Whenever someone poses me the question: “What was the game that got you into video games?”, my answer is always one specific title. Super Bomberman. I still have happy memories of playing together with my sister and parents back in the day. After Konami had bought out Hudson Soft in 2011, the series has laid sort of dormant, and though they did try to have them return with the release of Super Bomberman R and Super Bomberman R2…those were met with mixed reviews at the time.
However, when it was suddenly announced during the Nintendo Direct Partners’ Showcase that they would be bringing back the five original Super Bomberman titles from the Super Nintendo as a retro collection, I was so surprised that my mouth was just wide open the entire time. So join me in this trip down memory lane on the game that, without a doubt, defined my childhood.
Seven Games In One
First, let’s talk about the collection itself. There are seven games in total for you to choose from: You got the five Super Bomberman titles that were originally released on the SNES, and two titles that were originally exclusive to the Famicom. In each game’s page, before starting, you have the option to view what sort of features were introduced in each title, and you can also view a quick manual on what each item does.
For the first time ever, this collection also features English translations for Super Bomberman 4 and Super Bomberman 5, which were previously exclusive to Japan. We’ll go through each of them in order, starting with…
Super Bomberman: Where It All Started
Super Bomberman was where the series got its start on the Super Nintendo, so naturally, it is a bit rough around the edges. But still, this is where a lot of known items, such as the infamous Skull and even the Piercing Bomb, made their debut. The story has Bomberman defeat the evil Carat Diamond and his cohort, Dr. Mook, who attempt to hold a tournament of robots that could destroy the world.
Now, if there is something that the Super Bomberman games all share in common, except Super Bomberman 5, it is just how short they can be. You can quite honestly defeat the entire game in just shy of two or maybe three hours. Personally, while I’m happy that Super Bomberman is here, it wasn’t my favorite from back in the day. I wasn’t a fan of the sound effects back then, and this hasn’t really changed.
Super Bomberman 2: Say No to Captivity
Moving on to the second title is Super Bomberman 2. Compared to the previous game, this game uses the same art style for Bomberman but introduces some brand-new items. The story this time is that you have been captured by five evil cyborgs called the Five Dastardly Bombers, who are hell-bent on taking over the universe. And your job is to slowly make your way out of their ship by destroying each of their zones, and at the end, fighting the final boss.
So this is a title that definitely feels a lot more challenging. The Story Mode stages removed the ability to chain enemy kills together for a higher score, and they instead opt for a more puzzle-like feel to them. However, I didn’t see this as an issue, especially with how it makes you think very well about what must be done before you go.
Super Bomberman 3: Louie, My Trusty Partner
Up next is Super Bomberman 3, which I believe many will say is their favorite, and honestly? That stands for reason. This is where the iconic dinosaurs, called Louies, were introduced into the series. These trustworthy steads can help Bomberman with their abilities. Super Bomberman 3 introduced 5 types of Louies, and they really do make a difference. This is also the first title in the Super series (since that was already a thing with Bomberman 94, released a year prior) to introduce the ability to replay past story stages, so in the event you end up losing your items to an untimely death.
One interesting anecdote that I came across while playing this title is that, as a kid, I never really understood the little voice cries that the Bombermen did in battle mode, but now that I’m fluent in Japanese, I slowly understood that these voice lines are actual Japanese phrases, such as the Draw screen having them say “It’s a tie!”, and “I did it!” when you win. When I told my parents, who also grew up with the games, they were just as surprised by it. Needless to say, Super Bomberman 3 was the title we played a lot over the weekend, reliving that nostalgia.
Super Bomberman 4: Adventures Across Time
Our penultimate game is Super Bomberman 4, which was never released outside of Japan. To be honest, even though that’s the case, Bomberman doesn’t have a super intricate text-based story, so you should be able to understand it, even with no knowledge of the language. But in short, the stories of Bomberman 4 will have you go through all sorts of different “eras”, such as the Primitive Age, Old Japan, and Far Future, to name a few. In each era, you’ll defeat the Four Bomber Kings as payback for destroying your ship.
Honestly, the thing I most remember from Bomberman 4 was perhaps the sheer number of different enemies Bomberman could ride, and how they had all sorts of wacky effects. Otherwise, it’s pretty okay, but besides its amazing soundtrack, and fun to defeat bosses, I don’t really have that much nostalgia for it.
Super Bomberman 5: An Inspiration of the Past
And last, but almost certainly not least, is Super Bomberman 5, which is my personal favorite. And it’s not because it’s the last in this set, but it’s one that I consider to have the best presentation out of them. The story mode introduces multiple endings. Defeating all enemies on a stage causes multiple portals to appear, and honestly, the best part to me, at least, is how the zones are direct inspirations from past Bomberman games.
Because of this branching system, this is the only game that can take more than two or three hours, but oh, visiting them all once again was just peak nostalgia. We also have the return of the various Louies, and their designs have been updated, making their powers much easier to understand what they do at a glance. I feel the reason this is my favorite is that it takes everything that the others innovated, and compiles them into a single, “definitive” experience.
Rewind and Save Anywhere
As is the case with most retro game collections, you have a plethora of options at your disposal. You can press ZL to open up the pause menu, which gives you the ability to save and load up to three different states at any time, as well as change the border graphics, aspect ratio, and even toggle the so-called CRT filter. Pressing ZR will rewind the game, although I should say that feature completely trivializes the various challenges that Bomberman is known for.
A small attention to detail I noticed, however, is that instead of just tacking the game ROM files and calling it a day, the developers edited them in some way to account for the lack of a START button on Nintendo Switch. Instead of PUSH START, the game cleverly says PUSH +/-, and this extends across every instance where the game would require you to press START. It’s a small thing, but still something that I’m glad they did.
One major concern that some might have is with the emulation quality. But after playing it for a few hours, I can say it’s pretty decent, though I do notice there is some input lag that makes more precise techniques slightly difficult to pull off. This ties into the biggest problem I had, and that is the fact that the emulator does not like the control stick.
Since the Super Bomberman series was designed with the SNES’s D-Pad in mind, it feels much better to control the characters this way, though I can’t say I ever had much of an issue with the SNES titles on the Nintendo Switch Online catalogue, so maybe it’s an emulation issue that they can fix in an update patch. Additionally, the CRT filter is… not that great, if I’m being honest. It awkwardly tries to simulate the overscanning by adding rounded borders and some lines, but it doesn’t do it all that well.
Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game is also the ability to use GameShare to play together with your friends, either locally or online through other Nintendo Switch 2 systems by using GameChat. Listen, it might not surprise you anymore, I’m going to be the one to say that ever since its inception, I’m so not a fan of GameShare and GameChat, and I would vastly prefer a native solution, even if that meant both parties must have their own copy of the game.
I used this feature to play together online with my friends, and perhaps because we’re thousands of miles away, the input lag, at least on their side, was so atrocious that it kind of felt like a handicap, to be honest. I also performed a test using local communication with my dad on his Nintendo Switch, and even though our systems were very close to each other, he also suffered from input lag issues even then.
Boss Rush & Assorted Extras
Another exclusive aspect of this collection is the addition of Boss Rush, where you can go through all the bosses of a specific Super Bomberman game, and do your best to defeat them all as fast as possible. There are three difficulties to choose from, and they actually affect how many lives you’ll start with, as well as how strong your bombs are for each boss. These bosses can be especially challenging to do, and it can be fun to try to go for the fastest run possible.
Additionally, the game also features an Extras section, where you can listen to all the series’ soundtrack, as well as look at some concept art through the gallery. The only odd thing about the Gallery has to be the fact that you have to back out of an artwork with B if you want to view another. I also think it’s kind of a shame there’s barely any concept art for Super Bomberman in particular, but I do find it cool that there are such extras available.
Finally, the Extras mode includes two extra Bomberman games you can play from the Famicom: Bomberman and Bomberman II. I personally don’t really feel any sort of nostalgia for those, sadly, and I would much rather prefer if they included the Turbo-Grafx 16 games, such as Bomberman 93 or Bomberman 94. Still, the option is there, I suppose, if you want to know the true start of the Bomberman franchise.
A Marvelous Collection for Long-Time Fans
Super Bomberman Collection finally brings these classic titles to multiple modern platforms, and as someone who grew up with them, I just can’t stress enough just how happy I felt being able to revisit these titles after many years. While this collection does falter somewhat with the emulation input lag and the fact that playing with friends with one copy of the game is limited to the Nintendo Switch version (although I blame Nintendo more than I blame Konami, to be honest), I still had a very enjoyable time.
Still, if you’re someone like me who wishes to re-experience these really great titles from Hudson Soft, then I certainly recommend you give Super Bomberman Collection a try. And hey, maybe if this sells well, then Konami might consider finally bringing more of these older titles, either as another collection or as titles to Nintendo Switch Online.
Disclaimer: Super Bomberman Collection was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
