The last time I dived headfirst into the Bomberman series was with the Sega Saturn back in the late 90s. My friend, Shane Bettenhausen, had the imported version for the Saturn and the capabilities of playing 10-players at once thanks to a multi-tap controller port. What ensued for hours upon hours was a competitive Bomberman tournament that devolved into a drinking game at one point (not Shane, but others). That night, and a few others just like it, was epic and the beginning of my long love affair with the series.
Now, that love affair has started to heat up again. It seems that Konami is getting a bit of that Capcom itch, as the company is diving into its classic library of games, re-releasing them with updated features, and getting the concept that older games actually might be a profitable venture if you deliver them right. That itch isn’t wrong at all. In fact, that itch should turn into a wonderful Snatcher scratch. Konami…SNATCHER. C’mon. Oh, well.
Anyway, this time around, Konami and developer Red Art Games have brought to life the Super Bomberman Collection. It’s a bevy of Super Nintendo versions (both American, European, and Japanese) of the classic series. While I think this series peaked on the Sega Saturn, and I was disappointed to find out that wasn’t an option with this collection, revisiting the classic Bomberman titles was a treat. Especially when the game features local and remote play.
So, without delay, let’s talk about the wonders of Super Bomberman Collection on the PC.
Gameplay fit for the 90s
Right out of the gate, the Super Bomberman Collection features some localized versions of Super Bomberman 4 & 5, which is a big deal for Bomberman fans out in the world. For those who didn’t own a Super Famicom (yours truly) and didn’t have the pleasure of seeing a competitive and fun last-gasp for Nintendo’s 16-bit era, this is a cool inclusion.
Returning to the overall collection, the games resemble those from the past, with a pixelated and pure 16-bit era aesthetic. Konami and Red Art Games didn’t stray too far away from the original content, which makes this a worthy collection and a good stepping stone, especially price-wise ($19.99), for anyone who has never played this series. If you are one of the newbies for this series, let’s talk about how the gameplay unfolds.
The player’s Bomberman is put into a series of obstacle-laden mazes, where they have to lay down a bomb to blow up said obstacles to progress. A secondary goal of this mass destruction is taking out enemies in the maze, who are all but happy to one-touch Bomberman into oblivion. That’s some old school damage rules, straight from arcade days. It works and creates a fair amount of tension.
As Bomberman blows sh*t up, occasionally, power-ups appear to help expand Bomberman’s bomb-laying abilities. The power-ups include the ability to place more bombs at once on the maze, extend the firepower of their blast, improve upon Bomberman’s foot speed, and even punch/kick bombs away or across a maze. Combined, these power-ups improve the gameplay considerably by offering more of a unique strategic gameplay venture that makes it more than just putting bombs down and hoping for the best. The goal of the game is to wipe out enemies, unlock a portal somewhere on the level hiding underneath one of the many obstacles, and get out safely to get to the next level, and eventually the boss level.
Now, that doesn’t mean that the game is easy, because none of these games is that at all. In fact, as players go through the collection, one of the biggest gameplay elements they will notice is how each Super Bomberman improves upon the last. For example, between the first and third, the enemies get more complicated and unpredictable, while the power-ups become more expanded and prevalent. Konami and Hudson, at the time of the games’ inception, knew that raising the stakes and developing more pointed and less messy gameplay would solidify this series in video game history. They were not wrong. Players will see how much smarter enemies become and how much harder bosses are as they traverse through the games. Impressively, each game just ups the last, which means that players will be more challenged as they go from game to game.
The problem with the above, if you’re not a gamer who is completely infatuated with video game history, like yours truly, is that it’s hard to go backwards with these games once you get to the end of the collection. Going from Super Bomberman 4 to Super Bomberman 1 is a clear step down. The gameplay from 4 to 1 slows down considerably and becomes less satisfying. It’s tough to go back. It’s like going from Resident Evil 8 to Resident Evil 1. It’s not as fun, and it can feel like a slog at times.
All that said, the one element that brings all these games to an even level is when you’re playing against human players. No matter the slogginess and the lack of cultivation between upper and lower numbers, everyone is even and locked in when it’s a PvP sort of deal. Going back to the beginning of this review, I never had much fun in the single-player version of any of the Bomberman games; rather, it was far more fun to run a competitive tournament against best friends. That truly is the glory of the game, and it’s something that still works nearly 30+ years later in this collection. I would rather spend hours trying to blow up friendships than anything else. When Digitalchumps had the opportunity to review this collection, that was my first thought.
Anyway, the collection is a beautiful trip down memory lane. It harkens back to a simplified timeline when local gaming meant being competitive in a living room, sometimes with some spirits to make it even more fun.
New stuff
Of course, the collection does come with a bit of a new shine to it. It features a boss challenge mode, which is fun and tough at the same time. Players go up against bosses in a timed manner. It’s intense, and it can be overly frustrating, but that is the name of the game here.
The game also features extra goodies like access to the music, art, rewinding mistakes (why would you want this?), and the ability to save the game at any given time. Those are nice little additions that don’t remake or alter the original gameplay. I’m more than cool with not rocking the original gameplay boat.
Beyond this, the games come to you in the form they were made. While it’s easy to complain about not upgrading graphics or sounds or any other nonsense like that, I don’t think it’s necessary with this collection. In fact, it’s probably best that they didn’t because it might have taken away some of that magic and retro-charm that made those games great.
Before I wrap this up, I will complain a little bit about the lack of the Sega Saturn version in this collection. I want to see that again. It was peak Bomberman. Maybe the Sega Konami Collection will be made, and I can get that and Snatcher in the same space. A boy can dream, right?
Conclusion
Super Bomberman Collection from developer Red Art Games and publisher Konami is a good collection that maintains the wonderfulness of some classic Bomberman titles, reignites the fun competitiveness included in them, and lays the groundwork for more classic Konami titles to come back to life in a modern gaming world. The collection may not have every great Bomberman title in it, but what you do get is darn good.
