Bomberman
System: NES
Release Date: January 1989
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Genre: Puzzle
Bomberman makes his debut on the NES with the beginning to the long running puzzle series. Here, Bomberman becomes aware of his dreary existence deep underground producing bombs. There are rumors floating around that any robot who makes it to the surface will become human. He decides it’s time to escape and now must destroy enemies and walls through 50 levels without blowing himself up too many times.
Bomberman is placed on a level with concrete blocks spaced evenly every other square and brick blocks randomly plastered here and there. The concrete blocks are immune to the bombs Bomberman can place, but the brick walls can and must be blasted down. This is not only the way to reveal the exit, but also a power up on each level. Power ups can increase the range of the bomb, which starts with one block in each direction and can increase to blast fire five tiles away. You also begin with the ability to place only one bomb at a time, but can increase that number, as well. There are also powerups that increase your speed, turn your bombs into remote controlled bombs, allow you to walk over your bombs, and give you the ability to walk through brick walls.
The powerups make your life on later levels easier, because it isn’t just brick walls that need to be destroyed, but also a legion of enemies. These enemies vary in their movement speed, with some being molasses and others moving quite rapidly. Their AI seems to vary as well, with some being more likely to follow after you and others content moving back and forth. Other enemies can move through brick walls, as well. Destroying each enemy on the stage opens the exit door and allows you to leave. If you make it up all fifty levels, Bomberman does turn into a human and we realize he was the main character in Lode Runner and he was fighting robots like himself…
Graphics: 1.0
They are very plain with solid backgrounds and not much character detail.
Sound: 1.0
The song on loop is not good, it gets annoying quickly, but the bomb sound effect isn’t terrible.
Gameplay: 1.5
The Bomberman formula is created here and it’s fine, but until you collect the powerup to walk over your bombs, you’re going to trap yourself a lot.
Difficulty: 1.5
This is a test of your finger dexterity and ability to make quick turns and decisions. There is a password system that allows you to continue where you left off.
Fun Factor: 1.0
I didn’t find Bomberman to be particularly fun. After getting frustrated, I started liberally rewinding. Then I just used a password to jump the last level.
Overall Grade: 1.2
Bomberman earns a D+. At least it’s better than Lode Runner, which it’s tied to. Still, not anything I can recommend that you HAVE to check out.