I was not a fan of Bomberman initially. The title sounded exotic and I pictured, I don’t know, Bomb Man from Mega Man in an action platformer. Instead I was greeted with a slow as molasses action puzzle game. As much as I disliked it I did acknowledge that its core conceit was brilliant. Bomberman ’93 on the Turbo Grafx marked a turning point in my opinion about the series. With its bright graphics and awesome multiplayer it made me hold on to that system just a little bit longer. Super Bomberman however is where I truly became a fan of the series. Hudson Soft combined the legendary multiplayer with a pretty good campaign to create one of my favorite SNES games of all time.
What made me like Super Bomberman the most is probably its pace. This is a faster paced game than the other titles; well about as fast as this genre can be. The basic gameplay is still the same, kill all enemies and find the exit. But the zippier pace makes it far more tolerable now. That is mostly down to its maps. Super Bomberman lacks the scrolling levels of its contemporaries and centralizes everything on one screen. The metric ton of power-ups available also livens up the gameplay. There are actually so many I won’t bother to name them all. Many are carried over from Bomberman ’93 which is a good thing in my book.
The level design is pretty great even with those changes. The six worlds of the game’s story are loosely themed, from Peace Town to the Diamond Tower. The map design is fantastic, full of numerous traps, contraptions, and other obstacles that make simply blowing up a set number of enemies more complicated. Each level is bustling with activity that almost makes it hard to keep track which adds to its charm. While enemy placement is a bit random there is plenty of room for technique such as luring them into bombs. Between the numerous power-ups as well as the differing enemy combinations the game does its best to stave off repetition.
That being said it does creep up eventually. I’m of two minds when it comes to the story mode’s length. The game does a great job of adding variety. New enemies are introduced in each world as well as new level elements. The creative boss battles at world’s end also serve as a nice cap to a string of themed stages. But seven stages in a near identical environment is a bit much. They are merely reshuffling each map at that point. A few less stages and more worlds would have worked better in my opinion. World 5 is the sole exception. Here you compete in a gauntlet of matches against rival Bombermen and it is awesome. I would have loved to see more elements like this to truly spice up the campaign. This is just my opinion of course.
One element that is a bit of a surprise is the difficulty. Super Bomberman is pretty challenging and I like it. There is a gradual curve as the game slowly introduces the more aggressive enemies. By the middle of World 2 they actively begin to seek you out rather than ignoring your presence. There is little room for error pretty early; don’t be surprised if you need to abuse the invincibility after death. Later worlds densely pack enemies into cramped spaces, making it tougher. And pray you don’t accidentally attack the exit, spawning even more enemies. It’s an example of doing a lot with very little and it works. Together with its challenging bosses the story mode is better than you expect.
Everyone knows multiplayer is the true heart of any Bomberman title. Super Bomberman does not disappoint in that regard. All twelve maps are exclusive to multiplayer and expertly designed. Each map follows a specific theme which informs its mechanics. My personal favorite, the Light Zone, is completely dark with roving spotlights as the only source of illumination. The gameplay opportunities it allows are ingenious. The speed zone is, uh, all about speed. The Duel Zone is special; players start in the middle with all power-ups lining the edges. It becomes a race to grab as many as you can before the carnage begins. And these are just a sampling. Honestly I like some of these worlds so much I wish they were incorporated into the solo campaign! I can’t count the number of times I rented this. My only regret is that I never played it with 5 players simultaneously.
In Closing
Super Bomberman is a fantastic entry in the series and would continue its momentum in the 16-bit era. Naturally its sequels would build from its framework, adding even more features and options. But it still remains incredibly fun and one of the system’s best games.
