Bamboo EP Reviews

Bamboo EP is a collection of 3 games and an interactive title screen filled with fish, frogs, etc. Its main title (out of the three games) is "Bamboo Heart", which involves you taking control of an animal who's heart was replaced with one made of bamboo. For six dollars, the game packs a suprising amount of content. The controls feel responsive, the action is fluid, Steam has that refund policy in case you don't like it... Give it a chance!

Awesome, fast paced game to improve your results with each run. Totally worth while and very unique aesthetics. Got me going for 5 hours straight and I come back from time to time to try and beat my record.

Bamboo EP is an interesting little collection of games! Although it comes with a nifty little interactive menu screen with some fun easter eggs to discover, alongside the equally charming Bamboo Ball, the heart and soul of the game is easily Bamboo Heart. As many have already said, it gives very Nidhogg vibes but with a distinct samurai twist. With its focus on single player, it makes for a nice alternative for people who like that style of game! Definitely helps with replay-ability with different characters to unlock. That being said, if you are still itching to fight your friends as a samurai rabbit, Bamboo Heart also has a multiplayer mode called Bamboo Dual that supports up to 4 players! A word of warning though for keyboard players, I really struggled to work out what buttons are needed and it definitely meant it took a long time for me to get a grips on pretty much everything this has to offer. As much as I love Sokpops minimalist approach, it would be good to see basic button controls displayed alongside a keybinding option.

Think of this more like a single with an A/B side rather than an EP. The cute art style fits the rather tepid dodgeball-esque “Bamboo Ball.” Maybe with friends who want a slower jam might dig it. I just don’t think people are going to whip out chips and drinks to gather around and play this. But damn, I didn’t know this came with Sekiro Shadows Die Twice. Bamboo Heart is some next level samurai action. It’s fluid, fast, and fun. There is some hidden depth to it, and it can last awhile, but I feel like this EP might be a few tracks shy.

This game came highly recommended to me, but honestly I kind of suck at it. What I have played has been frustrating, but enjoyable. I hope to one day see the ending!

Bamboo EP is a compilation of 3 games (or rather, 2 games and an interactive menu screen, call it how you want it) that are all very simple. Bamboo Ball is fun alone, but quickly repetitive. It doesn't have much depth so you'll also get tired of it quite quickly with a friend, but it's a decent easy-to-pick-up multiplayer game. Bamboo Heart it the bigger game of the lot and it's really fascinating. Nothing is explained, so you're left in a mysterious world where you have to figure out all the rules. You only have one life, so it's pretty hardcore. The gameplay only consists of jumping and slicing. The clash between the simplicity and the difficulty of the game is interesting to me. I would like to have a little bit more direction, especially since I die often and see the same(ish) first 5 minutes of the game over and over again, but I think figuring it out is part of the fun, especially since it's otherwise so simple. Bamboo Moon is... just an interactive menu. It's probably one of the cutest and most engaging menu screen I've ever seen, but at the end it's just that, and it feels like a stretch to call it a game and to sell it as such. When I launched Bamboo the first time, I kept looking for the third game in the menu and thought I was overlooking something... well I guess I was, haha. One important disclaimer: The controls are not really explained in the game, are super hard to figure out on a keyboard and feel very awkward, so I wouldn't recommend playing it if you don't have a controller.

the controls are screwed up for some reason?? the starting menu is Arrow Keys+X, the main menu is WASD/Enter, the pause menu is Arrow Keys/Enter and the Bamboo Heart is TFGH? and apparently for me no button is bound to strike???? You can't change controls AND there is no gamepad support just fyi I am a fellow QWERTY user and no AZERTY enjoyer

Bamboo EP is composed of two very distinct games and one amusing menu screen. Bamboo Ball: A very fun little dodgeball-esque minigame that is distinctly lacking in features. The ai isnt worth spending much time with and the multiplayer is limited to 1v1. I breifly played the multiplayer and amdmitedly its great but I cant help but feel options for 2v2, number of pegs/balls, and ai difficulties would give this half of the EP more legs. As it stands Bamboo ball is the b-side of the EP. Bamboo Hearts: A side scrolling ninja combat game that in some ways reminds me of The Legend of Kage, mostly how acrobatic the combat feels. The mechanics are simple but every fight is very dynamic. So far in my early playtime I haven't found a tatic or approach to even the basic enemies that guarentees and easy kill... and also the music is perfect. Final thoughts: Bamboo Hearts is worth the price and everything else is extra. I'm really hoping for a Bamboo Hearts LP or Just Bamboo hearts 2 I guess.

Bamboo Moon has lots of cute little interactive things, and I'm sure Bamboo Ball is great, but Bamboo Heart is exactly the game I've been desperately wanting for years. I would've paid at least double this price for Bamboo Heart as a standalone game, and I can't wait to discover what else there is to find. The combat is as deep as Nidhogg and as fast paced as Samurai Gunn, but I'm also reminded of Nuclear Throne by the very deliberate ability and equipment progression throughout the game, though with some added special moves that you gain as you progress and simplified survival elements. Sometimes action does ramp up to a point where it seems almost impossible to follow, but really this is a game that rewards careful play and deliberate use of your various abilities and techniques. It even has a neat little story and some awesome secrets, including one that ties in to the Bamboo Moon menu area. Very happy with this purchase, planning to play it a lot more, and honestly I can't wait to see what else they make!

Alright here's the thing. That menu screen is a game in itself. It's got loads of secrets apparently and I've maybe found some?? It's pretty cool though. What you're REALLY here for though is Bamboo Heart. Yeah there's the ball throwing one and it's kinda cute , but I can pretty much guarantee you'll complete every level maybe once? and then forget about it. But Bamboo Heart? That you will keep coming back for, over and over and over again. It's kinda like Nidhogg, but more frantic, less sword throwy, and really sinister, with cool mechanics like striking down the flying birds to get meat, or plucking mushrooms, then cooking them so you can eat them safely to regain food when your hunger is full (takes four cooked mushrooms or like two cooked meat I think). You got two hearts of health (two hits), your sword, and a whoooole ton of enemies that all want you dead Quickfire gameplay, easy to learn, hard to master, frenetic, frantic, kinda spooky... and you can unlock abilities by killing a boss every five kills. THIS is what will keep you coming back to this game, because it is great. And hey, not too far in you can unlock Bamboo Duel which is the same thing but a one on one duel between two plaeyrs. or three players. or four. yeah. Imagine that. Four player local samurai duelling. There's also several OTHER characters you can unlock (one of which can be unlocked by doing a few secret things in the 'menu' screen. I won't spoil it). And let's be honest, it's cheap as chips. C'mon, you want this game. Truuuust me.