Boombots is a 3D combat game in which players go through a series of battles in order to finally defeat Mandu, the Cat Alien's leader in order to liberate the Earth and its housecats.
There is a choice of up to 15 Boombots (5 of which are locked) and 15 different arenas. Players can choose to play a single-player tournament or a two-player (versus) mode.
The Boombots cast of robots include such characters as Chickie Boom, Dog E.Dog, Hara Hara, and more. Each has special weapons (guns, missiles, etc.) and unique strengths and weaknesses.
The locked characters and arenas can be accessed after remaining undefeated over a stretch of time. The arenas contain multiple levels (platforms) and plenty of impediments (such as a lava pit, etc.). Ten of these arenas are unlocked at the outset, and can be freely chosen depending on the battle you want to play — some are better for close range battles, for example. Power-ups are found throughout the arenas, including Health, Shield, X2 (increase attack power), and Mongo Power (instant Mongo Mode). Yellow Energy Balls must be collected in order to improve the power of rockets and guns.
Pre-match briefings and clay animation movies in between battles are very well done and designed to be humorous.
This game involves a lot of dodging of missiles, and not as much close-up punching that is common in fighting video games. Players must jump behind pillars and such, while avoiding the projectiles and launching their own at the same time.
The controls are rather straightforward — even the youngest kid tester had no problem playing a battle in versus mode.
