💣 Received: November 15th, 2023 💣
💣 Written: February 12th-March 2nd, 2026 💣
Published by: Hudson Soft | [ ⬤ ]
Hello, gamers and readers alike, welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to tune in today, I really appreciate it!
Screengrabbed while watching RETRO-ROCK's Sharp X1 Bomber Man gameplay video (with sound) on YouTube
The year 1983 saw one of Hudson Soft's earliest video games in the form of Bomber Man, a top-down action maze game, which saw a release on the NEC PC-88, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Sharp X1, and FM-7 personal computer formats in Japan and in Europe where the objective was to eliminate all onscreen enemies by strategically placing bombs and bombing them away while also taking care to not get bombed yourself. When it came to the European release Hudson Soft altered its name to Eric and the Floaters as there was a series of terroristic bombings that occurred largely in Northern Ireland from 1966 and finally came to an end in 1998 during a dark period in time commonly referred to as the Troubles (alternatively known as the Northern Ireland conflict). This was a very awkward situation Hudson Soft found itself in that was beyond their control, but the name change was made out of sensitivity for what was happening in Ireland at the time and had they retained the original name then in the Western release it would've probably been viewed as abysmally and distastefully tone deaf and one that would've likely alienated an entire country.
The following year Hudson Soft had the distinction of becoming the first third-party company to develop and publish games for Nintendo's 8-bit console the Famicom with their own Nuts & Milk, having also worked on console-exclusives 4 Nin Uchi Mahjong and
This would be the first game in the series to officially receive North American exposure years after the fact on the NES, this edition of Bomberman in particular would also be converted over to the MSX computer as Bomberman Special the following year in 1986 in Japan only
Adapted to the Famicom by Shinichi Nakamoto in a reported 72-hour period, this 1985 edition of Bomberman retained the basic gameplay from Hudson Soft's original 1983 title but gave it a fresh coat of paint. For starters, the title character was changed to a humanoid robot, there was a colorful cast of enemies that you had to contend with, and it introduced a large number of core items and powerups (by and large hidden inside specific bombable obstacles) that would not only serve you well but would go on to be a staple of what would eventually become a franchise. After having cleared the 50th and final level, you will see
The Famicom and NES versions' ending differ in terms of messaging, but the visual is the same
Bomberman walk toward the end of the screen on the right until he becomes a human, with a
Nakamoto also ported Lode Runner to the Famicom where its guard enemies' side-facing designs and animations would be repurposed, albeit with a slightly altered palette, as Bomberman
familiar-looking sprite retroactively making Lode Runner (which came out the year prior) the sequel to Bomberman which is such an amusing yet highly unusual note to end in retrospect considering what would eventually follow. Considering the finality of that ending, I think it's safe to presume that perhaps Hudson Soft didn't see any prospects for a series or a franchise at the time and for the next few years there wasn't much activity with that IP. It wouldn't be until 1990 that Bomberman would become a series proper, with newer installments created on a frequent basis for newer platforms the Game Boy, NEC PC Engine, arcades, and even a direct sequel for the Nintendo 8-bit console which would all expand on what worked before and enhance the experience for it, embrace a more lighthearted tone with a colorful visual aesthetic, and most important of all: completely sidestep and ignore the definitive ending of the 1985 Nintendo 8-bit conversion where he becomes a human in the end.
Screengrabbed while watching LongplayArchive's Aldynes Longplay video on YouTube
It was only inevitable, then, that Nintendo's 16-bit Super Famicom console would receive its own Bomberman incarnation which would be developed by Produce. Founded in 1990 by former Irem employees, chief among them Shinji Imada, Produce got made their big break with the horizontal scrolling shoot'em up Aldynes: The Mission Code for Rage Crisis which Hudson Soft published in 1991 as a console exclusive title at the time for the NEC PC Engine SuperGrafx, a Japan-exclusive console that performed so poorly that only five games were released and specifically tailored for that format. Regardless, this marked the start of the working relationship between developer Produce and publisher Hudson Soft. For the next five years Produce would be deeply involved in making several Nintendo 16-bit titles, following up Aldynes with the sidescrolling platformer Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima in 1992 (another Hudson Soft publication) which would be localized for the Western SNES as Super Adventure Island and the turn-based RPG Elnard in 1993 (released in Japan by Gameplan 21) which Enix localized for the NTSC SNES format as The 7th Saga.
Image from GameFAQs
Super Bomberman would be released for the Super Famicom in Japan on April 28th of 1993,
Images from GameFAQs
which would be followed suit by a North American and European SNES localization that September and November respectively, with Hudson Soft serving as publisher. This game in particular would make history as the first title in the franchise to retain the Bomberman moniker for the PAL European release rather than change it to Dynablaster like in the past.
Left: His latest journey begins in Peace Town which is infested with Puropen | Right: After having dealt with all onscreen enemies, make way to the exit (but be sure not to hit it with a bomb blast if you know what's good for you)
In the action maze game Super Bomberman you take control of either Shiro Bom (White Bomberman through the first controller slot) or Kuro Bom (Black Bomberman through the second controller slot) in story mode, or should both controller slots be used then both characters will appear making for a two-player cooperative game. Regardless whom you choose to play as the control scheme is identical for you can move in a square pattern and place a bomb in a spot where your chosen Bomberman character is currently standing by pressing the A button, once you've done so you must clear yourself from being caught by its blast radius by either distancing yourself away from it as best you can or are allowed to or position yourself in a spot that will not be affected by the blast once the bomb goes off. The extent to which you can do so depends on how much walking space you've got that is not cut short by either a destructible block or moving enemy that just so happens to be in your designated path if not both. The goal for each level is to clear out the enemies by bombing them away within the allotted time that you are given, and once you have done so you must make your way to the exit which is concealed by a random block which you (if not a particular
Left: Nuts Star alien bun-buns | Right: Death by cuteness overload
enemy that has a bombing capability) must destroy to reveal. Beware not to place a bomb near or within the trajectory of that exit if you don't want to release another enemy that you'll have to deal with then which you want to avoid happening as best as you can manage. You'll also want to make extra sure not to be touched by an enemy lest you want to lose a life and should you fail to reach the exit on time you will also lose a life, but you'll still resume from where you've left off with roughly 13 to 14 seconds of invincibility time where neither bomb attack nor enemy can hurt you and are accorded such each time you begin a level. Whenever you start you begin with a short blast radius and can only drop one bomb at a time, but bombing the right destructible block will reveal a powerup which will aid you and augment your capabilities which will make things relatively smooth sailing (provided you walk toward it and it doesn't get blown up by the bomb's blast radius): a normal bomb powerup will increase the number of bombs you can drop at a time by one, a normal flame will extend the bomb's blast radius by one diameter, a rollerblade powerup will increase the playable Bomberman's mobility by one which will make him walk a little faster than before, a clock
Left: Must contend with a diverse group of enemies | Right: Blow the Bakuda up before they get a chance to blow up your bombs
will slightly prolong the amount of time you have remaining, a red bomb powerup will blast through more than one destructible block affected by the blast radius rather than have you bomb one destructible block at a time, a kick powerup will allow you to slide the bomb you placed across mere moments before it blows up by walking toward it, a boxing glove will permit you to punch the bomb you've placed across where you're presently standing by pressing the Y button next to it, a heart with a tiny bomb will give you the freedom to set the bomb and detonate it at will with a press of the B button, a wall powerup will grant you the ability to phase through destructible blocks, a bomb icon with lines will enable you to phase through any bomb that had been placed, a safety vest will momentarily render you invulnerable to an enemy or a bomb blast, a happy heart will act as a health supplement wherein you will still be given a chance even you were damaged one way or another once, a golden flame icon will set your blast radius to the max, and a Bomberman icon will grant you an additional life to your count (funny enough, his design there looks more based on his NEC PC Engine fare than it resembles how he looks in this game). Once you obtain most of the powerups I mentioned, just one or more than one, you'll hold on to those until you lose a life,
Left: With the detonator bomb powerup you can set it off at the mere press of a button without having to wait for a few seconds like you normally would | Right: As soon as you get the wall powerup you can phase through bombable blocks with ease
at which point you won't have those anymore until you reclaim those specific powerups at a later time but the number of bombs you can drop at a time, current blast radius, and speed won't change. One icon you most definitely want to avoid is the one that bears a skull on it, where touching it will either have you move slow or at an uncontrollably high speed, sometimes drop bombs automatically, become invisible making it hard to ascertain where you are, or more than one of these scenarios simultaneously, though those in particular are really only present during the final two boss battles. Each area is comprised of eight levels, where the eighth and final level will have you contend with a boss where access to the next area is guaranteed once it has been defeated. Should you lose your last life you will be granted a simple and concise four-digit password where you can pick up your progress at a later time or you have the option to use one of your unlimited set of continues to pick up your current progress albeit at square one in terms of abilities (losing your last life in the eighth level will set you back to the seventh and penultimate level should you choose to continue).
Left: There are a bunch of Senshiyan and Bakuda enemies to deal with | Right: Should you have the wall powerup you can access any empty spot surrounded by three or four bombable blocks and destroy them all from within after having placed a bomb there... not that you have to, necessarily, but you never know what with the random powerups hidden beneath random blocks
Super Bomberman's visuals were handled by graphic director Takayuki Hirai (who also did design work for Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima and for Elnard) along with graphic designers Jun Kusaka (credited under the pseudonym "Volk Jun", who previously was a designer for Aldynes and the first 16-bit Takahashi Meijin platformer and served as graphic director for Elnard) and Nobi Hiraji. Peace Town's opening levels have a relaxing color palette, I like the texture of the grass and the wooden border around it, and Kuro Bom's castle has a nice hazy filter that hovers across the playing field on occasion. I like the welcome banner hanging above Robot Amusement Park with the blue-checkered floor pattern and chests serving as bombable blocks as the action is all encompassed inside a border made up of vibrantly colorful balloons held by strings. Dr. Mook's Robot Remodeling Factory has got an apt industrialist aesthetic with all the machinations abound, and I like how the Robot Tournament Grounds is crowded with spectators as they watch the action unfold in gladiatorial fashion (unless you're fighting the Yellow Mecha Bomber in which case they've all left and gone home). As each level takes place on a 13 x 11 square grid (the equivalent of 143 squares) this makes it the rare game developed by Produce where there's nary any screen
Left: Meet the first boss Bigaron who will leave a smashing impression on you (or attempt to, anyway) with his big hammer | Right: Strategically position the bombs at evenly spaced gaps so that you have a chance at having him sustain damage once he moves into position
scrolling in any which direction, where the only movement happens within the screen's parameters through Shiro and Kuro Bom, the enemies and bosses, bomb explosions, and very occasionally background animation as well as specifically designed blocks. For Shiro Bom's first Nintendo 16-bit foray he's designed and colored very solidly, though his body is a darker shade of blue than in his other incarnations his endearing quality has not been lost in translation (including the pink ball shape on his head that resembles a fuse, which makes sense as he's essentially a sentient walking bomb) especially with the slightly added sheen on his head and body; even Kuro Bom looks good in Super Bomberman, even though he's essentially a palette swap only his head and body are black while his arms and legs show more skin. His walking animation is simple yet well done, I like his simple one-frame punch animation as he punches the recently placed bomb across from him wearing a determined expression on his face, and unlike most games in the series when you lose a life here in one way or another his eyes will bug out for a split second as he reflexively springs up in his current position which is followed by him landing flat on his back with his visor shortly after being turned off. I love how after the end of the third and sixth areas after the colored
Left: Welcome to the Robot Amusement Park | Right: Punching the bomb South
Bombermen have been liberated and once you foil Carat Diamond and Dr. Mook's schemes they'll jump up and down doing a celebratory victory dance with the happiest of expressions, it is so adorably wholesome and lighthearted. The rogues' gallery you have to deal with this time comprises of the red propeller head Puropen (including the ominously eyed metal equivalent), the floating lamp-like Denkyun, the bunny alien Nuts Star with wavy floppy ears, the perpetually angry eyed Bakuda bomb enemies (including the red version) who float about, the spherically-shaped cyclopic Pakupa enemies who have the capability to eat bombs, the flamethrowing Senshiyan tanks, the clown-faced Douken, the Cuppen monkey monsters who naturally ride around on teacups, the purple Banen who bounce about through their yellow spring, the UFO-like Metal U robots, Kierun ghosts, Kinkaru coins who rotate on a continuous basis, eyepatch-wearing Kouraru turtle shell enemies, the molelike Moguchan, blue Dengurin animal heads, red and blue Keibin who spin around with each movement, hardhat wearing Anzenda, Kuwagen beetles who highly resemble bulls (right down to the metal equivalent), Chameleomen who'll occasionally stop in place to momentarily alter their appearance to look like either Shiro Bom or Kuro Bom, the Robocom enemies who almost
Left: You've met the Bakuda, now meet the red Bakuda whose blasts will blow up more than one consecutive bombable block at a time should it get its way... also the Banen and Douken | Right: And let's not forget the Cuppen
look to be wearing robes, and the large spear-wielding Yoroisu knight enemies. The bosses have all got a solid design as the majority of them are big in size: I like the dark blue colors and flame patterns on the hammer-wielding Bigaron, Clown Mask makes his grand entrance as he's revealed by a spotlight in a darkened room doing his eyebrow flash before it's time for business and is genuinely creepy (particularly every time he opens his mouth as you see all his teeth and tongue on full display), I like the pro wrestling aesthetic Mecha Onita has got (possibly named as reference to retired Japanese wrestler Atsuhi Onita) with his large boxing gloves as well as this neat delayed shadow visual as he's pushed by the bomb's explosion signifying the rate at which he was pushed as well as the fact that his eyes become noticeably bugged out as he gets electrocuted by the electric border, and among my favorite boss designs is Spiderer whose leg articulation as it moves around is solidly animated plus I like how its antennae randomly wave about sleekly. I love how the opening introduction is presented like a film reel should you wait long enough in the title screen, it's a massive shame it was removed from the Western SNES release (I don't believe for a moment that it was done out of cost reductive localization measures, there's no objectionable imagery and there are no words to translate... what a pointless removal) because by removing the intro Hudson Soft have
Hudson Soft: "Creature riding in a Bomberman game...? 💡 We should totally explore that possibility in future games!"
removed immediate narrative context (yes, the story is explained in the manual, but: if it's not in the game, it's not in the game, it's as simple as that. One should not have to be required to look up supplementary material to know what's going on and it is highly presumptuous to act like everyone will read the manual before playing the game--and that's presuming they have the manual at all--which is simply not realistic). And lastly, I love how the end credits feature endearing sepia-toned concept design and epilogue art.
Left: This time you must deal with Robot Amusement Park creepy resident Clown Mask | Right: Aw, I almost feel bad for dishing out damage to him
As usual with Chikuma on board the quality of Super Bomberman's music is very good with how endearingly catchy and enthralling each theme sounds, plus for the series' 16-bit console foray its music leaves a positive impression especially with the welcome incorporation of piano flair to the mix. I love how the title theme is a nice hybrid of the 1985 Famicom game's title theme and main theme that sets the musical tone for what's to come to good effect, the introductory Peace Town area theme is a lovingly piano-driven recreation of the earlier title's main theme which is enhanced further by expanded instrumentation and a fun melody that makes it a fun head bopper, Robot Amusement Park's theme is so likably endearing that eventually it incorporates the main theme into the melody later on, Dr. Mook's Robot Remodeling Factory's theme has got an oriental vibe with well-timed piano work and also incorporates the main theme into its melody in a such a subtle complementary manner, and
Left: Or I would feel bad if not for the fact that he opens his mouth having us look at his perfectly aligned teeth and tongue from that angle | Right: Anyway, blow up, you creep show! I wish I could say he was the creepiest Bomberman boss there was, but alas he is not...
the battle theme is an infectiously catchy slap bass-heavy up-tempo remix of the 1985 game's bonus theme with supercharged piano work throughout. But it's not all recreations and remixes of past themes as the original material created for Super Bomberman also does a good job at blending seamlessly with the individual areas' environments. The Robot Tournament Qualifier Dome theme has got an amicably engaging piano melody, the Robo Tournament Grounds theme sounds imposing, and the final Diamond Tower theme is imbued with a real sense of urgency as you're in the game's final segment despite its otherwise slow tempo. The boss theme is absolutely exhilarating as it is paced just right for it is also catchy with how its melody is composed, and the ending credits theme is a fun and energetic slice of rewarding music to listen once all is said and done especially once it reaches its final notes (exclusive to the Super Famicom version it is also played during the opening introduction albeit up to partway through which has sadly been removed from the Western
Left: In the greenhouse of Dr. Mook's Robot Remodeling Facoty are the Moguchan and the eyepatch-wearing Kouraru | Right: "You want my bombs so much? Take 'em!"
This game has got some interestingly designed sound effects like the simple yet soft-sounding "BOOM" of the bombs going off, the loud explosions that play out when a boss is defeated, the rubbing sound for when the bomb is kicked across the floor, I enjoy the way Bomberman's punch sounds similar to a pin being knocked down by a bowling ball, I love the "schWOOP" sound effect when an enemy bites the dust as the score you attained from doing so shows up in its wake (especially when you managed to take multiple enemies at once), the Spiderer's firmly metallic stomps as it moves and skitters around before it stops in place is aptly chosen, and there is a sound effect for whenever you get a life in one way or another that sounds unusually tuned but endearingly welcome all the same. I even found the pop sound of both Shiro Bom and Kuro Bom punching out Carat Diamond and Dr. Mook after their plan has been effectively thwarted amusing. The one sound effect that I found was too much was the footstep sounds the Bomberman character you controlled made with each
Left: Oh, look, an apple! 🍎 | Right: Bomb blast is a full po--agh, dammit, I blew up the exit and released a Kierun! 😣
passing movement that was so irksome to the point that it comes off as simultaneously squeaky and scratchy, it is so prevalent and reemergent throughout that it almost threatens to cut off or obfuscate the background music at certain points. Not even the 1985 Nintendo 8-bit Bomberman was that annoying when it came to Bomberman's footsteps (a simple and to the point strutting march sound, it wasn't intrusive). Super Bomberman should've had an even or subtle sound balance when it came to the footsteps, but instead they're just as audible as the music (if not more so at points), that's unfortunate considering its otherwise high quality music. Luckily come the sequels and other Bomberman games the footstep sound issues have been remedied with either a more tolerable sound effect or by not including one. You can even listen to the music without playing the game itself by accessing its hidden sound test, but that can only be accomplished by pressing the right shoulder button in the title screen via the fifth controller through the Super Multitap.
Image from the Bomberman Wiki fan website
When Super Bomberman first came out in 1993 so too did the Super Multitap as Hudson Soft created that Super Famicom console (which by itself has got two controller slots) peripheral specifically for this game which would make it possible to play the game's battle mode up to a possible four players (as the Super Multitap had four slots); sometimes it came bundled with the game proper. After the Super Multitap made its debut with this Nintendo 16-bit title there would also be more than 50 games in the system that would utilize it to be able to have more than two players play at a time (if need be) for its sequels and other games such as the Bomberman spinoffs and clones, Namco's Super Family Tennis/Smash Tennis, SquareSoft's Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana, Sunsoft and OLM's Sugoi Hebereke, Konami's Tiny Toon Adventures: Dotabata Daiundoukai/Wacky Sports Challenge/Wild & Wacky Sports, and Birthday's Crystal Beans from Dungeon Explorer, et al.
I love the color-coded Bomberman audience doing the wave in the victory screen ✋☺️🤚 For the draw screen the four individual Bomberman characters falling one by one in defeat were removed from the Western SNES localization
order to reign victorious. Or failing that--whether everyone was taken out or there was more than one Bomberman standing once your allotted time has run out--end with a draw in which case the battle must begin anew until there is only one Bomberman remaining.
The first battle arena is a very nice homage to 1985 Bomberman
There is also a way to render all Bomberman characters bite-size by inputting the numbers 5656 in the password screen. It doesn't alter the gameplay as that much remains the same, but it really does make a sizeable difference in terms of detailed design (or lack thereof).
Left: In the Remodeling Factory we go, with machinery operating all around | Right: Must eliminate all the Anzenda and bull-like Kuwagen beetles in this room
Super Bomberman was very well-received upon release and has consistently gotten positive praise across the board worldwide. Famitsu awarded it a 30 out of 40 as this was the one Produce-developed title they were the most receptive towards compared to the 25, 21, and 26 out of 40 they gave their previous titles Aldynes, Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima, and the Gameplan-21 published Elnard respectively (the last of which preceded this game's Japanese release by five whole days). Elsewhere around the world European magazines GamesMaster, Official Nintendo Magazine, Super Play, and Total! ranked it as high as 92 or 93% which is high praise (except for SNES Force which conversely gave it a 78 out of 100), Australia's longest-running video game magazine Hyper also awarded it a 92%, and North America's Electronic Games and VideoGames awarded it a 92% and a 9 out of 10 respectively. Super Bomberman also received the 1993 Strategy/Puzzle Game of the Year Award by GamePro which is no small feat, it also helped that it turned in a very healthy profit for Hudson Soft as it was very successful on release (especially due to good word of mouth).
This is the one Super Bomberman game to not feature cooperative two-player mode on normal game
With Super Bomberman showing that developer Produce and publisher Hudson Soft was a winning combo, it only made sense given its huge success for the latter to once again employ the services of the former to work on the sequel for the Nintendo 16-bit console. 1994 would see the release of Super Bomberman 2 exactly one year after its predecessor and mere months after Produce's other venue that year in the form of the puzzle-oriented action
This iteration also marked the first time a Super Bomberman game could be played with up to five players through the Super Multitap
American distributor suffering financial problems at the time they had to close down their doors to avoid being caught by the throes of bankruptcy thereby cancelling any planned NTSC SNES localization at that point in time. That's a shame, because it was also a successful title and was met with a worthwhile positive reception (some saw it as a downgrade while others found it a welcome return to form after Super Bomberman 2, I suppose it depends who you talk to), plus unlike the first two games which were strictly linear you could revisit any level you previously beat as it meant (re)stocking up on powerups.
Left: Hey, I'm seeing double: four Kuro Bom! | Right: Punching the bomb toward the Kuwagen's direction
Growing up I had a very limited experience with the Bomberman franchise, primarily while visiting my cousins. One of my cousins whom I used to hang out with often when visiting my North American relatives had a Bomberman game for the Game Boy (but for the life of me I can't recall whether it was Bomberman GB or Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!, it's been so long plus I only played it at least once). As a kid while I still lived in Italy I remember visiting one of my younger cousins playing one of their plug-and-play systems which housed
have a soft spot for). A few years later in 2011 I would get to catch up with A.I's Nintendo 64 platformer Bomberman Hero which I quite enjoyed at the time (certain flaws notwithstanding), in early 2014 I ordered the Super Famicom edition of Super Bomberman 3 during the Retro Duo days (before the Super Famicom console a year later), and in 2017 I would download Bomberman '94 and the falling block puzzler Bomberman: Panic Bomber on the Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console on the Nintendo eShop. For a while that was it as far as far as what I've played from the series as none of my cousins who owned an SNES console had any of the Super Bomberman games in their collection which I learned of through the internet as a teen. To be honest thinking back, I probably wasn't really that interested when I was younger. I liked what games I got to play from the Bomberman brand at the time, but I wasn't really rushing to catch up on anything from that series in particular (not because I didn't enjoy what I played, but because I just wasn't that invested enough to explore the
To think, in Japan Saturn Bomberman came out just mere months after Produce's Super Famicom-based Super Bomberman 4 (1996 was a busy year for the series)
series further). It wasn't until November 2023 that I decided to not only catch up with the first two Super Bomberman titles for the Super Famicom (I figured I may as well, I owned Super Bomberman 3 which I skipped to less than a decade earlier without having played its two precursors first) but also the Japanese version of Hudson Soft's Saturn Bomberman for the Sega Saturn. Because I ordered those three games on eBay through the same seller I
Left: Be sure you position yourself carefully to not get caught by Crane Hand's... erm, crane hand(s) | Right: Occasionally there'll be missiles sprouting out from Dr. Mook's machination who will generally move in your character's direction and sometimes propel the recently placed bomb in their path with their nose which acts as their equivalent to your boxing glove powerup
Most people who are acquainted with the franchise in one form or another are probably aware of this factoid, but for those who aren't I think it's very important to bring up the historical context. In Europe from 1966 to early '90s "Bomber Man" was synonymous with a terrorist bomber sanctioned by the IRA during the period known as the Troubles which largely occurred in Northern Ireland, hence why series installments Bomber Boy/Atomic Punk, the personal computer conversion of 1990 Bomberman, and Bomberman II for instance were all given the title Dynablaster for the PAL releases to avoid sharing any association with what was happening over there. Of course it's very difficult to imagine now (especially for someone who's never been to Ireland), but this was a different and serious
Left: Should any missile be left around in the area as you destroy the Crane Hand they too will be destroyed, which is a cool bonus | Right: [Imagine the following being spoken in collectively high-pitched voices] "Hurray!" "We're free!" "Yay!" "Rejoice!" "Look at the pathetic whitecoat run off like a li'l pansy!" "Jump for joy!" ✋😄🤚
Super Bomberman is at its core a simple game to play which I think was the right move for the series' introduction to Nintendo's 16-bit console. The game plays very well and does a good job at easing you into its mechanics as you start off at your slowest with only the ability to drop one bomb at a time with the shortest blast radius only for your capacity to increase at an effective rate as you collect each new powerup hidden underneath a random bombable block. And when you end up obtaining the phasing, kick, boxing glove, and bomb detonators the world becomes your oyster so long as you remain careful if you can help it (because the chance of slipping up is probable), especially the detonators which you can activate with the press of a button at your heart's leisure while taking cover. When it comes to setting up bombs you must take notice of your surroundings, and before committing to your gameplan you must contemplate in relation to where Shiro Bom or Kuro Bom presently is "Which hard blocks will cut the blast radius short?", "What open spaces do you have to move freely?", and most pressingly, "is there a spot you can take cover in once the bomb(s) go(es) off?". Proper strategizing will ensure prolonged survival. You can even place evenly gapped bombs to set off a bomb blast chain reaction to increase your chances of not only destroying bombable blocks but also taking out any enemy unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast radius as it happens. Upon revealing the level exit you should still exercise caution and avoid setting off a bomb where its blast touches it if you can help so as to not release yet another enemy to deal with more than you have to. Most of the enemies in Super Bomberman will move back and forth with whatever open spacing they have, but they do all act in a different manner where certain ones will require more than one bomb blast to do them in: for example the Pakupa enemies will advance at a quicker rate once there's a bomb in its vicinity which it will devour (or attempt to), the Kinkaru coin enemies not only move at a quicker rate than normal but they can pass through hard blocks as well, the Moguchan will occasionally dig their way into the ground and pop up again in a random spot, the Kuwagen will advance toward you at double their speed should you appear in their line of sight, and the Yoroisu must be dealt with by creating an explosion that will hurt them from behind as it is ineffective from the front due to the shield that they carry which will defect the blast (because of their big size and the fact you have to deal with two of them makes Stage 6-4 feel like a mini-boss session).
Left: Now to make my way in and survive through the Robot Tournament Qualifier Dome | Right: The noncorporeal Kierun will sometimes stop in place and briefly vanish except for their eyes
With the (red) Bakuda bomb enemies occasionally stopping in place to cause a bomb blast that gives them the distinction of serving as an unintended ally as they too have the capacity to destroy bombable blocks as well as the enemies around them, but to take them out proper the key is to set off the bomb before they get a chance to counteract against it. Sometimes there are enemies that will be stuck in a spot closed off by bombable blocks meaning that you are going to have to free them with your bombs before you proceed to take them out after, and though it comes off as counterintuitive to your quest (and sometimes it can be) if you wish to clear out all enemies before proceeding to the exit you have no choice. To add some excitement there are also some special items to collect of the optional variety which will materialize in a random spot should you perform certain things in certain levels (mostly there to give you lots of points): an ice candy in Stage 1-3 will pop up should you defeat three enemies in a row by kicking the bomb toward them, pausing the game in Stage 2-2 will make an onigiri appear, losing the last extra life in Stage 3-4 will generate a kendama, placing a bomb in each of the four corners in Stage 4-1 will reward you with an ice candy, punching the air five times in Stage 6-5 will make ice cream appear out of thin air, and to get a free heart in Stage 6-7 simply pause the game once, et al. There is a nice sense of gradual progression in terms of difficulty as the game starts off with less enemies to deal with who are pretty facile only to include more of them on the same level the further you go along who pose more of a challenge. A lot of the boss fights are manageable in terms of having a simple strategy to land a bomb hit on them, with a good number of them requiring that you move and circle around them should they get too close to you and accurately time when to drop the bomb so that the blast will incur damage to them (or to not be taken down by them, better yet) but with some minute variations: Bigaron will sometimes stop in place to use his hammer, any time Clown Mask sustains damage he'll shoot out in eight directions projectiles that you must avoid by carefully stepping out of their way, and the only way to get Mecha Onita to receive damage is by properly timing his position and direction he was moving towards when the bomb goes off
Oh my God, they're besties!!! 😄
I love how the first thing you see upon turning on the game right before the title fades into view and momentarily obscures them is Shiro Bom and Kuro Bom riding on a hot air balloon together
I love the idea that Kuro Bom has been made a playable character (albeit through the second controller) despite how the past entries have usually portrayed him as an antagonist or villain (including as an end of stage boss in Inter State and Kaneko's Star Parodier who tried to attack you in typical Bomberman fashion) who pretty much acted as a foil to Shiro Bom who is more or less his equal in terms of size, stature, and capability. Not so in Super Bomberman as he went to Shiro Bom for help and assisted him, and the fact that he tried to stop Carat Diamond's scheme (and failed) despite his previous history has essentially redeemed Kuro Bom for his past misdeeds. This essentially marked the beginning of his allyship to Shiro Bom as this was not a one-time deal but rather a recurrent thing throughout the franchise onward as they'd usually go on their missions together (cutscene-wise).
I love these two together, they're such cute little goobers! ☺️
But that's not to say that their rivalry has been eroded entirely as it is still there, the only difference is that it's under much friendlier terms. They've truly come a long way since they first crossed paths in 1990, also seeing Shiro Bom and Kuro Bom be best friends with one another is honestly something I find endearingly wholesome and incredibly adorable.
Left: Kicking the bomb all the way across to where the Metal Kuwagen is | Right: "Just because you're the face of the series doesn't make you the only important character out of all of us, Shiro!"
The first Super Bomberman also did something that was highly unprecedented for a traditional game of the series at the time that it hasn't really been done since (if not quite as much). Generally speaking, in a Bomberman game if you lost a life at any point during a level whether it was because you got hit or ran out of time or got caught in your own bomb blast then you had to start the level over from scratch (sometimes with a randomized layout). In here, though, that is not the case as in lieu of restarting the level over you still get to pick up your progress uninterrupted with 13 to 14 seconds of invincibility time after using up one of your lives. Now that does sound like a long time to be rendered invulnerable to enemy attack or bomb blasts, and it is. However, with this knowledge in mind it can be very easy to
Left: In this electrified boxing ring is your next opponent Mecha Onita | Right: Since your bombs can only propel him in a direction, the goal is to have the bomb go off and push him so close to the electricity that he'll end up sustaining damage from it
take advantage of and exploit this feature for there is a trick you can perform that is only recommended while you've still got invincibility time left: after a bomb has exploded, continuously press and tap the A button as the blast is touching Shiro (or Kuro) Bom to prolong and ride the bomb blast which will make quick work of bombable blocks and enemies in your path (including those Kinkaru coins who move annoyingly fast and nonstop) and even shave off a boss' health at a considerable rate. Now, I just want to clarify here that this bomb blast riding tactic is not a requisite, I am not suggesting that the game is unmanageable without this trick because it definitely is. It totally is. It is there only for instances where you don't feel like waiting the long game (again, the Kinkaru but also for certain Mecha Bombers
Left: I love the delayed motion effect after every bomb blast push, it's so unique compared to every other boss (briefly though it lasts) and is so mesmerizing to watch | Right: Shocking!
who seem to always sense when you've got a bomb that's about to go off). It's also not something you want to do all the time because that will just ensure that you run out of lives quickly and you do not want that. Regardless, the fact that Super Bomberman is rather lenient in terms of picking up your progress after losing a life makes the game feel fair and balanced as far as difficulty is concerned and it also feels highly respectful of my time as it can essentially be beaten within the span of an hour in one sitting or close to that. That you're given a four-digit password after losing your last life in the event that you don't have time to do it all in one go which you can input to pick up at a later time is also a good thing.
Left: "What the hell, you're hiding in the corner instead of facing me as I enter the room?? You deserve to be replaced, then I will be Bomberman!" | Right: Double KO
For having never worked on a Bomberman game before it's incredibly remarkable how well Produce's first contribution to Hudson Soft's popular and always growing series turned out. Not only did it do that IP proud and then some but by the same token it is also the first truly and consistently great game that Produce ever developed. Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima was never regarded as a good game even for the time it came out and is generally viewed as being rather lackluster especially with the inexcusably slow walking pace while Elnard had such a fascinating premise and lore behind it that you could not help but admire how ambitious it was trying to be (even if it struggled to live up to that very ambition oftentimes) though its pacing did occasionally get bogged down by lengthy money farming
Left: "Finish him off, we expect good results!" | Right: The bomb blast riding compels you, you Yellow Mecha Bootleg!
and level grinding sessions (amplified further in The 7th Saga as it was made much more difficult for the NTSC SNES release no thanks to a programming error) which is enough to pose as a potential turnoff for some as it is not for everyone. Now with Super Bomberman there was a wholesomely enjoyable quality to it with little to no moments affecting the flow and pace, the structure was simple yet sound, it trusted gamers enough to acclimate to the game's mechanics, it did not outstay its welcome, and the best part about it was that it was so approachable that anyone regardless of skill level could play it regardless whether you were a devoted fan to the Bomberman franchise or just enjoy playing video games in general. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it had something for everyone.
Also, whoever had the bright idea of relegating the passwords to the first level of each area and only the first area levels (normal and fully equipped) unlike the other games which gave you the passwords to most if not all levels ought to have been sacked 😒 Thank God for Super Bomberman 4 two years later which showed that Produce was still capable of developing a very good Bomberman game for Hudson Soft
Considering how great Super Bomberman turned out which proved how competent Produce was at developing a game for the franchise, that just made it all the more disappointing for me how Super Bomberman 2 turned out (and I must stress, I didn't grow up with these games, for my disappointment does not stem from nostalgia). Now I'd never say it's a bad game, there are things I like and appreciate about it, but in my opinion it just lacked the magic of its predecessor by emphasizing on gimmicks plus I felt that it did not share the fair and balanced difficulty of it either. Yasuhiko Fukuda, bless him, he's a good composer in his own right but he is no Jun Chikuma and was the wrong choice to fill in her shoes (or rather, his musical approach for this sequel specifically was misguided as it didn't feel like a proper Bomberman soundtrack for it made no effort to reference or incorporate preestablished themes and motifs). There were moments of inexplicable slowdown as well whereas the first game didn't have any to speak of which made this sequel feel sloppy by comparison, it occasionally felt unpolished, the last set of levels ultimately killed whatever enthusiasm I might have had for it before with the way they've been laid out, and the final battle took what felt like a few dozen tries to take down which made me so annoyed that I had to be forced to not get hit once lest I start all over (and I mean all over from Stage 5-7 as Stage 5-8 has got two halves). I simply did not end up finding Super Bomberman 2 as good I wanted to for it was the least fun I've had out of these Nintendo 16-bit games, and to be honest I feel it to be the odd one out of the bunch (especially with 3 onward going back to simple basics). 😞
I can't think of much I'd have done different with the first Super Bomberman, it's a very good game just the way it is. I suppose if I had a few quibbles: I feel some of the bosses require an extraneous amount of bombs to do them in (Clown Mask and Mecha Onita are the worst offenders for they need 18 and 17 bomb hits respectively to properly defeat them), the Kinkaru coins having the capacity to phase through walls at uncontrollably fast speeds is a touch inconvenient at points as they never hold still making bombing them out requiring precise timing, the Pakupa tend to be a nuisance, the Yoroisu move at a plodding pace unless you appear in their line of sight, Shiro Bom and Kuro Bom's "squatchy" footsteps are a bit
Left: Diamond Tower has got a real skull motif going on with its bombable blocks (and during the Uiteru V fight, skull tiles) 💀 | Right: That Kuwagen is trapped between those blocks, let's free it so you can then take that bull beetle out with a bomb after the fact
much as was mentioned earlier, and after Spiderer has been taken out all that's left to deal with is the airborne Uiteru V which is piloted around by Carat Diamond and Dr. Mook which feels a little overlong as it requires that you have the boxing glove to punch bombs toward them from an accurate and equally measured distance (but just because the hit lands that doesn't mean you should hold still for you should still take cover to save yourself from the blast radius afterward) but God forbid you should lose a life after having obtained the boxing glove here lest you want to repeat the song and dance of weaving and walking around skull icons while avoiding being touched by the floating mechanism and waiting for the
Left: Nope, I'm moving to the next level, not worth destroying that skull block right across from the exit with a bomb just so I'm forced to deal with another enemy that I end up freeing as a result because it just so happened to be positioned in that very exit's vicinity | Right: Yoroisu
essential item to defeat them to pick up (sometimes it will show up shortly while other times it might take a long time to show, it's always random). I suppose a part of me wishes it came out a little sooner than 1993, but by the same token if Produce didn't have experience working on their previous games before tackling the coveted franchise then Super Bomberman would probably not have turned out as good as it did. Other than that, I didn't find this game to be unreasonable despite those few issues I have because at the end of the day I still found it to be very enjoyable with a manageable difficulty through and through with a healthy degree of balanced fairness. Of the five Super Bomberman games on the Super Famicom I had the most fun with this iteration with the fourth game coming in very close.
Among the first video games of the Bomberman franchise to feature proper voice acting
...well, six if you count the 1995 Super Famicom adaptation of Hudson Soft's 1994 falling block puzzler Bomberman: Panic Bomber, Raizing's Super Bomberman: Panic Bomber World. Even if it might not be the most colorful incarnation out there I personally think it's a very fun game with rock solid gameplay with cleverly incorporated bomb mechanics and can be quite addicting to play in short bursts. The music is fantastic (with Chikuma making a much-needed and glorious return, doing right what Fukuda's non-Bomberman sounding music in Super Bomberman 2 did wrong), I love the constantly rotating alternate visuals per continent you visit, it's high on charm and character, and on later difficulties there are two secret characters to compete against which will affect the overall ending. It also helps that puzzlers are among my favorite video game genres for I find this one to be very underrated.
It's too bad that the Tirra only ever appeared in one other game outside of this one; Dr. Ein, Kepo, and the Hige Hige Bandits made more series appearances than them
Had it not been for Saturn Bomberman I would honestly say that the first Super Bomberman is the best of the traditional Bomberman games I've played. But I couldn't help it, I simply found Saturn Bomberman very irresistible to play with some of the most appealing sprite-based visuals of the series with a succinctly chosen color palette that is very pleasing for the eyes to look at, the gameplay felt very smooth and polished, the ability to
Also, outside of that one glorified cameo appearance in Hudson Soft's DoReMi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibōken, how often do you get to see Shiro Bom, Kuro Bom, and Milon share the same screen together? One savors these moments
backtrack to resupply and/or find an egg is highly appreciated, the rhino-like Tirra (or Tyra) were great alternatives to the Roois who gradually grow with each filled up egg, it features some of Chikuma's best music of the franchise in my opinion, it's endearing from beginning to end with some lovely level transitions, has got an infinitely rewatchable opening anime FMV sequence, and I found it to be overwhelmingly enjoyable. A perfectly good Sega Saturn game and among my personal favorite third-party titles for the system! 😄
Left: This time you must take out the Robocom and Metal Puropen | Right: Take heart, Kuro Bom, for your quest is almost at a close ❤️
Super Bomberman set the standards for the series pretty high, so much so that very few in number could manage to equal if not surpass it. For this first 16-bit installment Produce adopted a "less is more" approach which did wonders for it as it managed to accomplish so much despite being very simple at heart. It might not have the animal riders of later games and it might be among the shortest entries of the Bomberman series to hit the Nintendo 16-bit console bar none, but that's okay because this game focused primarily on being fun which it excelled at for that is exactly the best thing anyone could ask for here. That it continues to receive positive reviews and accolades even to this day is a testament to how meaningfully
Left: It's to face off against one of Super Bomberman's best-looking bosses (as well as one of the game's best bosses), Spiderer | Right: On occasion it will stop in place to sprout out a number of bombs that will all go off at the same time, at which point you must move over to a nearby spot that will not be affected by the bomb blast
successful it was in what it was trying to accomplish and for that it has simply aged like fine wine. I highly recommend checking out Super Bomberman if you've got a Super Famicom and/or SNES console, even if you don't consider yourself a fan of the franchise I still think you'll get enjoyment out of it on its own merits. But if you don't have the luxury of owning either format it is available to play in Super Bomberman Collection which Konami shadow dropped as a downloadable title on this current generation's video game consoles catching
Left: The glove! 🥊 I need it to finish the job | Right: Okay, you've landed a hit on Uiteru V, but don't just stand there! Take cover afterwards!
everyone by surprise back in early February of 2026 which has been compiled by Red Art Games and includes the five traditional 16-bit Super Bomberman games as well as the Famicom editions of the two 8-bit Bomberman games (provided you've got enough memory space to spare). What a treat for retro video game fan and enthusiasts as well as Bomberman devotees alike! It's odd that it didn't happen a lot sooner, but better late than never. Despite liking most of the games I played I never thought of myself as a fan of the franchise, and I still don't feel as such today, but having got to play the first Super Bomberman (and by extension Saturn Bomberman) I can safely say that it has helped me gain a bigger appreciation and respect for the franchise than I had for it before. And that has got to count for something.
My Personal Score: 8.5/10
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
● From Super Bomberman alone I took a total of 351 screenshots which naturally I had to whittle down from that number to decide which ones to use for this review. I did plan on talking about this game someday, but with the surprise announcement of Super Bomberman Collection it gave me just enough incentive and inspired me to start covering this game in full almost right away.
● Outside of the changes I mentioned, the Western SNES release also had subtle color adjustments regarding the Bombermen and Mecha Bomber sprites plus Moguchan experienced a slightly altered design with a palette change.
● There was a mobile phone game in 2004 that was also called Super Bomberman, but outside of sharing the title and the ability to play as Bomberman it is not the same exact game as the 1993 Nintendo 16-bit namesake.
● I'm genuinely surprised it took this long for the 16-bit Super Bomberman games to be officially revisited and digitally rereleased for the present generation to play. 🤔 The last time they were given renewed exposure was way back in 2004 with Hudson Soft's personal computer-based compilation Bomberman Collection Vol. 2 which featured the first three Super Bomberman games as well as Metro Corporation's Bomberman Party Edition but that was exclusively released in Japan. Considering Hudson Soft had no qualms digitally rereleasing the Nintendo 8-bit, NEC, and Nintendo 64 games on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console--ditto for Konami during the Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console days--it's very confounding that they didn't touch the 16-bit Super Bomberman games even once. You'd think given how successful and popular those games were in their heyday that would've been a surefire guarantee at any point during those past couple decades, but evidently not. It's even weirder when remembering that Hudson Soft digitally rereleased the Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima/Super Adventure Island games, developed by Produce and Make Software respectively, on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. All that does is beg the question of what made the Super Bomberman games so different to not be granted that same treatment? 🤨 It just makes no sense even looking back. Thankfully with the recently released Super Bomberman Collection the worries of whether these games will see a second (or third) light can finally be put to rest as Super Bomberman 3 has finally been given its long belated North American due while the fourth and fifth games have officially gotten their Western localization.
● So this recent Christmas of 2025, among the gifts I received was a Samsung smart TV. This is relevant because that is where I took the screenshots from it with my camera. It was a long time coming (all it took was my Insignia flatscreen TV experiencing the black screen with sound issue mere months prior, looking up solutions to fix it but not succeeding even after trying several things, which made me think its days were finally over... only to learn that it still works and has since been reallocated to the guest room), but I'm glad I received it and I'm even gladder that I also got an AV to HDMI converter which allows me to play my (favorite) classic video game consoles on it (for the longest time I avoided getting an smart TV for myself because it didn't have immediate AV support). The visual quality is still good, the color setting is doable (though it's possible to adjust it especially when it comes to the brightness, I don't want to mess with its settings too much just yet), though I could not help but notice that there has been a slight cropping at the top and bottom edge of the screen.
Left: 2009 Insignia flatscreen TV | Right: 2025 Samsung smart TV
Nothing overtly noticeable right away for the undiscerning eye as it's not cropping out crucial information (i.e. the score and life count on the HUD), but once I started seeing the subtle difference between how the games appeared on the respective TVs it became hard for me to unsee it. It doesn't impede my enjoyment from the games I enjoy, it's just a little something to be aware of. I also bring this up because I'm sure there are some who might ask why you can't see the top frame of the HUD in the screenshots I've taken from Super Bomberman 3 through 5, for that is why. So for context: all the screenshots for the Super Bomberman games (including Panic Bomber World) were taken from my Samsung smart TV (from February 15th and 16th, 2026) while the screenshots for everything else were all from back when I still had my Insignia flatscreen in my room.Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW is allowed); hope you have a great day, be a kind human, and take care! 😃
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