Bombshell is an Action RPG for PC and consoles developed by Interceptor Entertainment and published by 3D Realms.
The game centres on a character called Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, a former bomb disposal technician now working as a hired gun. She now has to rescue the president from an alien technological threat, fighting across four different planets.
A prequel, Ion Fury, was released on August 15th, 2019. A third game in the series, Phantom Fury, serves as an Interquel and was released in 2024.
Bombshell provides examples of:
- Action Girl: The protagonist, Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison. In addition to her weapons training and military combat experience, she also worked as a bomb disposal technician and therefore has extensive knowledge of explosives.
- Alternate Fire: Once a weapon reaches level 3, you get to choose its secondary fire. Generally a choice between electrified rounds and explosive rounds.
- Artificial Limbs: Shelly has a prominent mechanical arm, which she received after losing her original one while working as a bomb disposal technician.
- Attack Drone: An upgrade for Shelly's bionic arm allows it to unfold into an automated turret. She uses her Hand Cannon in this mode.
- Badass Biker: The protagonist is described as someone who likes "kicking ass, motorcycles, [and] kicking ass on motorcycles."
- Bomb Disposal: The protagonist was formerly a bomb disposal technician. Take this job and the protagonist's name, Shelly, and you get her nickname, Bombshell.
- Clear My Name: Although given an honorable discharge from the military after "the Washington Incident," Shelly seems to feel that she needs to "restore her name", suggesting that she's unofficially held responsible for it anyway.
- Expy: The game has its early origins as a Duke Nukem game (which had to be changed for legal reasons), and as such, it's to be expected that people will see its new protagonist, Bombshell, as a sort of female version of Duke.
- Also, Heskell (the game's main villain) is an expy of Doctor Proton: he is part machine (although his face is human where Doctor Proton's is cybernetic and viceversa) and expresses the same contempt for bodies lacking bionics that Doctor Proton expresses in Duke Nukem Forever. Ironically, he is voiced by Jon St. John.
- Friendless Background: When young, Shelly was an "outcast, prioritizing success over sociability." Later, however, she became close to her bomb team, thinking of them as family.
- Fun with Acronyms: One of the weapons is the PMS. It stands for Personal Missile System.
- Gatling Good: The Maxigun "makes a minigun look like child's play."
- Hand Cannon: Shelly's revolver, Loverboy, fires three shots at once from a single, huge revolving cylinder (unlike, say, Final Fantasy VII's Cerberus pistol, which has three small cylinders).
- Hotter and Sexier: Inverted, in relation to Duke Nukem. Shelly's design isn't overly revealing, there is no sexual overtones, and the game is merely rated PG 12. The Prequel Ion Fury, follows suit, although it's definitely Bloodier and Gorier.
- In Harm's Way: Shelly is stated to have an "affinity for danger", and has sought out dangerous roles specifically because of it. Notably, she was a bomb disposal technician.
- Isometric Projection: The game's action is shown in isometric view.
- Magnetic Weapons: An Alternate Fire for the Ion Maiden is a railgun.
- Moe Greene Special: How Shelly finally puts down Heskell, by way of Loverboy.
- My Greatest Failure: Shelly Harrison's career came to an end with something called "the Washington Incident" - which also cost her an arm and her team. A mercenary outfit gave her a second chance.
- One-Word Title: Nickname of Protagonist Title.
- Our Presidents Are Different: Skye Holloway is President Target, getting kidnapped at the start of the game, as well as President Minority, being female. She's also a President Action, having a military background and the Eyepatch of Power to show for it. She gets to prove it, too, once freed.
- Parasite Zombie: Start showing up in act 2.
- Photo Proto Neutron Torpedo: The base weapon is a personal ion SMG called the "Ion Maiden."
- Portal Network: the aliens use an interplanetary-ranged teleporter instead of ships.
- Private Military Contractors: The protagonist is described as a mercenary for hire, although whether that's part of the plot or just background remains to be seen.
- Ranged Emergency Weapon: The Ion Maiden never runs out of rounds, has a 60-shot clip firing in bursts of 7, and fires half-strength bullets when "empty."
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Shelly threatens a soldier with "getting assigned to the Middle of Nowhere" for making a RoboCop joke at her expense.
- Swiss-Army Appendage: Shelly's mechanical arm is equipped with an Arm Cannon and an A.I. assistant, and it can detach and go for a stroll. More features are added throughout the game. By the end, it contains quite the arsenal.
- Turns Red: Crosses over with Metamorphosis Monster. The parasite zombies will turn their entire upper halves into huge maws if injured sufficiently.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Shelly wonders this when Heskel reveals that she and President Skye are related.
