There is a bomb full of wires and the countdown has started... Who are you gonna call? YOU, the Bomb Busters!
To clear the bomb, you need to collaborate with your team of bomb disposal experts! Using the wires on the tile holder in front of you, try and figure out your teammates’ wires. Find and cut identical wires, but watch out, if you cut a red wire: BOOM! Use your equipment wisely to meet the varied challenges which get harder and harder. Tick tock tick tock... Will you figure it out before it’s too late?
With 66 missions, there will be:
=> 66 different ways to play depending on your moods (in order, by level of difficulty, favourite configuration…)
=> 66 challenges to play over and over (even if you already blew your top!)
=> Plenty of tricky bombs which become more and more dangerous (but don’t get cut up about it!)
Gameplay
There is a set of 48 normal wires numbered 1-12 (4 of each value). Then, you add some yellow and red wires and deal them all to the players.
Each mission is different, but your goal is always the same: go through all 12 numbers without blowing up!
The players place the tiles on their stands and then take turns pointing at each others’ wires and guessing their values. If the guess is correct, the wires are cut. If not — the detonator advances! If you manage to cut all wires without blowing up — good job, the mission is completed, but if the bomb goes off... Try again!
- Cool mechanics and interesting deduction gameplay
- 66 different missions provide progression
- Graduated difficulty levels
- Supports 2-5 players
- Two-player cooperative mode available
- Clever clue-giving makes players feel smart
- Grows with the game as you unlock higher missions
- Cute aesthetic appeals to various audiences
- Harder to teach than other nominees
- Requires experienced guide to teach
- Complex setup with many steps
- Rules difficult to understand from reading alone
- First play is very confusing
- High age rating (14+) for family award
- First game nearly impossible without prior explanation
- May not be appropriate for family audiences
- Two-player mode might be too easy
- Not approachable for casual family gaming
- Cooperative bomb deactivation
- Cute cartoon rabbits defusing bombs
- Puzzle-solving with deduction
- Sky Team
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Clue giving — Players give strategic clues to communicate wire information
- cooperative deduction — Team working together to deduce wire cutting sequences
- Mission progression — 66 missions with graduated difficulty starting at mission 8
- scaling difficulty — Can start with just blue wires and progressively add mechanics
- Wire cutting — Cutting blue, yellow, and red wires to defuse bombs
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Multiplayer blackjack in two words.
- It's infectious fun and almost everybody enjoys it.
- They just have to be mean sometimes to get what you want.
- It's a really cool idea in a fairly standard game.
- I really think Endeavor is amazing.
- You so want to do so much and you cannot do everything each turn.
- I could play Flip Seven with my entire family from age 7 to 87.
- The reverse scoring is fantastic and brilliant.
- I love the whole theme. I love the exploration. I love going deeper.
- If you bring this to the US, give it a new name.
- It's not approachable for casual family gaming.
- The jury preferences have changed - they're not easy to predict.
References (from this video)
- Not specified in transcript
- Not specified in transcript
- Not specified in transcript
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I don't think that those speak to the death of the hobby.
- Innovation is drastically overrated.
- The hobby is growing from a user base standpoint.
- IP growth within the industry is certainly something you're going to continue to see.
- Crowdfunding has seen a decline 2024 2025.
- the death of all these things is greatly overstated.
References (from this video)
- Strong cooperative tension
- Lots of content and crates to unlock for replayability
- Theme may feel light for some players
- Difficulty of some logic may frustrate newcomers
- Team coordination under time pressure
- Cooperative bomb-defusal across a bomb-laden scenario
- Cooperative, puzzle-like with escalating tension
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card-driven actions and shared information — Limited information and deduction drive the gameplay
- cooperative puzzle solving — Players deduce wires and sequences to cut them correctly
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The visually most pleasing board game, Euro game of all time.
- I can't stop thinking about this game and want to play it again and again.
- The box is actually part of the game.
- It's the best character building in board games, period.
- The historic flavor, the politics, the negotiation, the backstabbing makes this an amazing game experience.
References (from this video)
- engaging teamwork
- grows with player communication
- strong thematic integration
- potentially steep learning curve for new groups
- depends on turnout and grouping
- team-based bomb defusal with deduction
- Cooperative puzzle scenario involving wiring and defusal under time pressure
- procedural/puzzle-driven
- Flip Seven
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — all players work together to achieve a common objective.
- deduction — players deduce the correct wiring or sequence to resolve objectives.
- scenario-based puzzle — multi-step tasks that require coordination and planning.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love Bomb Busters. It is a great game.
- I would play again.
- Clank will test you. See how greedy you are.
- I love the theming of the game.
- This is cooperative; semi-cooperative in some reviews.
- Lightning Train was good. I liked it a lot.
- Deep Regrets is a great game. I recommend.
- Fromage is awesome. Star would like it because it has simultaneous actions.
References (from this video)
- Stitch thrives on chaos and a playful sense of mischief
- High pace may be stressful for some players
- chaos, fast play, unpredictability
- Cartoonish toy factory / explosive adventures
- lighthearted
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- real-time / dexterity-lite — Fast, explosive, and unpredictable card-driven action
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Belle loves books. It's what made her so weird according to the people in her community.
- It's basically her dream.
- I'm in Disney World right now, so I'm having a great time.
References (from this video)
- high replayability due to many distinct bomb scenarios
- engaging teamwork with a tangible sense of urgency
- can become chaotic in large groups if not moderated
- player interaction relies heavily on discussion and consensus
- cooperative real-time puzzle solving and risk management
- bomb-defusal operation with a race against time
- scenario-based tension with varied contexts
- Pandemic
- Marvel Champions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative puzzle solving — players discuss and deduce wire patterns to disarm a bomb across multiple scenarios.
- scenario variety — a large library of scenarios ensures each game feels fresh.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is incredibly impressive and players can work together to try to solve these cases.
- There are thousands of cases; it scales in complexity and replayability.
- There are so many scenarios so that every game doesn't feel the same.
- This one is back to being really unique because this is based in the entire Dungeons and Dragons world.
- Two versions of it. There's retail and the miniatures, and they both play the exact same, which is what I love.
References (from this video)
- Cute concept with comedic chaos
- High party potential
- Rule clarity needed to avoid confusion
- Casual puzzle misadventures with improvised manuals
- Bomber squad encountering DIY-mishaps
- Humorous chaos
- Clue
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative puzzle-solving — Players attempt to assemble or resolve tasks without following the manual.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The weirder, the better. I love it.
- It's going to be a real hit.
- This is all in fun as per usual.
References (from this video)
- Strong family-friendly appeal
- High engagement and teamwork
- Re-playability with different wire layouts
- Tension can be intense for very young players
- Cooperative teamwork under pressure
- Bomb disposal lab / room environment
- High-stakes, family-friendly teamwork
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- communication — Coordinate actions to avoid triggering a disaster.
- cooperative puzzle solving — Work with teammates to cut the right wires and defuse the bomb.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I absolutely love the sanctury cards in this game. They offer a lot of endgame scoring.
- it's mean like really mean
- it's a rockus blast to play
- this is such a fun racing game and it's one of the few racing games that actually feels like a racing game
- I'll never understand why this game doesn't get pushed more as a mainstream title
- you cut the right wire
- it's co-op
- the big chunky gavel smashing it off the ground
References (from this video)
- tight puzzle design with clear thematic cohesion
- fast playtime and flavorful cooperative feel
- replayable variability through landmark choices
- learning curve around icon/resource management
- component clutter can slow setup or table flow for new players
- bomb disarmament, teamwork under pressure
- Cooperative bomb disposal in a team-based puzzle setting
- puzzle-driven, procedural
- Trains
- Yokohama
- Rolling America
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action_selection — choose between building or claiming landmarks each turn
- cooperative_play — players work together to disarm bombs and complete objectives
- hand_management — draw two cards per turn and manage resources to build or disarm
- tile_placement — placing tiles to form effective patterns and pathways for disarmament
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Bomb Busters. So, this is the game of the year.
- engine building and tableau building your own little town.
- Castle Razors. Hand them to someone. Wow.
- Castle Panic for grown-ups.
- I love the engine-building aspect. It’s like the Matrix in some days.
- We’re nerds.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's like a humongous library of games that you can try and somebody will teach them to you.
- You don't even have to learn the rules, which is great.
- There are seven holes all together, all full of games and cool stuff. Just so much to see and we just barely scratched the surface.
- If you're into playing stuff, making stuff, you can find something here.
- This video is sponsored by Mandleleep.
- The stage looks pretty freaking epic.
- Remember how said he's not going to buy anything? He saw this cover and said, 'I want to buy this'.
- Welcome to Essen.
References (from this video)
- engaging, high-stakes teamwork
- great group game for larger tables
- can become chaotic with many players
- cooperation under pressure
- bomb disposal scenario
- tension-filled cooperative puzzle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative puzzle solving — players coordinate to diffuse a bomb by matching wires and using special powers.
- timed/dynamic challenge — time pressure adds a frantic aspect to decisions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Black history is personal to us.
- Black history is American history 247 365.
- keep the foot on the gas.
References (from this video)
- high tension and teamwork
- numerous scenarios for variety
- can feel deterministic in some setups
- cooperative problem solving under pressure
- bomb disposal scenarios with escalating difficulty
- tactical teamwork
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative push-your-luck — failure increases risk and restarts scenarios
- pattern recognition / wire-cutting — players guess wire configurations to diffuse bombs
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- In PX Premiere, you are playing an Afghan tribesman trying to appease all the giant nations that have come in here and trying to make fortune for themselves.
- First to reach 30 fame wins the game.
- The Gang has been my go-to simple co-op game where if you know poker, you're going to love this.
References (from this video)
- Strong cooperative feel and family-friendly play
- High longevity due to many scenarios
- Engaging for group gifting and gatherings
- Aesthetics are not visually striking
- Rules can be fiddly for first-time players
- bomb disposal and teamwork under pressure
- Bomb-defusal scenario with each player controlling a bomb-diffusing board; cooperative, puzzle-driven objective.
- procedural deduction with potential trial-and-error
- Carcassonne
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative puzzle solving — Players work together to clip wires on different player boards to diffuse a bomb.
- deductive reasoning — Players use logic and sometimes educated guesses to determine correct wires.
- failure-tracking/timeout mechanic — A number of failures equal to the players causes the bomb to explode; game restarts if not diffused.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- My number 10 is Bomb Busters.
- It's a cooperative game where you are all bomb diffusing agents and you're trying to go in and work together to diffuse this bomb.
- You're going to be able to recognize the mechanisms from the pandemic system by the time you finish, but it feels thematic by then.
- This is a great one if you're a Christian and you enjoy Tableau Builders more than anything else.
References (from this video)
- great cooperative tension
- ramping mission structure works well for sustained play
- some luck elements, and setup can be lengthy
- tension and cooperation under time pressure
- cooperative puzzle scenario with a bomb/defusal theme
- cooperative, tense, mission-driven
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative play with limited communication — players coordinate without full information sharing to complete missions
- mission-based progression — the game ramps up through distinct missions with increasing difficulty
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it had a really nice flow to it and there was interesting thing about it is you only have two tiles and you only have one choice to make
- the hook is that the order of your workers shifts round to round based on the actions you select in the previous round
- the scoring happens so quickly
- limited communication cooperative co-op games
References (from this video)
- Lots of content
- Multiple scenarios
- Unique gameplay elements
- Cooperative wire-cutting challenge
- Bomb defusal scenario
- Puzzle-solving
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative guessing — Players guess wire numbers and cut wires carefully
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We're going to present a game, then rank them in one of these categories
- If you enjoyed this video, then we did the same video last month
References (from this video)
- innovative
- good theme
- interesting components
- Cooperative
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Dice Tower is this really cool YouTube channel that talks and reviews more board games than anybody ever will or have been.
- We here at Shellside would like to present the 18th annual Dice Tower Awards
References (from this video)
- Fun, accessible family game with light deduction
- Easy to teach and repeatedly playable
- Damaging yet solvable via thoughtful teamwork
- Some missions can feel repetitive if played in quick succession
- Not a drop-in for players who dislike deductive logic
- Deductions under pressure with a bomb-defusal motif
- Mission-style bomb-diffusal circuits with repeated scenarios
- Mission-by-mission, puzzle-driven play
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deduction — Players deduce sequences or patterns to solve each mission.
- limited communication — Players share minimal information to avoid giving away too much.
- Mission-based play — A sequence of independent missions with escalating complexity.
- Pattern recognition — Matching numbers and sequences to determine safe vs. danger paths.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's really about exploring around
- this is a cooperative game, you and all your teammates crash landing onto a planet
- it's really about enjoying the kind of stories that emerge as you explore these different parts of the world
- Flip 7 is a really simple push your luck game, round after round
- The Old King's Crown... it's the hottest game right now. People are playing this a bunch
- Lost Ruins of Varnac, which is also from CGE in that you're trying to find a way to keep that round going
- It's war on steroids. Like, there's a million things you can do to augment what you have played
- it's just silly fun
References (from this video)
- strong cooperative experience
- engaging and tense without being too heavy
- may require some setup and clear roles
- depends on group communication
- team coordination under pressure
- cooperative bomb-diffusion scenario
- playful, tense, humorous
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative puzzle solving — Players work together to diffuse a bomb by matching wires and completing tasks.
- wire-matching and timing — Players select connections; wrong matches increase risk and drive tension.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Spread some gospel and maybe you can convert some folks. The gospel of board gaming.
- Push your luck.
- Location, location, location.
- Cuz everybody has different things that they like to do.
- It's not about you at this point. It's about the people you're inviting and making them have a good time.
- Risk it for the biscuit.
- Biscuit is gone.
- Flip seven is so much fun.
- Roll for It, which is a simple little card game.
- Not a hat is a fun fun game.
References (from this video)
- Spiel des Jahres winner this year
- 66 different scenarios with varying difficulty
- 8 training scenarios for learning
- escalating complexity with equipment cards
- engaging cooperative gameplay
- sold out quickly at Gen Con
- bomb diffusing
- espionage
- cooperative mission
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We can do this. We are cats. We always land on our feet.
- Among Us without anyone trying to kill you.
- First player to finish flips it.
- Dunzo. That's an instant fail. We're toast.
- I've heard of that, I say, 'Well, I can tell you about it or you can sit down and play it for yourself and find out.'
- The exhibit hall, Gen Con is massive.
References (from this video)
- promotes teamwork and cooperation
- well-designed mechanics
- not the speaker's preferred game style
- some players may not enjoy the light theme
- cooperative teamwork
- unknown
- unknown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative teamwork — Players collaborate to complete objectives and solve tasks.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is not an exhaustive top 10 list that we are giving you—the bottom half of the Spiel winners.
- Keep on playing games. Even if they're light, they're still games.
References (from this video)
- Cooperative deduction that balances information sharing and communication
- Progressive campaign structure with scalable difficulty
- Rich interaction through equipment and tokens
- Entertaining theme with light humor and tension
- Production components are fragile (thin benches/trays) and can be fiddly
- Teaching complexity is high for newcomers; rules are non-trivial
- Some players may rely heavily on memory or deduction which can be tiring
- Bomb disposal, teamwork under pressure, deduction.
- Cooperative bomb-disposal training missions for 2-5 players, with campaign progression.
- Array
- Humorous, classroom-like training narrative with light suspense.
- Keep Talking and No One Explodes
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bunny detonation track — A danger track with bunnies tracks the risk; failure pushes forward the detonation counter.
- campaign structure — Missions arranged in a campaign with training missions and more complex later missions; optional spoilers gated by time codes.
- color-based cuts — Yellow wires require different handling; cutting yellow is a distinct action, not tied to a numeric value.
- dual cut — A player names a number, and a teammate must confirm it's that number before a cut is made; enables information sharing and risk.
- equipment and tokens — Equipment cards add one-time modifiers (radar, rewind, post-it) and personal detectors; tokens provide extra information or safety.
- red wire constraint — Red wires are dangerous; cutting red can cause a failure unless protected by equipment or context; typically avoid cutting red unless forced.
- solo cut — A player can cut a single number if they hold a pair or two of the same value.
- walkie-talkies / radar / rewind — Walkie-talkie swaps, radar picks numbers, rewind moves detonator dial; adds strategic depth.
- wire sorting and cut timing — Wires are blue, yellow, and red with numeric labels; players sort and cut based on mission rules.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Bomb Busters is a several campaign game.
- In this cooperative game, we are going to be doing a mission and we're working together to diffuse the bomb.
- There is one time only.
- We successfully diffused the bomb.
- As Kristoff said earlier, there's no harm in bullying at the bomb in Mission 8.
References (from this video)
- Cooperative gameplay
- Engaging puzzle solving
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — Players work together to solve puzzles and achieve a common goal.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of the best co-op games.
- Galactic Cruise is fantastic.
- Planet Unknown is still a very, very good game.
- you feel invested till the very end.
- the production was so cool
References (from this video)
- Tense gameplay
- Cooperative challenge
- Multiple missions
- Unique communication restrictions
- Complex rules
- High difficulty
- Potentially frustrating
- Cooperative wire-cutting puzzle
- Bomb disposal scenario
- Tense cooperative challenge
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative guessing — Players try to cut wires without triggering the bomb
- Information sharing — Limited communication about wire locations
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Dom, if this studio goes under 60 mph, it will explode.
- It's like we're diffusing the bomb, but also we are the bomb.
- We're the best bomb busters in the world.
References (from this video)
- Genuinely tense and engaging
- Excellent for family game nights
- wires and bombs in a tense, collaborative setting
- cooperative family puzzle
- theatrical, shared excitement
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — Players work together to cut the correct wires.
- Event-driven turns — Wires cut decisions affect the group’s outcome.
- Tension-building turn structure — Even when it's not your turn, the group feels the pressure.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's super easy to teach and learn and it just always feels good to play.
- Harmonies is one of my favorite cozy puzzler games.
- The island map (mean version) is the harder, more interactive option.
- A Jest of Robin Hood is a stroke of genius.
- This game is dripping in the theme of the comic book itself.
- Seven Wonders Duel... but my gosh, is this an satisfying, beautifully wonderful two-player game.