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"Classic destruction on a classic system"

Raid on Bungeling Bay was a great action game for the Commodore 64. In Raid you controlled a large helicopter, and the object of the game was to keep the enemy from building a massive battleship. It took place over a fairly large (for the time) two dimensional area that “wrapped around” on all sides of the screen (gotta love those 2-D physics!). The controls were very good, and the helicopter physics were good enough that it had momentum; if you wanted to stop or turn around it took a second for the helicopter to come to a halt and execute the command. The gameplay consisted of flying around destroying various factories and other buildings, while trying to avoid enemy aircraft. The enemy aircraft did not have as much speed or firepower as your helicopter early on in the game, but they got better and better as you progressed. At the same time, the enemy was attempting to build two battleships at two different docks. While they were in the process of being built you could simply fly over them and bomb them with no fear of retaliation, but if one of them was completed, then you had a real problem on your hands. The battleships were very heavily armed and letting one get completed usually meant game over. One way to prevent battleships from being built, besides bombing them back to the stone age, was to blow up some of the factories. The more factories that were in play, the faster the battleships were built. So there was always a constant pressure between going after the factories and taking out the battleship; if you spent too much time on one, the other would build up too fast and you were doomed. It ends up being a nice balance of mindless destruction (yes!) and strategy.

The map and the buildings were very detailed, and the helicopter looked very nice, with front and back rotors that looked realistic as they twirled. These were some of the best graphics to be founds on the C64. There were not a lot of sounds, but the ones present were also well done: the classic bomb dropping sound, buildings blowing up, the roar of enemy jets, and the constant sound of your propellers in action. There was also a nice feature where an alarm would sound if one of the battleships was nearing completion, adding to the frenetic pace of the game.

Like many games of its era, Raid on Bungeling Bay had no ending; you simply played until you died. One of the great features was that the entire game was seamless, that is there was never any pause or break in the game to go to a new level or wave. You were always free to fly to wherever you wanted, and the game would just keep spitting out factories and battleships. Eventually the factories and battleships were being built up so quickly that you couldn't possibly keep up, and a battleship would get completed. You can avoid the battleships for awhile, but they will track you down sooner rather than later and end your game quickly. With no story and a fairly basic gameplay, you might think this game would get tired in a hurry, but because of the satisfying destruction elements, the nice graphics, and the time pressures thrust onto the player, it keeps you coming back for more. If you have a C64 gathering dust somewhere, or you happen to run across one that's usable and by some bizarre circumstance you get the chance to play this game, give it a whirl (pun intended). While of course it can't compare to modern action games, Raid on Bungeling Bay is a solid action game, and one of the better games for the venerable Commodore 64.



Reviewer's Score: 8/10 | Originally Posted: 07/05/04