Game: Super Bomberman R2
Genre: Action, Arcade,
System: Steam (Windows) (Also on PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch)
Developer|Publisher: Konami
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $49.99 | UK £44.99 | EU € 49,99
Release Date: September 13th, 2023
Review code provided with many thanks to Keymailer.
Round 2
Since the early console days, Bomberman has always been a popular party game, delighting players with its simple pick-up and bomb-booming action. For some players, this was the first game to use some form of multi-tap to play with more than two players. If you were really lucky, you got to play the Sega Saturn version of Bomberman, which let you play with up to ten players.
It’s a winning formula that has been successful across nearly every console generation. Super Bomber Man R was a back-to-basics entry in the series that came out at a suitable time with the launch of the Nintendo Switch. It offered nothing new to the formula in its single-player or multiplayer, but its core gameplay was still fun. Much like classic games Pac-Man and Tetris, its formula hasn’t aged despite many entries. Now we have the sequel, and a lot more effort has been put into the single-player and multiplayer. At the end of the day, it’s still just Bomberman, and it’s still fun. So if you like the series, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
The Bomberman Formula
For the vast majority of players, they will be picking up R2 for its multiplayer. In this series entry, you can play locally with up to 8 players or head online with up to 64 players, though that number is only in one game mode. If you are new to the world of Bomberman, I’ll quickly run over its simple gameplay formula. You play a cute robot in a top-down grid scattered with several destructible blocks.
The goal is simple: players start at a corner of the screen, and you must be the last robot standing. Using your bombs, you can blast the blocks whilst collecting various power-ups like a larger blast radius, more bombs and the ability to kick the bomb. This usually leads to a showdown where all the blocks are cleared, and it’s you attempting to blast the players into oblivion. But dilly dally too long, and blocks will fall from the ceiling until a winner is crowned one way or another. Newbies may read this thinking it sounds rather nasty, but I assure you this game is very family-friendly.
It’s a very easy-to-pick-up control system, which is easy to learn. The more you play it, the more you will learn new tricks, like planting your bomb in just the right spot to catch a player out or outwitting them with clever timing. R2 is no exception to this formula. Controls feel smooth and responsive whether you go controller or keyboard. Graphics are the familiar, simple but cute design that has worked for the series for years. The only time the series has really diverted from this design was with Bomberman: Act Zero, which many fans like to forget exists.
New Modes
The classic old-school mode is here in all its glory, but R2 has added multiple new modes. There’s the 64-player battle royale. This has players split up into several individual levels, but as time passes and players get eliminated, you need to move to new rooms to take on new players.
It’s very exciting but tricky online since there are a lot of very good players out there. But Bomberman is one of those nice multiplayer games where even when I lose, I still enjoy myself. Next, you have a crystal collecting mode, which is pretty much what it sounds like. You split into teams, and you collect as many crystals as possible, although you can mess up your own team to be the top crystal collector.
Castle Mode
The most unique new addition to the series is castle mode. This splits players into teams again, with one team defending the castle and the other on the offence, with the goal being to grab a key, enter the castle and access all the treasure chests. The defending team has a greater advantage with more health, access to some special laser abilities, and help from hazards placed on the level.
To add further depth to this mode, players can actually customize their very own castle settings. Allowing you to place hazards and blocks on your chosen map. It’s surprisingly deep, should you want to take the time to learn it. If you just want to jump into some instant action, you can use pre-made templates or even access ones created by other players.
Play Online
As you play online, you will unlock coins, which can be exchanged for new Bomberman characters. Some of these will be very familiar to Konami fans and anyone who played the first Bomberman R. What’s interesting is each character available has their own starting stats such as firepower, bombs and even abilities, adding incentive to experiment.
You can also exchange coins for costumes and various other trinkets in the in-game shop. My niggle with this design as always, is it does feel like a grind to unlock things you want. This can be helped slightly by completing various challenges. If you’re really invested in the online, you can engage with the online season, which will no doubt reward you with more trinkets. But I’m perfectly content playing the game locally or with friends.
Single Player
A single-player mode is also available, which acts as an opportunity to learn the game’s mechanics, especially castle mode in more depth. As for the plot, well, basically, there’s a black moon which is causing havoc in the universe and is up to the Bomberfolk to investigate and save the day. It has that Saturday morning cartoon feeling to the cutscenes, complete with full voice acting, just like the previous game. It’s a good effort, but I quickly got tired of the characters’ cringy attempts at humour. It just felt way too dialled up and overdone. Maybe my son will like it when he’s old enough, but I tended to skip over these moments.
Unlike most of the older games, including Bomberman R, it’s a step up from just going level to level, taking all the enemies out on a single screen. This time, you have access to an entire large map, and you are moving from area to area, taking enemies out; yes, I know it sounds the same, but hear me out. This time, you are saving these weird blue aliens called Ellons who follow you about and unlock new areas, warp points and even these puzzle rooms. Every so often, you are called back to base to defend HQ, morphing the game into a single-player version of castle mode. You can even customize your defences here.
Upgrading your abilities is very different from older games. Instead of finding them in blocks, you simply collect experience points from blocks and fallen enemies. Then, when you reach a new level, you unlock new abilities and buff your stats, which remain even on death. While it’s a nice effort to mix things up, I kinda missed the old mode. Single-player is always tough for Bomberman, but this version just felt bland. It wasn’t helped by the regular interruption of cutscenes. It’s also a shame co-op mode is not available this time around.
Steam Deck
I tested the game on Steam Deck and would probably classify the game as playable. Single-player and multiplayer played fine; in fact, I had more luck accessing a match-matching game on the deck than my computer, which might say something about my internet. The only problem I encountered was that sometimes a weird rainbow screen appeared when loading a new game. It never interfered with gameplay, but it seemed a bit odd. The game is yet to be verified on Steam. So, if you’re going to go to play it on the Steam Deck, it passed my playtest.
Conclusion: Have a Blast
Super Bomberman R2 is an exploding good time, especially if you want to enjoy the multiplayer with friends locally or online. As someone who has enjoyed the series for a while, it’s not my favourite entry in the series, but it still gets so much right.
The gameplay is as simple and addictive as ever, whether you are looking to have a quick match or you are looking to top the online leaderboards. I’ll even credit the single player who it at least tries to divert from the series’ familiar formula. For those with time and creativity, you can sink down the rabbit hole of the level editor. Basically, it’s Bomberman, it’s still fun, and I recommend it. Have a blast.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
