Back in the days of the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, there was a little game a buddy of mine had that sparked hours upon hours of fun, Bomberman. Bomberman’s setup was incredibly simple, bomb the other players and avoid blowing up yourself. However, it remained a nightly game that we continued to pull out for many months, quickly being one of our favorite games on the Sega Genesis. More than twenty years later, Bomberman is coming back in a big way. Super Bomberman R will be a Nintendo Switch launch game.
Super Bomberman R keeps the core look and mechanics that we fell in love with as kids, but the graphics have been upgraded for more detailed maps and characters. Players will of course be able to play on the go or on the big screen, with up to eight players. For those unaware of how a typical match goes, players start on the outside of an arena, working their way inward by blowing up blocks. Along the way, several different power-ups can be gathered such as extending the blast radius of one’s bombs or being able to kick bombs away. What results is this interesting strategy game filled with reactionary moves, dynamic shifts of the playing area, and a little luck with the random power-ups.
Some of the main features for Super Bomberman R include an enriched story mode with all-star voice actors, who play the returning Bomberman crew of familiar characters. Stages will be fully 3D with dynamic environments, providing more life to the arena and make for some interesting scenarios in single player. Of course, the main selling point is being able to play with eight players, which offers a few different ways to play.
This is the perfect style of game to bring to the Nintendo Switch. Bomberman has always been a fast and fun way to play with friends, so being able to bring that along anywhere for a pickup game is awesome. I’m already imagining the culture that could build with those playing on the Switch later on this year. Local tournaments, inviting people to play in public, making new friends, rekindling old gaming rivalries, Super Bomberman R is a simple game that could spark all of this and more.
Of course, there is the surprise that Konami is still making games. I thought they had moved on to more profitable markets. You know, pachinko machines and mobile games filled with microtransactions.
Hopefully, Super Bomberman R is a move in the right direction for Konami. I miss the days when Konami was synonymous with quality. Maybe we’ll see Contra or Castlevania on the Switch. We can only hope.
For more information on Super Bomberman R, check out Nintendo’s page on the game.
