnies drop upon death. My favourite was the gun that shot watermelon pips. It was more like a machine gun, whereas a gun that shot pumpkins was more like a grenade launcher. It’s a unique spin on a genre that tends to always involve some kind of military theme.
According to Nnooo’s official website, you will be able to upgrade the guns with coins you collect, which are picked up much like the way you collect weapon crates, but I was unable to upgrade any guns because of the controlled demo environment.
When I first picked up the controller to play Blast ‘Em Bunnies, I was expecting to not be pleased. Thankfully, I walked away feeling the complete opposite. While I had to move on to another station, I was addicted and I desperately want to get my hands on the game again in the near future. I can’t wait to see how many waves of bunnies I will be able to survive. Blast ‘Em Bunnies‘ simplistic controls and cute art style should make it a great game for gamers young and old.
Blast ‘Em Bunnies is targeted for an early to mid 2014 release on PlayStation 4, PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS.