An explosive math adventure

Join the pyromaniac gnome Cal and the troll Bomba on an explosive math adventure. They travel through different worlds with their cannon. You must use percentage calculations to change the range of the cannon. Cal & Bomba are designed by the Norwegian game development company Filiokus, and the goal is for you to experience how mathematical choices have practical consequences, and hopefully for you to have some fun while doing math.

Mathematics in the game

The game introduces the player to two important mathematical aspects: strategy - what should I do and why? And calculation - how should I apply mathematical theory to execute the desired strategy? The strategy part of the game has many parallels to chess. You will encounter challenges where you need to foresee 1-2 moves ahead and make strategic choices that enhance the effectiveness of your bombs. The calculation part of the game aims to provide insight into how percentage calculations work. If the cannon's range is 4 and you want to shoot something that is at 6, you need to figure out by how much 4 must increase in percentage for the result to be 6. (In this example, we would recommend increasing the range by 50%).

Visual mathematics

When you increase or decrease the range through percentage calculations, it will result in a change both in the number representing the range and in the visual range indicator. We believe that when mathematical theory gains a visual dimension to express itself, it becomes easier to understand the meanings of different numbers and functions, and over time, users develop pattern recognition skills that can be transferred to regular math education.

Learn from your mistakes

Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. If you make mistakes in the game, you will have the opportunity to experience the consequences of those mistakes. The game will play out your mathematical choices, whether they are good or bad, and you decide if you are satisfied with the outcome. We strongly believe that mathematical logic becomes easier to understand when you are allowed to play with it and experience the consequences of the choices you make.

Mathematics is a problem-solving tool

In reality, people rarely use mathematics just for the sake of it. Math is used as a tool to solve a problem. However, in regular math education, it is often the case that mathematics itself is the only application of mathematics, and many find it difficult to see why they will need this knowledge later on. In Cal & Bomba, you don't calculate for the sake of calculating. Your goal is to shoot all the enemies on the board. Percentage calculation is a tool you need to use to achieve this goal, and it must be combined with other game mechanics to achieve the desired result.

Happy hunting.