Kabi Island

When exploring the depths of the Watara Supervision’s library, it becomes quite clear that the developers at Thin Chen Enterprise were not afraid to borrow heavily from established arcade classics. Kabi Island - sometimes known by its slightly clunky full title, Kabi-Island: Gold in Island - is one such game. Released in 1992, it is an unapologetic, top-down action puzzler that takes the beloved grid-based explosive formula of Bomberman and transplants it onto the humble greyscale handheld. However, rather than being a straightforward clone, it introduces a scavenger hunt element that completely shifts the pacing of the matches.

Gameplay

You are dropped into a series of top-down arenas littered with soft, destructible blocks and hard, immovable walls. Armed with an infinite supply of timed explosives, your primary tool for navigating the island is to simply blow up anything in your path.Where Kabi Island diverges from its obvious inspiration is in its primary objective. You are not necessarily hunting for a hidden exit door or trying to wipe out every wandering monster on the screen. Instead, your goal is to unearth and collect a specific number of gold bars hidden within the rubble. Once you grab the final required piece of gold, the stage ends immediately. This creates a brilliant dynamic where you can completely ignore a screen full of dangerous enemies, provided you can snatch the final piece of loot and trigger the end of the level before they catch you.

Escalation and Arsenal

Naturally, the island is heavily populated by hostile creatures across its five distinct worlds, and they will relentlessly pursue you if you cross their line of sight. To survive the increasingly chaotic late-game stages, you must scour the destructible blocks for power-ups to enhance your arsenal. Uncovering speed shoes allows you to dart around the map with much-needed agility, whilst other upgrades grant you the ability to lay down multiple bombs simultaneously or drastically extend your fiery blast radius. You might even stumble upon a remote detonator, which completely changes the tactical landscape by allowing you to set deliberate traps rather than relying on a stressful countdown timer. The danger, of course, is that your own explosions are completely lethal to your character. A misjudged blast radius or a poorly timed detonation will instantly end your run, making every power-up a double-edged sword.

Hardware Hurdles and Aesthetics

Developing a fast-paced action game for the Watara Supervision was always a risky endeavour due to the screen’s infamous motion blur. To combat this, the visual design of Kabi Island is incredibly clean and functional. The grid-like nature of the map means movement happens in predictable, straightforward increments, which the hardware handles much better than smooth, multi-directional scrolling. The sprites are drawn with thick, high-contrast outlines, ensuring that the wandering enemies and the all-important gold bars stand out clearly against the lighter grey background tiles. Even when the screen is filled with explosions, you rarely lose track of your character.

Audio and Atmosphere

The soundtrack accompanying your explosive treasure hunt is a frantic, bouncy chiptune that loops with the kind of relentless energy typical of early nineties handhelds. It is accompanied by the satisfying, static-heavy crunch of your bombs tearing through the scenery, which gives the destruction a nice sense of weight despite the tiny speaker. While it might lack the legendary polish of the franchise it clearly emulates, Kabi Island is a remarkably solid and engaging title. The shift in focus from pure combat to a frantic scramble for gold gives it a distinct flavour, making it one of the more genuinely enjoyable and replayable action games in the Supervision’s eclectic catalogue.