Back in 2017 Super Bomberman made a return to consoles after a long hiatus with Super Bomberman R. With the release of Super Bomberman R 2, Konami is trying to reinvigorate the interest in one of their classic games with a solid continuation of what was (re)started with the 2017 version.
Simple concept
I’ve been around long enough to remember playing a Bomberman (or it might been called Dyna Blaster back then) on the original Nintendo. I loved it and remember being a bit obsessed. The simple gameplay concept of the Bomberman games has stayed intact over all the different iterations making it an easy game to get back into. Super Bomberman R 2 is no different. The game is played from a top-down viewpoint and takes place in a maze filled with breakable blocks. As one of the bomber brothers you have the ability to drop a bomb and destroy the breakable blocks to clear a path and potentially collect upgrades to your abilities. Adding in some enemies and other bomber men makes things interesting. Before you know it the field is laid out with multiple bombs creating a chain reaction of blast zones. Avoid being blown to smithereens to ensure victory.
Single-player
Super Bomberman R 2 introduces a new type of single-player mode. The story starts off with the ultimate threat the universe is in danger and you and your fellow bomber brothers are the only ones capable of saving it. The black moon acts as the antagonist of the story while the ellonites are a new concept introduced for this game. These cloud-like creatures are the key to a good outcome. You have to explore and collect enough of them to reach new areas and to be able to defeat the bosses. Instead of confining the gameplay to a single-screen maze, you get to explore a larger world. Blowing up blocks often reveals experience currency. Gathering enough of them will let you level up giving you more power in the form of extra bombs, faster speed, and new abilities. These power-ups are the same as you’ll get in the different battle modes making (at least the beginning of) the single-player mode an ideal entry point to learn the gameplay.
Castle battle
Shortly after starting the single-player mode, you’ll be introduced to the exciting new Castle Battle mode. Castle mode offers a fresh take on the classic Bomberman gameplay, drawing inspiration from tower defence games. In this mode, you have the choice of playing on the attacking or defending side, each offering unique strategies. As an attacker, your mission is to gather keys and open all the treasures before the timer expires to secure victory. On the other hand, defenders must protect the treasures, ensuring that at least one remains unopened when the timer runs out. Attackers enjoy the advantage of numerical superiority, allowing them to create chaos. However, defenders have access to an array of gadgets to aid them, which are earned through strong performance and can be incorporated into your castle to fortify it before the next game. These gadgets include laser beams, conveyor belts, walls, and many other elements that you can add to your castle, introducing a fresh dimension to the game and making it increasingly challenging for attackers to breach your defences.
With a level editor, you can create your own battlefields for this mode. Once you’ve tested your creation and cleared the stage, the level becomes available for online play. Levels can then be shared and rated having the potential to deliver some great fan-made extra content to the game.
Online and co-op modes
Playing Super Bomberman R 2 as a single-player game is OK but the real fun begins when you invite your friends. The game really shines when going in multiplayer. The gameplay doesn’t change, however, the fun factor does when replacing the A.I. opponents with real-thinking opponents. Go for co-op with friends or test your Bomberman-might against random online players in the different modes available. With Battle 64 a battle royale type of game is introduced where the action happens on multiple maps at the same time. When you defeat all on one map you get transferred to another one coming across increasingly powered-up opponents. Grand Prix lets you battle it out in teams against another team through classic gameplay or by collecting the most diamonds. The Castle Battles against online players might be the most chaotic thing to play while still maintaining the fun factor.
Doing great in these matches earns you currency. With these virtual coins, you can customize your character. Beyond the classic Bomberman skins, you can also collect many characters from other franchises. Alucard from Castlevania, Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and the animatronics from 5 Nights at Freddy are a few of the options you can choose from.
The only thing peculiar about the online mode is the inability to choose your favourite type of battle mode. Instead of giving a free choice between the 4 options, Konami chose to alter the game modes every hour and force you to play that game mode until it changes. This forces you to experience every mode and makes sure every mode is equally played. On the other hand, if you’ve really been into the new castle mode and want to test out how you’ve improved in the online modes you could potentially have to wait for up to 3 hours before that game mode is available.
Conclusion
If you loved Super Bomberman R, you have to get this new version because it adds a lot more options. If you never played a Bomberman game and are curious this is as good of an entry point as ever. Just know this is a simple game with limited variation. I like to compare the Bomberman franchise to Tetris… It’s always the same and a new iteration offers nothing much more but it still has the potential to be highly addictive if you get into it.
7/10
Tested on Playstation 5
