Super Bomberman R

Have a Blast!

NA release: 3rd March 2017
EU release: 3rd March 2017
JP release: 3rd March 2017
Developer: HexaDrive
Publisher: Konami
IGN Review: 6.2/10
Platforms: Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Version Played: PC

Bomberman has tried lots of things throughout his games, with lots of attempts at bringing the series up to date – from adventure games to a gritty Lords of Shadow style reboot. With Super Bomberman R, Konami decided that the original gameplay really was good enough to stand on its own, so they made it in 3D and expanded upon that some more.

Throughout the story, you’ll play through stages where you have to bomb through blocks to reach enemies, keys or switches. You’ll find power up your abilities by collecting power-ups, which will let you drop more bombs, increase the range or speed up your bomberman. It’s classic Bomberman gameplay, and it’s still fun. My only issue is that the camera angle made me misjudge my position a few times, especially when the game gets busy.

The game is very simple, but that’s a positive for Bomberman. There’s a story mode, multiplayer battles and a 3v3 challenge mode, so plenty to stick your teeth into, although it could have done with a few more battle types for the multiplayer. The graphics look nice enough, but I prefer the look of the original 2D game.

In terms of Castlevania, you can unlock bombers based on Simon Belmont, Dracula and Alucard. They all have special abilities, too. Simon can stun enemies with his whip, Dracula created portal traps and Alucard can turn into mist and phase past bombs. They also have a few very robotic (on purpose) voice clips. It’s a decent game with lots of classic Bomberman action.

Fun

Super Bomberman R’s multiplayer versatility and boss-filled story mode are laudable retreads of classic gameplay, but its depth and customizability are disappointing. By contrast, the aforementioned Bomberman Live was a brilliant, fully featured Bomberman for Xbox 360 that came out 10 years ago, and it only cost $10. It’s reasonable to expect a bit more from a $50 Bomberman game in 2017.
Ryan McCaffrey, IGN

Remake or remaster?

This version is fine.

Official Ways to get the game

Super Bomberman R is available on the Nintendo eShop, Steam, PS Store and Xbox Store.