Puzzle games come in many shapes and forms, but this one is a fascinating combination.
Developed by indie studio Filiokus, Cal & Bomba has you play as the team duo of the calculating gnome Cal and the explosive-loving troll Bomba as the plan and execute the perfect bombing run to clear out objects in the sky.
Cal & Bomba is a programming puzzler, or a
“program-before-you-play puzzle game” as the press release dubs it. You’ll be spending most of the time crafting a plan, before see it come to fruition as everything explodes.
Filikous, a team founded by Martin Lothe Sæterdal and Gjermund Mørkved Bohne, wants to explore “the intersection of math, design, and fun,” turning maths and logic into a creative expression. There’s a word in Norwegian, “matteglede” which translates to “the joy of math” and that’s what Cal & Bomba is build on.
“We want to spread matteglede—the joy of math—through games,” says co-founder Martin Lothe Sæterdal. “When you solve a tough puzzle, it feels good. That feeling stays with you and it’s something we want everyone to experience.”
Looking at the gameplay trailer, you’d be surprise to see it look anything like a math game, or a programming puzzler. No conveyor belts or gears or anything industrial. Less numbers than a loot-based RPG or an incremental idle game—you don’t see numbers go up. Just bombs, explosions and a whimsy fantasy world. Which makes Cal & Bomba stands out.
Programming is essentially the art of problem solving using robust logic, which is part of the vast school of mathematic, after all. It’s heartening to see game devs continue to explore this niche without necessarily going full Zach-like or be a another automation game.
Cal & Bomba is releasing soon, October 16, on PC (Steam). A demo is available if the idea of visual problem-solving sounds like fun.