Human Cannonball is a "puzzle game that tests memory skills," according to the Atari Flashback Companion guide. Well, it is, but it's also tedious.
Human Cannonball is an unusual title, regardless. The goal is to plunk your little guy into the water tower by adjusting variables. And that's it.
You control one variable, such as speed, position, or angle. The other variables are fixed or random, and you need to adjust your variable to best correspond to the others.
At first, I thought my controller was broken, because the cannon never moved. That's because I was watching the cannon, as any player will do, and not the numbers above. It's the numbers you've got to really watch here.
I wish one game option allowed us to adjust every variable. The most we get are two options that allow two variable adjustments each.
When the human cannonball lands on the ground, he says "Ouch." That's a nice touch, but you'll be seeing it a lot, if you play as poorly as me.
Some versions allow you to move the water tower. Others block the tower with a "moving window" barrier.
Overall, I'm disappointed with Human Cannonball. I'm curious when Atari games offer something different, and I like casual gaming and puzzles, but I couldn't get into this. It felt tedious, less like a game and more like math homework.
I wonder. Is Human Cannonball a good game hidden inside a bad game, as with my experience with Dark Chambers? This time, I don't have the patience to keep trying. I think Human Cannonball is a very idiosyncratic title that will appeal very much to a few people. The rest of us will look elsewhere.
Final Human Cannonball Review for Atari 2600:
I'm sure there are people who enjoy the very particular gameplay of Human Cannonball. Others, no doubt, may enjoy it for nostalgia. The game itself, however, isn't much of a game, and I think it's more tedious than fun. Give it a shot if you think you'll enjoy something different. Otherwise, I recommend Human Cannonball for Collectors only.
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