PlayStation Mobile: Rebel Shoots ‘em Up Sans Guns

Having made five shooters already, we at PomPom Games were rather conflicted. We had just agreed to spin a cheerful little number for PlayStation Mobile. We know how to make a decent shooter. I’m sure Sony were expecting us to do a shooter. And to be honest, I wanted to make a shooter. But my partner (Miles Visman) was like totally meh about it.

So, after 45 seconds of intense prototyping, Rebel was born – a game where you blow up loads of stuff without firing a single bullet. In a world where your enemies are just the right combination of stupid and armed… one can only enjoy oneself, right?

Here’s the basic idea. You are a nameless rebel prisoner. Using intricate gameplay mechanics (press “play”) you escape from your concrete prison. You find yourself unarmed and stranded on an island with nowhere to go, while enemies drop in from all directions. Luckily for you then, the enemy have a shoot-on-sight policy… with little regard for friendly fire. Use this to your advantage as you dodge and weave around the level drawing fire and using it to gleefully have them kill their own kind.

I know — we could end it right there and that would be awesome. But there’s more! Stupid enemies are also stupidly rich. With all the driving and shooting and bombing, they tend to be a bit clumsy with their belongings. Look out for gems, which can be collected and added to your stash. Use the stash between games to buy special power ups you can take with you next time you escape from their pathetic jail (which you’d think they would fix after you’ve escaped 17 times, no?).

There are other islands to unlock, and different game modes too. But they all cost gems. So if you don’t have enough, escape again and go get some.

So, that’s Rebel. We can’t promise you the most elaborate adventure… but you’ll certainly have a laugh along the way! It’s available now from PlayStation Mobile, priced at $1.99. I’ll answer questions below, should you have any!