PixlBit

Oldschool Bomberman is still a blast

Bomberman '93 is the second game in the Bomberman series. It was released in 1993 for the TurboGrafx-16. Developed and published by Hudson Soft, B93 is a puzzle action game. It's very simple, if you've been hiding under a rock and have no ideo who "Bomb-er-man" is: you're a little dude who can lay bombs (it's a strange world we live in) which then will explode in a cross formation after a few seconds. So simple a kid could understand it within a few minutes. B93 expands on the formula of the original, making everything better.

As in most Bomberman games, you can choose the single player mode or multiplayer mode. The single player mode--the main game--gives you six planets to conquer, each one having eight levels. There are two kinds of blocks in each level: one you can blast, the other you can't. The objective is not to blast rocks, however, but to defeat all the enemies. Once this is done, you can go into the warp and progress to the next level. Ah, but that's only if you were able to find the warp, which is hidden under a rock!

This sounds easy, I know, but little things can make it tricky. If a bomb blast hits the warp, enemies will spawn from it and move in every direction. Touch an enemy or get hit by a bomb blast, and Bomberman will explode! Also, certain enemies can move right over obstacles, such as flying ones; watch out, especially since they move in random patterns. You must also be careful not to trap yourself in a corner. This happened to me several times, and there was no one I could blame but myself. 

Along the way, you'll find power-ups which will help you. The flame power-up will increase your bomb's blast; the skate power-up will make you move faster; the kick power-up (which appears for the first time in the series here) allows you to kick bombs; if you grab a heart, you can take two hits before you die. But by far the most important power-up is the remote bombs, which you can activate at any time. Soooooo wonderful! However, when you die, you will lose certain power-ups but keep others. I noticed that when I died, I kept my speed and bomb blast power-ups but lost my remote bombs. Curses! Remote bombs are hard to come by, but death is so easy to find!

There is only one power-up in each level. If you manage to defeat all the enemies and not acquire the power-up, a certain rock will flash, indicating that the power-up is there. This is certainly helpful as some of the levels can be quite expansive. Levels that are too big for one screen will scroll to the side or up and down as you move in that direction. Warp points will quickly take you from one end of the level to the other.

Bomberman must be some kind of alien. He travels to different planets and defeats the bosses located there (blasting baddies along the way too). Before you begin each planet, Bomberman's massive computer gives you some data on the boss, telling you how to defeat it. The bosses in the game are fine, although not terribly interesting. You just move around them, avoiding their attacks, and laying bombs to try and hurt them. While each planet is distinct, the gameplay can become repetitive. The music is good, although, once again, can become repetitive since you'll hear the same theme for seven levels straight.

You may be wondering if the game lets you save your progress or use a password to progress. Both, actually! You can choose either to save your data OR use a password. If only all games gave you such a wonderful option! Of course, saving is much easier, making the password system useless, but it's neat that they had both.

Of course, a Bomberman game would be nothing without multiplayer, and B93 delivers in spades. Up to five players can compete at once! If you don't have any friends, never fear: you can play with four computer opponents! The game allows you to choose the number of matches you wish to play and then choose one of the eight stages. As always, multiplayer is tons of fun! Power-ups pop up everywhere, meaning everyone will be laying as many bombs as possible and blasting far-reaching bombs. Watch out for items that will hinder you, such as the skull or the blast decreaser. The main game is fine, but Bomberman really shines in the multiplayer department. It's just what he does.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Bomberman games are really in a class all their own. They're party games, really, great for multiplayer fun, but apart from that, they're unique puzzle action games. B93 really expanded on the concept of the original (which did not have multiplayer). You can download B93 on the Wii Virtual Console, and I think you should, especially if you have a few friends to play with. It's a shame that Bomberman games are gone; they're fun games that cannot be replaced by an imitator. Only Bomberman can give us that awesome quick-thinking, bomb-blasting action, and in that regard, Bomberman '93 delivers.

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.