Bounce Back is a pixel art adventure seen from above where your one weapon is a boomerang that flies out and comes back. You fling it at slimes, hopping critters and shield carriers, then grab it again before they close in. When you play Bounce Back unblocked, every run builds the levels in new ways, so you never quite know what the next room holds. Frank Force made it for a 2019 game jam where entries had to fit in 13 KB.
The Goal: Ten Levels and a Boss
You start on a small island with a shop and a glowing portal. Step into the portal to reach level 1. On each level, you have to defeat every enemy. The last one to fall leaves a new portal behind, and that portal leads one level deeper.
Level 10 is the boss fight. The boss is a large shield carrier that charges around, sometimes backs up, and even destroys pickups it touches. Beat it and you win the game.
How to Play Bounce Back
Use W A S D to walk and the mouse to move the crosshair. A left click throws the boomerang, which curves out and returns to you. You start with one boomerang and can’t throw again until you catch it, so if a throw stops short, walk over and pick it up.
Press Space or Shift to dash. A dash lasts half a second, doubles your speed and keeps you from taking damage. It needs three seconds to recharge, and a short sound plays when it is ready.
You begin with three hearts. Every touch from an enemy costs half a heart, and a warning flashes when you’re low. Lose them all and the run ends, and Escape sends you back to the island.
Enemies You’ll Meet
There are three kinds of enemies, and deeper levels mix them up:
- Slimes come in sizes. A big one splits into smaller slimes when beaten, so one kill can turn into three or four threats.
- Jumping critters hop toward you in bursts. Level 1 is all slimes, and the hoppers join from level 2.
- Shield carriers block hits from the front. Walk around them or wait for them to turn.
After level 3 or 4, rare giant versions start to appear, and past level 4 an enemy may be invisible until you hit it. Shadows on the grass and the minimap help you spot them.
Coins, Hearts and the Shop
Throws break bushes and rocks, which can drop coins or hearts. The yellow boomerang grabs small pickups and carries them back to you on the return. Coins are worth 1 or 5 each.
The island shop always offers three items at fixed prices: a heart container for 50 coins that raises your max health, an extra boomerang for 40, and a blue boomerang for 90. The blue one hits for double damage, but it can’t carry loot. Shops inside levels show two or three items, which can include a small heal for about 5 coins, and their prices swing up or down by as much as half. There is also a shop on the boss level.
Bounce Back Tips and Strategy
- Buy a second boomerang early. Two in the air means you are never empty-handed while one is flying back.
- Dash through, not away. Since you can’t be hurt mid-dash, slipping past an enemy is often safer than running.
- Use the sand. Sand halves everyone’s speed, but a dash still doubles yours, so enemies get stuck while you escape.
- Back off from big slimes. Give yourself room before the final hit, because the halves spread out around it.
- Watch your hearts, not just the enemies. Each touch is only half a heart, so a few careless bumps add up fast.
- Save coins for heart containers. Extra max health carries from level to level for the rest of that run.
New players often stand still to aim. Keep moving while you throw, since most damage comes from enemies you didn’t see coming.
Saving, Sound and Devices
Your coins, deepest level and best speed run time are saved in the browser, so you can come back on another break and keep going. After you beat the boss, a third portal on the island starts a speed run with a timer on screen. Speed runs don’t change your normal save.
Sound effects and music are made in code and start after your first click, so bring headphones to class. It needs a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad, which makes a laptop or school Chromebook the right fit.
Similar Adventure and Action Games
A full run takes a while, but each level is short, so it works in bits. For more, browse the adventure games or try:
- Broughlike Dungeon is turn-based, so you can think as long as you want before each step.
- Emoji Survivors swaps aimed throws for weapons that fire on their own while you dodge a swarm.
