Bomberman and Nintendo, it’s a friendship between 2 video game icons since the beginning of video games in the 80’s. They both were at the top of their fame in the 90’s and early 2000 but since then kind of lost their glory a bit. The present day Nintendo just launched their brand new console ‘the Switch’ and people are loving it. Launch games are a huge part of a new console so what better launch game could Konami make than Super Bomberman R to restore their former glory of the past.
Everybody who got a hold on a controller in the last 30 years at least recognize Bomberman when they see the game. It’s the crazy explosive action puzzle game where you bomb your way through each level killing enemies and making your way to the finish. That is exactly what it was in the 80’s and what it still is in the new Bomberman game Super Bomberman R. As somebody who is in favor of older games returning to new consoles with a visual update but similar gameplay, I can only welcome this.
In the story mode, you have to save the universe by fighting evil villains on his or her planet. Before you can defeat them you have to complete 8 stages before you fight the villain itself. The objective of each level can vary from killing all enemies, collecting keys, escorting people to the exit and results in some versatile gameplay for a pretty simple game as Bomberman. During the levels, you can acquire powers which boost your stats or give you special abilities. These powers become very handy when fighting the boss at the end of the level. The boss fights start off with a 1v1 Bomberman battle where your opponent has special bombs. This was, in my opinion, the hardest part of each level. When you are finally able to bomb the villain he does not die, NO NO. He transforms into a Mechabot where you’ll have to find weak points and memorize patterns in order to defeat them.
The plot of Super Bomberman R is a very basic plot and won’t win any Oscars or something but I got to say that I really enjoyed the scenes in between the levels. It’s drawn in a very cartoony style and the characters have their own specific characteristics which results in some hilarious moments. I don’t think the cartoon style is for everyone but it’s definitely a good effort for a simple story to glue the levels.
The story mode has 3 different difficulty levels which is perfect for newcomers and people seeking for a true challenge. Although I don’t think that ‘Beginner’ is easy enough if you don’t have any experience with the franchise. The good thing is that you have continues to pick up where you died. These continues can be bought by an in-game currency. Luckily this is not a currency you have to pay real money for but is easily earned by completing levels. Another thing you can do with the currency is unlocking new maps and character customization, which is always a cool option if you want to play online.
The singleplayer mode of this game is good but after a while, you have done everything there is to do. But then there is the multiplayer. This is the reason why you should buy this game. When playing the story mode a second player can enter at any giving time and this results in a fun but sometimes frustrating experience (WHY DID YOU PLACE YOUR BOMB THERE?!?). The best mode to play with friends is the battle mode, here you bomb it out with up to 8 players. On paper, the Switch would be a great platform for Bomberman battles but after some playing with friends I thought the controls are rather awkward and not as responsive as they should be. This problem is even bigger when you want to test your skills online. In addition, I had the feeling that I suffered from input lag which is a big problem in a game like Bomberman. It wasn’t always the case but happened way too often and made my online matches feel more like a game of luck then a game of skill. This game was just released so I hope Konami puts in the effort to fix these problems and make the multiplayer more fun.
If I had to describe the style of Super Bomberman R, I would call it: ‘very Japanese’. Both the art style and the music have a 90’s feel to them, which brings you back to the glory days of Bomberman. I definitely like this style but I don’t think that everybody would feel the same about it. You certainly see that there was a lot of effort put into the details of this game. The style of the worlds often felt the same and are filled with clichés, but I didn’t mind that.
Verdict:
Super Bomberman R is definitely an awesome launch game. Sure, there are some flaws but I hope they get fixed soon. The biggest problem I had with this game was the price. €49,99 is just way too much for what you get in a game like this. If this game was around €30,00 I would definitely rate this game much higher. Multiplayer, both local and online (minus problems), is enjoyable. But if you are looking for a fun multiplayer game on the Switch I would rather suggest Fast RMX or Snipperclips which both are €19,99 and have at least an equally fun multiplayer option.
