Review #607: Super Bomberman R

 Patches do make the game.

 Super Bomberman R was released to coincide with the oddly selected 33rd anniversary of the series. It was also released the 3rd of March. It received a somewhat lukewarm reception, but despite review scores, it managed to sell pretty well, So well in fact that the game received numerous patches with free content. Before you boot up the game, do yourself a favor and download the patches, they are worth it.

 The game is a bit light on content. Story mode is made up of 6 worlds with 8 stages and 2 bosses each, which you could probably finish in under two hours. Well, eventually, as the game is tough as nails, don't be ashamed to play on Easy, I did. Stages play like your oldschool Bomberman mazes in which you must defeat every enemy while destroy blocks with your bombs to make progress. Some stages add some variety, like switches, springs or having to collect keys while enemies respawn continuously.  There's also a VS mode with up to eight different players or AI enemies. You can customize the rules a bit, how many rounds, how many opponents, whether you get to keep playing after you are killed, etc. The AI is brutal on this mode, so be warned. Furthermore, you can't play against AI bots using special characters(Such as Simon, Goemon or Snake) instead being limited to the Bomberman brothers. Lame. Downloading the updates adds Grand Prix which lets you play in Team Matches and with bonus objectives, such as king of the hill, collecting crystals or saving civilians. Finally, the free patches also add a seventh stage to the Story mode. Neat.

 Yeah, the game is a bit light on playable content, but if you download the updates, well, they make up for it in fanservice. The good kind. There are tons of different playable characters, each with their own special abilities, based on Konami's properties. Jehuty and Anubis, from Zone of the Enders, Bill and Lance, from Contra, Alucard, Simon and Dracula, from Castlevani even Pyramid Head made it in, with a devastating ability that murders anyone on his path but decreases his speed considerably. If you've ever liked Konami, there'll be something for you here.

 As for the game itself... it's Bomberman. It's you against at least 3 other opponents, trying to hit each other with your bombs. Stages are made out of grids, with a few unbreakable objects and destructible onjes that hide power ups, to the amount of bombs and the length of your fire power to more practical abilities, such as punching or kicking bombs. How much fun you'll have depends on how much you like Bomberman and how many friends you've got that also enjoy Bomberman. As for me? Both Single Player and Multiplayer modes bored me to tears. It sucks that unlocking characters, stages and customization items takes so much time, with characters costing between 1000 and 5000 coins each, while clearing a world nets you about 500 coins and winning a multiplayer battle about 150. It's gonna be a long, loooong grind, my friend.

 I wish I could call Super Bomberman R a winner, but maybe I've outgrown the franchise. I vividly remember growing up with classic Bomberman on the NES, and enjoyed the hell out of Bomberman 64. But this game lacks a strong single player mode, and I've never been too much of a fan of the Multiplayer. That said, it was nice getting to see Goemon, Jehuty and Anubis again. For what it's worth, there's nothing really wrong about the game, everything plays as well as it should, I just wish the was more meat to these bones.
 5.5 out of 10