'Bumpers & Broadswords' is Rad

If you've been following this blog, you know how enamored I am with mongames. Two mongames that have captured my interest are the deeply flawed Metal Walker and Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB. In the case of Metal Walker, it has an unreasonably high encounter rate and capsules that are too inconsistent to plan a strategy around. While Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB is lacking because of its constant grinding and dice rolls that often determine the outcome of battles. However, the saving grace for both games lies in their battle systems. Metal Walker with its Flip Battles (turn-based pinball), and Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB's MC battles (monster-raising chess). These innovative battle systems provoked a desire to enjoy them without the baggage, and I'm pleased to say Bumpers & Broadswords delivers just that.

Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament

Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament is an RPG that combines the deck-building strategy of Yu-Gi-Oh! with Beyblade's toy-bashing action. Like Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB battles in Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament consists of 4v4 duels between collectible toys with a range of unique abilities. Bumpers come in four types: warrior, magic, beast, and machine, each with three stats: HP, ATK, and SPD. Similar to Metal Walker, slamming your bumper into opponents is determined by the angle and velocity, with the addition of dice as a damage multiplier. Bumpers also gain a field bonus if the environment matches their type, just like Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB. The Yu-Gi-Oh! influence isn't limited to the battle system, as the story and setting are reminiscent of the Battle City tournament from the manga. The gameplay loop of Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament involves exploring the city and defeating Bumper Battlers for money to purchase more bumpers that help you progress through the tournament, making more areas in the city accessible.

Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum

Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum is the sequel to Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament and refines the disc-slamming RPG gameplay of its predecessor in several ways. Rather than getting money from defeated Bumper Battlers, you receive one of the bumpers they used in battle. This change in reward streamlines the process of acquiring new bumpers, which suits Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum's premise of an infiltration mission (complete with codec calls ala Metal Gear) across multiple skyscraper floors, with little emphasis on exploration. The battle system of Bumpers & Broadswords: Maximum remains mostly the same except for replacing the dice with Bump Up. Bump Up is a mechanic that offers a chance per turn to evolve a bumper into a powered-up form based on the fullness of the Bump meter. While the random factor of dice in Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament was occasionally a source of frustration, Bump Up is satisfying because its use is entirely up to you.

It's cool when someone sees the same potential in obscure games that you do, but it's even better when they're inspired to make something. If you want more Bumpers & Broadswords, there are two spin-off games, Bumpers & Broadswords Gaiden and Bumpers & Broadswords 64. Bumpers & Broadswords Gaiden is a tactical RPG in the vein of games like Fire Emblem, while Bumpers & Broadswords 64 is more of a 3D battle simulator similar to Pokémon Stadium. Unfortunately, Bumpers & Broadswords hasn't gotten much attention, a consistent trend for indie mongames that I wrote about in my last post, so I'm doing my part to give this series of games more publicity.

Update: Bumpers & Broadswords: Tournament is no longer available, but Bumpers & Broadswords Mini, a demake, was released in 2025.