Buster Bros

Buster Bros is a 1989 action arcade game released by Mitchell Corporation originally as Pomping World and later as Pang and Buster Bros. It was the tenth game released for the CP System hardware.

The basic gameplay is identical to a much earlier 1983 MSX Japanese computer game called Cannon Ball (also released in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum as Bubble Buster). Cannon Ball was made by Japanese publishers Hudson Soft, and was licensed by Mitchell Corporation six years later to make Pang.

In the game, players must finish a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloons that are terrorising several of Earth’s landmarks and cities. The fight to save the Earth begins on Mount Fuji, Japan, where the players must pass all three stages before moving on to the next location.

Conversions, all titled Pang, were released across Europe by Ocean Software in 1990 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, and Atari ST.

Buster Bros Gameplay

There are 50 stages at 17 locations in Buster Bros: Mount Fuji, Mount Keirin, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Angkor Wat, Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal, Leningrad, Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens, Egypt, Mount Kilimanjaro, New York, Mayan ruins, Antarctica, and finally Easter Island.

Each location has a unique background that shows the area’s most famous landmarks. The stages contain a different layout of blocks, some that disappear after being shot, others that do not, and still others that are hidden and can reveal bonuses.

The stages start with differing numbers and sizes of balloons. The largest balloon divides for the first three times it is popped; after the fourth and smallest balloon is popped it vanishes. Each player starts with a single harpoon. When a balloon is popped, special weapons may drop down in Buster Bros..

The other weapons include:

• Double Wire, a twin harpoon that allows two shots at once.
• Power Wire, a grappling hook that stays attached to the ceiling or block for a short period of time. This time can be decreased by rapidly pressing the fire button.
• Vulcan Missile, a high-caliber gun that works much like a machine gun allowing rapid shots.

In Buster Bros. is no ammunition limit to any weapon. The names of the weapons differ between the monitor bezel (given above) and the game’s attract mode. Other bonuses include:

• A force field that protects the player from one hit by a ball or enemy.
• An hourglass that slows the balls down.
• A clock which stops the balls for a short time.
• Dynamite that pops all of the balloons down to their smallest size simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)