Bomberman GB

Last updated
Bomberman GB cover art Bomberman GB cover art.jpg
Bomberman GB cover art

Bomberman GB is a video game series created by Hudson Soft for the Game Boy. The first entry was Bomberman GB, released as Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! in North America and Europe, later succeeded by Bomberman GB 2, under the name Bomberman GB internationally, and Bomberman GB 3, which was only released in Japan.

Contents

Bomberman GB

Bomberman GB
Developer(s) Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Norio Ohkubo
Producer(s) Norihito Miyamoto
Designer(s) Norio Ohkubo
Katsuhiko Urabe
Hiroji Kiyotake
Yoshimitsu Chokki
Programmer(s) Kenji Ogata
Artist(s) Shoji Mizuno
Composer(s) Yasuhiko Fukuda
Series Bomberman
Wario
Platform(s) Game Boy
Release
  • JP: August 10, 1994
  • NA: November 1994
  • EU: June 29, 1995
Genre(s) Action, maze
Mode(s) Single-player

Bomberman GB [lower-alpha 1] is the first game in the Bomberman GB series, developed and published by Hudson Soft in Japan, and published by Nintendo in North America and Europe under the name Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!. It was released on August 10, 1994 in Japan and later in November 1994 in North America, and on June 29, 1995 in Europe.

In Bomberman GB, White Bomberman is out riding on his motorcycle, when he is suddenly ambushed by Black Bomberman and his gang, who rough him up and steal all of his power-up items. Now White Bomberman must chase them down to get them back!

In Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!, Wario one day stumbles upon Bomberman's world, and, being the greedy sort he is, decides to loot it for his own gain. Bomberman is the only one that stands between Wario and the complete decimation of his world.

Every stage is viewed from an overhead perspective. The objective of the game is to blow up enemies to move on to the next stage. Gray walls can be blown up as well. Certain gray walls contain power-ups (which increase the power of explosions, or the number of bombs that can be set) and locate enemies. In Wario Blast, the player can play as either Wario or Bomberman, but this only changes the enemies from Black Bombermen to Wario clones, and back.

The game was enhanced for play on the SNES through the Super Game Boy. The enhanced game offered color graphics, custom explosion sounds, a multiplayer mode which allowed for simultaneous gameplay between up to four opponents, and in Wario Blast a special Wario & Bomberman frame around the TV screen. The game uses a password system to save progress, where the passwords for Wario are the same as for Bomberman, but written backwards.

Reception

GamePro criticized the game's graphics and difficult controls, but judged the game overall enjoyable due to its classic Bomberman elements, summarizing that "A legendary concept gets a great Nintendo treatment." [1] Nintendo Power commented that the game was "great multi-player action." with "good use of Super Game Boy colors and music." and that the game had "larger areas than in previous Bomberman games." [2] The reviews commented on the graphics stating it was "difficult to recognize your character" and that more characters would have helped. [2]

Games World magazine gave the game an 86% score. Dave Perry said they "love Bomberman in this office" and the Game Boy port "is the perfect portable interpretation of" the game. [3]

Bomberman GB 2

Bomberman GB 2
Developer(s) Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)
  • JP: Hudson Soft
Director(s) Tomohisa Goi
Producer(s) Norihito Miyamoto
Designer(s) Katushiko Urabe
Sachiko Watanabe
Koji Kato
Programmer(s) Tomonari Ikeda
Artist(s) Shoji Mizuno
Naoto Yoshimi
Composer(s) Yasuhiko Fukuda
Series Bomberman
Platform(s) Game Boy
Release
  • JP: August 10, 1995
  • NA: April 10, 1998
  • EU: May 15, 1998
Genre(s) Action, maze
Mode(s) Single-player

Bomberman GB 2 [lower-alpha 2] is the second game in the Bomberman GB series, developed and published by Hudson Soft in Japan, published by Nintendo in North America and by Virgin Interactive in Europe. The game was released in Japan in 1995. Both North America and Europe released the game in 1998 as Bomberman GB, due to the previous game being released under the title Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!.

A Bomberman named Indy Bomber sets out on a long journey to uncover a legendary treasure called the Ring of Wishes. He discovers a scripture and begins to read it, but soon falls into a trap in the floor and ends up in a cave. Now he must find his way out of the cave and find the Ring of Wishes!

The main objective of the game is to defeat the enemies that lurk in the cave and find the exit when done. There are two modes that can be selected before each new stage; Mode A, which requires the player to simply destroy all the enemies, and Mode B, which requires the player to defeat the enemies in a certain order. When an area is cleared, the player earns a new ability to help them in later levels.

The game supports up to four players through use of the Game Link Cable and Super Multitap if used on a Super Game Boy. [4]

Bomberman GB 3

Bomberman GB 3
Developer(s) Hudson Soft
Publisher(s) Hudson Soft
Director(s) Norio Ookubo
Producer(s) Yoshinori Inoue
Designer(s) Sachiko Watanabe
Katsuhiko Urabe
Koji Kato
Programmer(s) Yukie Abe
Artist(s) Shoji Mizuno
Naoto Yoshimi
Kozue Sato
Composer(s) Yasuhiko Fukuda
Series Bomberman
Platform(s) Game Boy
Release
  • JP: December 20, 1996
Genre(s) Action, maze
Mode(s) Single-player

Bomberman GB 3 [lower-alpha 3] is the third and last game in the Bomberman GB series, developed and published by Hudson Soft. The game was released only in Japan on December 20, 1996.

Bomber Nebula's 11th planet, Owen, faces a sudden earthquake. Deep underground, the terrible Evil Bomber has been trapped for ages. He eventually breaks free and steals the Bomber Capsules, the energy that Bomberman relies on. Now he must take back the Capsules and defeat Evil Bomber!

The game's main objective is to defeat the enemies with bombs and unlock the exit to proceed to the next area. Each stage is divided into six areas, the last being a boss battle. The fifth area of each stage is to get crystals; if the player collects enough, a 1UP will be awarded along with two Bell Items that will spawn near the exit. These items will offer help to the player against the boss. A White Bomber will appear to drop items and a Black Bomber will appear to damage one HP to the boss.

After defeating a boss, they leave behind Bomber Capsules which can be used in Cutie Bomber's shop. There are 8 abilities to purchase, 4 of which are motorcycles. After purchasing one, the player can select them before each level, each granting additional HP and other abilities.

Other releases

Bomberman Collection is a Japanese only compilation released on July 21, 1996, developed and published by Hudson Soft. The game includes the following titles: Bomber Boy (Released as Atomic Punk in North America and as Dynablaster in PAL regions), Bomberman GB (released as Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! internationally) and Bomberman GB 2 (released as Bomberman GB internationally).

Bomberman Selection is a Korean only compilation released for the Game Boy Color on April 30, 2003, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Jupiter. It includes all of the titles from Bomberman Collection, except Bomberman GB 2, and does not offer compatibility with the Super Game Boy.

Notes

  1. Japanese: ボンバーマンGB , Hepburn: Bonbāman Gēmu Bōi
  2. Japanese: ボンバーマンGB2 , Hepburn: Bonbāman Gēmu Bōi Tsū
  3. Japanese: ボンバーマンGB3 , Hepburn: Bonbāman Gēmu Bōi Tsūri

Related Research Articles

Bomberman is a video game franchise created by Shinichi Nakamoto and Shigeki Fujiwara, originally developed by Hudson Soft and currently owned by Konami. The original game, also known as Bakudan Otoko (爆弾男), was released in Japan in July 1983 and has since spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs released on numerous platforms, as well as several anime and manga adaptations.

<i>Bomberman</i> (2005 video game) 2005 video game

Bomberman is a 2005 video game developed by Racjin for the Nintendo DS. It was released by Hudson Soft in Japan on May 26, 2005, and published worldwide by Ubisoft. The game is notable for its chibi art style, previously seen in the Bomberman Land series.

<i>Bomberman II</i> 1991 video game

Bomberman II, released in Europe and Australia as Dynablaster, is a maze video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo Entertainment System originally in Japan and Europe in 1991 and later in North America in February 1993.

<i>Bomberman Generation</i> 2002 video game

Bomberman Generation is a 2002 video game released for the GameCube. It was followed up by Bomberman Jetters.

<i>Bomberman</i> (1983 video game) 1983 video game

Bomberman is a maze video game developed and published by Hudson Soft. The original home computer game Bomber Man was released in July 1983 for the NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001 mkII, Fujitsu FM-7, Sharp MZ-700, Sharp MZ-2000, Sharp X1 and MSX in Japan, and a graphically modified version for the MSX and ZX Spectrum in Europe as Eric and the Floaters. A sequel, 3-D Bomberman, was produced. In 1985, Bomberman was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It spawned the Bomberman series with many installments building on its basic gameplay.

<i>Bomberman Jetters</i> (video game) 2002 video game

Bomberman Jetters is an action game for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube and PlayStation 2, and part of Hudson Soft's Bomberman series. The game builds on the gameplay style established in the previous Bomberman series entry, 2002's Bomberman Generation, and features characters and settings from the 2002 anime series Bomberman Jetters. The GameCube version utilizes cel-shaded graphics similar to those of Bomberman Generation, while the PlayStation 2 version does not.

<i>Super Bomberman 5</i> 1997 video game

Super Bomberman 5 is a video game released by Hudson Soft in early 1997. It is the fifth installment of the Super Bomberman series and the final Bomberman game to be released on the Super Famicom. The game was released in two variations: a standard cartridge and a gold cartridge, which was sold through CoroCoro Comic. The gold cartridge included extra maps in battle mode.

<i>Super Bomberman 2</i> 1994 video game

Super Bomberman 2 is a video game developed by Produce! and Hudson Soft and released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan on April 28, 1994, in North America later the same year, and in Europe on February 23, 1995.

<i>Bomberman: Panic Bomber</i> 1994 video game

Bomberman: Panic Bomber is a 1994 puzzle video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine on December 22, 1994. It was later released for the Neo Geo, Super Famicom, Sharp X68000, FM Towns, NEC PC-9821, Virtual Boy, and PlayStation Portable. It saw a re-release for the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console services. Panic Bomber is a falling block game with the players' goal being to clear matching blocks using bombs, ensuring that their screen does not fill and that their opponents' screens do. It received mixed to positive reception, identified as a decent game by multiple critics. It has been compared to the falling block puzzle game Tetris. The Virtual Boy version received a mixed reception for its handling of the platform's visual capabilities.

<i>Bomberman Tournament</i> 2001 video game


Bomberman Tournament is a game in the Bomberman series for the GBA. The game contains a multiplayer battle mode between linked Game Boy Advances. The player and up to three others can compete in any of the game's eight multiplayer battle arenas, each of which has its own unique gameplay twist.

<i>Super Bomberman 3</i> 1995 video game

Super Bomberman 3 is a game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is the third installment in the Super Bomberman series, and the third Bomberman game to be released for the system. Up to five players can play at the same time. The game was released in Japan and the PAL region, but not in North America due to the closure of Hudson Soft USA.

<i>Super Bomberman</i> 1993 video game

Super Bomberman is an action, maze game, part of the Bomberman series, released for the Super NES in 1993. It is the first in the series to be released in Europe keeping the Bomberman title instead of being called Dynablaster or Eric and the Floaters.

<i>Bomberman Land 2</i> 2003 video game

Bomberman Land 2: The Biggest Theme Park in Game History is a 2003 video game developed by Racjin and published by Hudson Soft that was released in July for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Part of the Bomberman franchise, it is the sequel and the second game in the Bomberman Land series.

<i>Super Bomberman 4</i> 1996 video game

Super Bomberman 4 is a 1 or 2 player action-party video game, developed by Produce and published by Hudson Soft for the Super Famicom, released on April 26, 1996, in Japan. Part of the Bomberman franchise, it is the fourth installment of the Super Bomberman series.

<i>Bomberman World</i> 1998 video game

Bomberman World is a maze action video game released in 1998 by Hudson Soft for the PlayStation. It is part of the Bomberman series. The game was also re-released for PCs in 2002 alongside the TurboGrafx-16 version of Bomberman and Bomberman '93 as part of a compilation disc titled Bomberman Collection.

<i>Bomberman</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Bomberman, also known as Dyna Blaster in Europe, is an action-maze video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine in Japan on 7 December 1990 and later in North America for the TurboGrafx-16 by NEC in 1991. Belonging to the Bomberman franchise, it is a re-imagining of the first game in the series starring White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him. The game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. Conversions for other platforms were in development but never released. The title garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.

<i>Neo Bomberman</i> 1997 video game

Neo Bomberman is an action-maze arcade video game developed by Produce! and published by Hudson Soft for the Neo Geo MVS on May 1, 1997. It is one of two games in the Bomberman franchise that was released for the Neo Geo platform, the first being Panic Bomber, and the only one to retain its traditional top-down gameplay. It was released for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and has not received a home console release to date. It was the last original Bomberman title to be released for arcades until Konami's Bombergirl in 2018.

<i>Pocket Bomberman</i> 1997 video game

Pocket Bomberman is a platform video game developed by Hudson Soft and originally released for the Game Boy in 1997. It was re-released as a launch title for the Game Boy Color in 1998.

<i>Bomberman Blitz</i> 2009 video game

Bomberman Blitz is a DSiWare game developed by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo DSi. It was released on October 7, 2009, in Japan, and in November of the same year in Europe and North America. The game was available for the Nintendo 3DS via the Nintendo eShop until the shop's closure in March 2023.

<i>Super Bomberman R</i> 2017 video game

Super Bomberman R is an action-maze game developed by Konami and HexaDrive and published by Konami. The game was first released worldwide as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch in March 2017, and later for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2018. Part of the Bomberman franchise, it is the sixth installment of the Super Bomberman series and the first game in the series to be released in twenty years. It is also the first Bomberman entry in the franchise to be developed for consoles following the dissolution of original series owner Hudson Soft in 2012.

References

  1. "Wario Blast" (PDF). GamePro . No. 68. IDG. March 1995. p. 122.
  2. 1 2 "Now Playing". Nintendo Power . Vol. 67. Nintendo of America Inc. December 1994. p. 106.
  3. Perry, Dave; Walkland, Nick; Roberts, Nick; Price, Adrian (November 1994). "Reviews". Games World . No. 7 (January 1995). Paragon Publishing. pp. 22–3.
  4. "GB Bomberman 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 72. Ziff Davis. July 1995. p. 84.