Fun fact: as part of the combination of Claude Code AI + Unreal Engine 5, I am slowly working on a game with similar mechanics to Atomic Bomberman. Development started on 8th of July 2026. This is AI assisted development, I am planning, designing and writing thousands of prompts to Claude Code which is operating in the UE5 editor to (try to) achieve what I want. This project began as an experiment answering: "Can anyone build a reasonable quality game in unreal engine + other AI solutions with minimal technical knowledge using Unreal Engine 5?". The answer is "Yes", so I am just continuing and we will see how good the game will actually be.
It is going pretty well so far. The idea is that, beyond the classic gameplay, it should eventually have a relatively robust custom character editor + map editor. Make no mistake, most if not all of this game will be actually coded by AI. First early gameplay videos and images are in the media section below. It will support up to 10 players online and 4 player couch co-op. I have been working on it since 8 July 2026. The Claude Max x5 subscription costs 110 EUR/month.
The game has controller support when launched as a non-Steam game via Steam.
========================================
Atomic Battlegrounds — classic top-down arena bomber game for up to 10 players (online/LAN/couch coop multiplayer).
Blow up your friends. Repeat until only one is standing.
Atomic Battlegrounds is a fast, ruthless arena brawler in the classic bomb-'em-up tradition. Drop bombs, blast through brick walls, grab whatever falls out, and trap your friends in a corner before they do it to you. Every round is a fresh maze, every match is a knife fight in a phone booth.
Play it any way you like. Up to 10 players — online peer-to-peer, over your LAN, or shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch. One person hosts, everyone piles in. It's loud, it's crowded, and it will end friendships in any of the three.
Power up or die. More bombs. Longer flames. Kick bombs across the floor into someone's escape route. Remote detonators for the patient. Jelly bombs that ricochet off walls for the reckless. Chain bombs, Punch, Throw, Gold flame, and a Random wildcard that could hand you the round — or hand you a skull that leaves you crawling and defenseless for some time.
No safe corners. Fire travels in straight lines and doesn't care about you. Bombs set off other bombs forming a chain explosion. That clever escape route you planned? Someone kicked or threw a bomb into it two seconds ago.
Rounds are short. Grudges are not. Best of three, three-minute timer, instant reset. There is always time for one more.
Power-ups:
🔴 Extra Bomb — carry one additional bomb (max 8)
🟠Flame — +1 explosion range (max 10)
🔵 Speed — +12.5% movement speed (stacks up to 8×)
🟢 Kick — push bombs to make them slide across the arena
🟣 Trigger — bombs detonate on command instead of using a fuse
💧 Jelly — kicked bombs bounce off walls instead of stopping and can change trajectory when thrown
🔵 Throw — pick up and throw bombs across the arena
🟡 Goldflame — massive explosion range
🟤 Chain Bomb — bombs link together and detonate in a chain reaction
🔴 Punch — punch bombs away from you, sending them flying across the arena
⚪ Random — grants a random power-up
⚫ Skull — causes a random disease effect
🔴 Mega Skull — causes a more powerful random disease effect
Alpha 1 - first playable iteration of the game
Alpha 2 - first flame VFX and sounds for basic events
Alpha 3 - kicked bomb movement is now fluid as it is moving
Alpha 4 - disease animation and menu bomb change
Alpha 5 - multiplayer test (it's working!), multiplayer fix, multiplayer host and join game room/lobby, bomb fuse animation and sound, new character model, animations and sound for new character, sun animation, improved graphics (added antialiasing, anisotrophic filtering and some more)
Alpha 6 - ragdoll physics after death, various multiplayer UI improvements, big menu rework, powerup icons, added missing powerups: chain bomb (splooge) + mega skull + punch + throw (power glove), added all missing diseases, player model speed animations fix, exploding walls animation, burning powerups animation, fixing speed settings to match the original, added AI opponent, local (couch) multiplayer, graphics optimization, menu music, colored bombs, player colors calibration
Alpha 6.3 - less smoke on explosions, bomb animations for jelly + kick + punch + throw, disease transfer and visual, trigger bombs visual
Alpha 7 - more fluid movement around corners, multiplayer desync fixes, added option for in-game music, simulated brick destruction visuals tweaked a bit
Alpha 8 - first functional version of the character editor
Alpha 8.1 - several bugfixes, more graphics options
Alpha 8.2 - several improvements and fixes in the character editor
Alpha 8.3 - multiplayer desync fixes, character editor fixes
Alpha 9 - controller support (when game launched as non-steam game via steam)
Alpha 10 - 2 new maps (only visual theme variations for now)
Alpha 11 - AI bot improvements, few fixes, 21 new maps
Alpha 11.1 - 7 new maps/themes (total of 30 maps/themes - only visual reskins, no new mechanics)
Alpha 12 - 4 player coop, sudden death mechanic
Alpha 12.1 - added donate button, getting ready for Steam early access release (this will be an entirely free game)
Alpha 13 - lobby character preview, fixed broken pause menu (outside LAN/online multiplayer), fixed several Join game bugs
Alpha 14 - flame colors based on player color, flame optimizations, removed smoke from all flames except black flame (for better visibility), AI bot improvements, fixed broken lumen lighting on the flames
Alpha 14.1 - explosion & flame casting shadows option added for realistic lighting
Alpha 15 - DLSS support, Potato preset
Alpha 15.1 - added help screen
Alpha 15.2 - improved flame visibility
Alpha 15.3 - overall game polishing, small AI bot improvements
Alpha 16 - added 70 new maps/arena themes (now total of 100), more polishing, fixed some bugs
Alpha 16.1 (WIP) - visibility improvements, arena themes fixes, menu fixes
Future - first version of map editor
So, what do you think? Any ideas? Any features or something you would like to see? Or possibly some recommendations?
Last edited by Firzen1 on Sun Aug 16, 2026 6:34 pm
I kind of like how visually it looks like the flames go around corners a bit. Could add a powerup for that maybe.
Thank you for feedback :). I was thinking the same thing. I will definitely add that as an option some day. However by default I am trying to stay very true to the original Atomic Bomberman game play. I planned to add this feature also into the map editor, where people will be able to change default settings applicable to the map, thus also can enable the fire traveling trough a corner and bending behind walls.
Did you try playing it? If so, does it even work for you? I has never (yet) been tested on any other PC than mine where it is developed. I would love to hear if it actually works for anyone else :D.
I couldn't open it due to antivirus blocking it, so I can't say how well it would have run. If I manage to get it open I'll let you know.
Awesome, thank you for trying :). I tried it today with 2 friends, they joined me. So multiplayer confirmed and works. Almost.. they could not place bombs, but we actually connected 3 people together. This has been fixed the same day and I also added a multiplayer lobby system.
Do you have Discord? I'd like to talk to you, mine is mauriciosuporte.
yes I do, what do you wish to discuss?
I'm also developing a Bomberman fan game using Claude, but in Unity. I don't know if you've seen my post here on the Bomberman board, Super Bomberman 6 unity. Currently, there are 4 artists working with me, but I'm the only developer. I'd like to know if you'd be interested in helping us develop the game. We can discuss this further privately on Discord and I can introduce you to the team if you'd like.
Do you have Discord? I'd like to talk to you, mine is mauriciosuporte.
yes I do, what do you wish to discuss?
I'm also developing a Bomberman fan game using Claude, but in Unity. I don't know if you've seen my post here on the Bomberman board, Super Bomberman 6 unity. Currently, there are 4 artists working with me, but I'm the only developer. I'd like to know if you'd be interested in helping us develop the game. We can discuss this further privately on Discord and I can introduce you to the team if you'd like.
Sorry, but I have to decline. I want to build my own game, and I wholeheartedly hate Unity engine. That said, thank you for the offer.
I am sorry but what the *beep* ai generated slop is doing here? Like what the hell are we even doing anymore, cant we just, i dont know, make stuff by ourselves for once??? Stop using ai slop its genuinely irritating jesus christ
genuinely, just piss off, hands off bomberman you ai slop maker
I am sorry but what the *beep* ai generated slop is doing here? Like what the hell are we even doing anymore, cant we just, i dont know, make stuff by ourselves for once??? Stop using ai slop its genuinely irritating jesus christ
genuinely, just piss off, hands off bomberman you ai slop maker
Thank you for your constructive feedback. To clarify, this is not AI slop made with 2 prompts, it is AI assisted development where Claude mostly just creates blueprints and writes code instead of me. I also used chatGPT for menu background and powerup icons. So the tedious technical part is out, but everything else remains - enabling someone without good programming skills and 7 years of their life to waste to make a game. Read, learn, understand..
I am sorry but what the *beep* ai generated slop is doing here? Like what the hell are we even doing anymore, cant we just, i dont know, make stuff by ourselves for once??? Stop using ai slop its genuinely irritating jesus christ
genuinely, just piss off, hands off bomberman you ai slop maker
Thank you for your constructive feedback. To clarify, this is not AI slop made with 2 prompts, it is AI assisted development where Claude mostly just creates blueprints and writes code instead of me. I also used chatGPT for menu background and powerup icons. So the tedious technical part is out, but everything else remains - enabling someone without good programming skills and 7 years of their life to waste to make a game. Read, learn, understand..
constructive feedback??? what the hell are you talking about? oh let me guess you used ai generated response to respond to my scolding of your project? yeah i am sorry but nobody is gonna play your ai slop you loser
Aplha6 will be a big one. Most base game systems should be functional. Working on the first AI opponent (maximum difficulty) for almost a week now. After Alpha6 I (and Claude) will be ironing out the gameplay, menus, bugs, etc.
Alpha 6 is released. Multiplayer tested and working with 3 people.
Hi! I played your game for a while and it looks really interesting. Here are some pieces of feedback that I hope are helpful:
- I know it's tempting to add lots of particles and visual effects because they look great, but don't forget that one of the core pillars of game design is clarity. Excessive smoke and particle effects can sometimes make it difficult for players to see the map and make quick decisions during gameplay. This article explains the concept well: https://www2.unifap.br/neab/2025/01/31/how-visual-clarity-enhances-user-engagement-in-digital-games/
I also noticed some FPS drops with the default graphics settings. Reducing some of the visual clutter and optimizing the particle effects could not only improve gameplay readability but also provide a nice performance boost.
- The title screen music is really good! Be sure to add some music during battles later as well, since it will make the gameplay feel much more engaging.
- I noticed you've already implemented online multiplayer. That's a great decision. I added networking to my own game much later, and I had to rework several systems to make everything function correctly. It's much easier to build the game with networking in mind from the start.
- Don't forget to eventually align player movement so the character always stays centered on the axis they're not currently moving along. It makes movement feel much smoother and more precise.
- You should also consider adding a corner correction (or corner assist) system. This helps players make turns more easily when they're close to the edge between a block and a corridor, making movement feel much more responsive.
- I found a bug: when holding a bomb with the Power Glove, the bomb's fuse timer doesn't stop.
Overall, it's a very promising project, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves. Keep up the great work!
Alpha 6 is released. Multiplayer tested and working with 3 people.
Hi! I played your game for a while and it looks really interesting. Here are some pieces of feedback that I hope are helpful:
- I know it's tempting to add lots of particles and visual effects because they look great, but don't forget that one of the core pillars of game design is clarity. Excessive smoke and particle effects can sometimes make it difficult for players to see the map and make quick decisions during gameplay. This article explains the concept well: https://www2.unifap.br/neab/2025/01/31/how-visual-clarity-enhances-user-engagement-in-digital-games/
I also noticed some FPS drops with the default graphics settings. Reducing some of the visual clutter and optimizing the particle effects could not only improve gameplay readability but also provide a nice performance boost.
- The title screen music is really good! Be sure to add some music during battles later as well, since it will make the gameplay feel much more engaging.
- I noticed you've already implemented online multiplayer. That's a great decision. I added networking to my own game much later, and I had to rework several systems to make everything function correctly. It's much easier to build the game with networking in mind from the start.
- Don't forget to eventually align player movement so the character always stays centered on the axis they're not currently moving along. It makes movement feel much smoother and more precise.
- You should also consider adding a corner correction (or corner assist) system. This helps players make turns more easily when they're close to the edge between a block and a corridor, making movement feel much more responsive.
- I found a bug: when holding a bomb with the Power Glove, the bomb's fuse timer doesn't stop.
Overall, it's a very promising project, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for the feedback :). I did plan to implement many of your points. Regarding graphics and FPS, I did first batch of optimizations today, meanwhile just decrease visual quality. Especially global illumination and effects.
I will have a look at the power glove. It should explode in your hands. Is it possible you also had the trigger powerup?
Also I just uploaded alpha 6.2 with some fixes and player color tuning.
Alpha 6 is released. Multiplayer tested and working with 3 people.
Overall, it's a very promising project, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves. Keep up the great work!
Alpha 7 has most of your feedback implemented - available now. For now I won't be limiting movement only to the middle of the lanes (due to future custom map options), but the around corner movement assistance has made quite a difference already. I did also reduce the shadows. If FPS drops are an issue, decrease graphics as they are by default set pretty high (especially Global Illumination and effects can have a big impact for me).
Last edited by Firzen1 on Sun Jul 26, 2026 1:49 pm
Starting to actually work on the character editor. I just created my 100th session with claude. I showed it an image generated by copilot when I described what I want. For now we have a basic plan on how to build the editor, I just asked claude to modify the plan based on new instructions and the image from copilot. This will probably take many sessions and long nights to get it working the way I want, but let's see.
Last edited by Firzen1 on Thu Aug 13, 2026 4:51 am
Search Forum
Member List
Chat
Control Panel
Private Messages
Register
Log in
