Developer: Produce Co. Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 04/26/96 Genre: Action
In the West the 16-bit consoles were beginning to wind down by 1995. We had some classics to be sure but it was apparent that all eyes were on the new 32-bit platforms. In Japan however the Super Famicom was heavily supported until 1998 despite the Saturn and PlayStation releasing in 1994. Many classic series received new entries like Mega Man, Dragon Ball, and especially Bomberman. I remember being jealous at seeing the new Bomberman games we would never get in Nintendo Power. Super Bomberman 4 is not spoken of much but remains one of the better entries in the series with cool mechanics and a well-paced campaign.
The story is a bit out there but allows the game to go to some new places. After his defeat at the end of Super Bomberman 3 villain Bagular’s brain manages to escape in his flying saucer. He summons the Four Bomber Kings as well as the Great Bomber to plot his revenge on both White and Black Bomber. His plan sends the Bomber duo back in time (?) alongside a few of their allies where the pair must fight their way to the present to stop Bagular once and for all.
Surprisingly there are only a few reviews and impressions of Super Bomberman 4. Of course part of that is because it never left Japan. But considering the game has very little text and the popularity of Bomberman you would think more would jump at the chance to play a “lost” title in the series. Like the rest of the games Super Bomberman 4 is good. It has a few new ideas that are pretty cool and set it apart from its predecessors and is a great time overall.
The basic Bomberman formula remains the same. Bomberman must clear each stage of enemies to cause the exit to appear and leave. Each map is dense with destructible blocks that reveal a wide variety of power-ups to aid in your quest. The standard speed up, range increases, power glove, etc. return but are joined by temporary allies in some stages. Destroying cages in some levels will free one of your fellow bombers who will help you for the rest of the level. They are invincible and will generally clear out destructible blocks while covering areas you have not reached. They are not too smart and do not seem to go after enemies much but any help is welcome.
The Louie system of Super Bomberman 3 makes way for rideable enemies. When certain enemies die they leave behind eggs that fall into two categories, organic and mechanical. These enemies grant special abilities, some that duplicate your power-ups but others that are unique. The Swim enemy allows you to dash in a straight line. The Bomb tank slows enemies down with its bullets. The weirdest is Gamefurai who performs a kamikaze attack that destroys itself but leaves you invincible briefly. Every stage has at least one you can ride; with skill you might rarely play as normal Bomberman the whole game!
The level design ditches the scrolling maps and multi-room stages and returns to single screen maps. While this is a little disappointing the level design has not regressed. Each time period has unique enemies and traps to spice things up. The modern era has alarms that send enemies in to overdrive when destroyed. The primeval era occasionally has safe houses that will spawn infinite enemies until destroyed. The future is the most frustrating. Here each map has signal floors that rise and up down which can either block your progress or trap you with an enemy. Although each period has eight stages the last two are boss battles which come right when you might tire of each era’s gimmicks.
The campaign overall is not difficult outside of the boss battles. You can easily rack up extra lives and riding on enemies allows you to take an extra hit. You can also stockpile two of these making you damn near invincible. The boss fights are where the game goes nuts. Each battle against the evil bombermen is like facing off against another player. They are experts at dodging explosions and setting you up. Tricking them takes time and skill and while it can be annoying I like these fights. The end level boss of each time period is extremely cool as they look awesome and feature some gimmick. I am honestly surprised at how Hudson one ups themselves with each title in this regard. I know most come to this series for multiplayer (which I sadly did not experience with this game) but the story is worth your time.
In Closing
Super Bomberman 4 was a mystery all these years. I am happy to say it has held up. Hudson was on a roll with these games with smart additions and solid multiplayer to give them longevity. The fan translation makes the game fully accessible as it translates the various multiplayer menus but is mostly unnecessary. There is just one more game in the SNES series, which one will reign supreme? I am anxious to find out!
