Charlie Blast's Territory

"A nice, solid puzzle game"

Charlie Blast's Territory is a long ignored game. It's a puzzle game made by Kemco a while back. Basically, the object is to push bombs around to get rid of all of them. I picked this up several years ago for twenty dollars and wasn't disappointed. Some of the puzzles can kill and to this day I have never found anybody to be able to beat the evil level 49.

Graphics: 8
Nothing special, but colorful and get the job done. The explosions could have been made to look better, but most gamers will be stuck on a level so long that it they will be happy to see them. However, the backgrounds can get drab when you're stuck on levels for some hours at a time.

Sound: 8
Nothing too special. The explosions sound good and the other cartoony noises get the job done.

Music: 7
Music is very important in a game to me and some of the tunes in this game are very catchy, but there are few. However, the songs can get annoying after a while.

Controls: 8
The main reason I'm not giving the controls a 9 is that they can be frustrating. You can only push bombs and if you make a mistake, there is a redo button. This helps a lot, but if Charlie already faced a different direction, the redo feature will only make him turn back the way he was. This gripe aside, the controls are all right and not complicated.

Gameplay: 9
This is the bulk of the game. And it's gameplay is quite solid. Charlie has to blow up islands by detonating all of the explosives on them. There are three different types of bombs, each with their own blast radius, as well as TNT crates which can be jumped over and must be removed as well. The basic idea is to get the bombs in eachother's blast radii and set off the detonator to create a chain reaction and run out of harm's way. With moving platforms, oil slicks, slippery ice, and sometimes even a detonator that goes off by itself, the game can be pretty exciting. Most of the levels have a clever way to beating them, but some of the later levels can be particularly brutal. These difficult puzzles really make you think and keep you playing for literal hours. My major gripe with gameplay is that the game uses a password system with cards. This could be easy to understand, but putting down passwords can become cumbersome.

Difficulty: 10
Some of the levels are EXTREMELY difficult. They will keep you rooted to the spot, slipping on ice and oil. There is also the aforementioned level 49 which is practically impossible to beat and has never been completed to my knowledge.

Multiplayer: 7
Charlie Blast does have a fun multiplayer, but it can get old after a while. The basic idea is to blow up large areas of neutral or enemy squares and turn them your color.

Buy or Rent: Buy
I don't think this game is for everybody since it is a difficult game, and I puzzle fans will get the most of it. I doubt you can find this game for rent now but at the good price of twenty dollars, there really isn't anything to lose, if you can find it.

The Verdict: 8
Charlie Blast's Territory (or Challenge, as was its working title) is an entertaining game and I suggest it to everybody who likes challenging games that make you think, giving Charlie Blast's Territory a solid 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/03