When it comes to games, especially ones that are inherently simpler like your typical puzzler, it’s surprising how much one idea can change things around. A few months ago I had the pleasure of checking out the pretty addictive Suika Game while it was free for a weekend. While it's a descendant of the likes of 2048 and others, there was just something simple but effective about it that kept my interest for more than a few hours. Bomb Cat makes no bones about being in that same vein, switching cute fruits for a variety of differently-colored cats, but its addition of a Bomb Cat can literally shake things up.

Your goal is simply to stay alive, and to do that you’ll need to keep all of your ball-like cats of various sizes inside your box and below the line at the top. Normally your single method of keeping things under control is to combine 2 of the same type, which results in a larger ball representing a combination of those 2, and so on. While you can try to apply strategy, for sure, once chain reactions of combinations kick off the inevitable jostling of everything can wreck your plans in a hurry, and that’s where Bomb Cat further ups the unpredictability ante.

Bomb Cats, unlike their brethren, do not combine, and the only way you’ll get rid of them is by making them explode. To further complicate matters they can only get set off by a specific fire-oriented cat, but once those two touch the Bomb Cat’s fuse will be lit and they’ll blow up a few seconds later. These explosions can be both a blessing and a curse, clearing things out, potentially setting off a bunch of chain reactions, but unfortunately also having the power to immediately end your game since smaller cats can be easily launched out of the box. Just introducing this one specific piece to the party significantly alters the strategy for success, but with a risk and reward edge that a roguelike fan like myself appreciates.

So, is this an experience that you could only enjoy with the power of a Switch? Obviously not. Is it a wholly new and unique idea, built from the ground up to demonstrate a new way to play games? Not even close. But is it a smart enough variation on a theme that comes to the eShop with a budget-friendly price, a reasonable level of cuteness, and an idea that makes it just different enough to be worth a look for puzzle fans? Absolutely.