Super Bomberman R
Packaging artwork for the Switch version
Developer(s)Konami
HexaDrive
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Akihiro Mitsuda
Producer(s)
  • Noriaki Okamura
  • Yuji Korekado
Designer(s)Masanori Yasuda
Ryuichiro Taki
Programmer(s)Shunsuke Yamamoto
Artist(s)Junichi Morita
Writer(s)
  • Kaede Ogawa
  • Gol Koganei
  • Moe Yamazaki
Composer(s)
  • Seima Iwahashi
  • Daisuke Kikuta
SeriesBomberman
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 3 March 2017
  • PS4, Windows, Xbox One
Genre(s)Action, maze
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Super Bomberman R (スーパーボンバーマン Ｒ, Sūpā Bonbāman Āru) is an action-maze game developed by Konami and HexaDrive and published by Konami. The game was first released worldwide as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch in March 2017, and later for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2018.[4] Part of the Bomberman franchise, it is the sixth installment of the Super Bomberman series and the first game in the series to be released in twenty years (following 1997's Super Bomberman 5). It is also the first Bomberman entry in the franchise to be developed for consoles following the dissolution of original series owner Hudson Soft in 2012.

The game received mixed reviews, though many of the criticisms were addressed with post-release patches. As of March 2021, the game has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

A free-to-play, online-only spin-off titled Super Bomberman R Online (スーパーボンバーマン Ｒオンライン２, Sūpā Bonbāman Āru Onrain) was released on Stadia on September 1, 2020, and on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam on May 27, 2021,[5][6] and was shut down on December 1, 2022.

In June 2022, a sequel titled Super Bomberman R 2 (スーパーボンバーマン Ｒ２, Sūpā Bonbāman Āru Tsū) was announced for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and was released in September 2023 as part of the Bomberman franchise's 40th Anniversary.

Gameplay

Players move through a two-dimensional grid environment and must trap and drop bombs to defeat their opponents.[7][8] The game features story mode spanning 50 stages and supports cooperative gameplay for two players.[7] The game also features an eight-player competitive multiplayer mode.[8] The online mode contains a league system (Baby A/B, Novice A/B, Amateur A/B, Pro A/B, Champ A/B and God A/B). Starting in Baby league B the player has to win matches to gather and earn points for advancement.

Battle mode includes 19 battlegrounds in total. Besides the classic arena, it also offers a multi-level arena with springboards, ice-patterns, moveable blocks, etc., each with a unique style. In addition to the eight Bomberman Bros. and the Five Dastardly Bombers, Super Bomberman R also features a selection of new characters based on Konami Originals, such as Dracula Bomber, Vic Viper Bomber, Goemon Bomber and more. In total, there are 27 characters, each with special abilities.

Grand Prix was introduced with an update in November 2017. It contains 3 vs 3 battles in offline or online matches within 3 different arenas. Alongside new characters (with unique abilities) the player's goal is to collect as many gems as possible within the given time. Alternate mode is team fight which counts the total wins (blow-ups).

Plot

In a robot scrapyard on Planet Scrapheap, Emperor Buggler resurrects five robots to be his new henchmen, the Five Dastardly Bombers. Meanwhile, on Planet Bomber, White, the eldest and most disciplined of the eight heroic Bomberman Brothers of Planet Bomber, tries getting his younger siblings to train his siblings to no avail. Black is lazy and egocentric, Pink is more concerned about fashion and gossip, Blue sleeps all day, Red is hot-tempered, Yellow is overly naïve and innocent, Aqua hates violence, and Green is a manipulative sneak who deceives everyone. Just then, their television begins broadcasting a signal from Buggler, who proclaims his goal to conquer the universe and his army has already conquered five planets (Brainwave, Lalaland, Scrapheap, Technopolis, and Timbertree) of the Starry Sky Nebula, swearing that all other planets will soon follow. He offers a challenge to anyone who would defy him to fight his generals. White immediately takes up the challenge and forces his siblings to come with him as he heads to the Starry Sky Nebula to face the Buggler army.

White and his siblings advance on the five worlds Buggler's henchmen have conquered, solving many issues linked to their conquest and defeating Buggler's army and his henchmen. However, when Buggler dares them to face him in outer space, the Bombermen discover that Buggler has created a black hole to destroy the universe while they were busy freeing the planets under his rule. Buggler summons his defeated henchmen to build a massive robot possessing all of their powers to overpower the Bombermen siblings, but they manage to defeat it. In response, Buggler merges with the robot, enlarging himself in the process. Just then, the Five Dastardly Bombers, now free from Buggler's control, give the siblings energy from Buggler's black hole and assist them in defeating Buggler and destroying the black hole. Despite receiving praise for saving the universe, however, White's siblings still refuse to train with White, to his anger.

Release

Super Bomberman R was developed by Konami and HexaDrive, and several people involved in the game are former Hudson Soft staff who had worked in past Bomberman titles.[9][10] The game was announced on 12 January 2017 and released 3 March 2017 as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch console.[8][11] On 20 April 2017 free DLC was announced alongside regular updates with various gameplay improvements. The first DLC set includes four new stages and two new accessories. Future updates with various playable characters from other Konami franchises—including Vic Viper from Gradius, Simon Belmont from Castlevania, and Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2—were also teased.[12] Further updates with additions of new characters and entirely new gameplay modes are being released by Konami.[13] Ports for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One were released in June 2018, each featuring a platform-exclusive character: Ratchet from Ratchet & Clank for the PS4 version; Master Chief from the Halo series for the Xbox One version; and P-Body from Portal 2 for the Windows version.[14] The original Switch version also received its own exclusive character via an update: the Bomberman franchise's own MAX.[15] An update in June 2018 added WWE professional wrestler Xavier Woods as a playable character, along with additional Konami characters such as Solid Snake, Naked Snake and Raiden from the Metal Gear series.[16][17]

Reception

Nintendo Life's preview stated that "Super Bomberman R isn't going to break any ground with its familiar explosions and mayhem, but it doesn't have to; sometimes, colourful old-school gaming is refreshing in this era of progressively darker and more complex titles."[29] This was reiterated in their review, with Steve Bowling describing it as "no-frills", but "the go-to multiplayer launch title" for the Switch.[27]

In Japan, the game's debut week sales reached 39,609 copies sold, marking the highest first-week sales for a Bomberman game since 1998's Bomberman World, which sold 76,801 copies in its first week.[30] By August 2018, the game had sold over a million copies worldwide across all platforms.[31] As of March 2021, the game has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.[32]

Super Bomberman R received "generally mixed reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "'PS4®', Xbox One and Steam versions to be released! (The Americas)". Super Bomberman R Official Website. Konami Digital Entertainment. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "PS4®、Xbox One、Steam版発売決定！". Super Bomberman R Official Website (in Japanese). Konami Digital Entertainment. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "'PS4®', Xbox One and Steam versions to be released! (Europe)". Super Bomberman R Official Website. Konami Digital Entertainment. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Super Bomberman R coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC in June". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Super Bomberman R Online Info". Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Super Bomberman R Online is bombing its way to new platforms". Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 Alexander, Julia (13 January 2017). "Watch 15 minutes of Super Bomberman R on the Nintendo Switch". Polygon. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Marchiafava, Jeff (13 January 2017). "Super Bomberman R Coming To Nintendo Switch". Game Informer. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Williams, Mike (13 January 2017). "Nintendo Switch Launch Line-up Includes Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2-Switch". USgamer. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Hawkins, Matt (13 January 2017). "Super Bomberman R Is Being Made By Former Bomberman Staff [UPDATE: Impressions]". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (12 January 2017). "Nintendo Announces Super Bomberman R For Switch". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  12. ↑ McFerran, Damien (21 April 2017). "Today's Super Bomberman R Update Includes Four Battle Mode Stages And Two Accessories". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "スーパーボンバーマン R 公式サイト". スーパーボンバーマン R 公式サイト (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "Super Bomberman R Trailers Highlight Its Platform-Exclusive Characters - Siliconera". www.siliconera.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018.
  15. ↑ @Konami (7 June 2018). "Due to popular demand, MAX will be..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ "WWE's Xavier Woods is coming to Super Bomberman R". 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "Super Bomberman R update out now (Version 2.1) - new characters including Solid / Naked Snake and more". 27 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  18. ↑ "Super Bomberman R for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  19. ↑ "Super Bomberman R for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  20. 1 2 "Super Bomberman R for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  21. ↑ Carter, Chris (2 March 2017). "Review: Super Bomberman R". Destructoid. Destructoid. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  22. ↑ Carsillo, Ray (8 March 2017). "Super Bomberman R review". EGMNOW. EGM. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  23. ↑ Shea, Brian. "Super Bomberman R". Game Informer. Game Informer. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  24. ↑ Vacheron, Griffin. "Super Bomberman R Review". Game Revolution. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  25. ↑ D'Aprile, Jason. "Super Bomberman R Review". GameSpot. GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  26. ↑ McCraffrey, Ryan (7 March 2017). "Super Bomberman R Review". IGN. IGN. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  27. 1 2 Bowling, Steve (3 March 2017). "Review: Super Bomberman R". Nintendo Life. NLife Media. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  28. ↑ Rose, Bryan. "Super Bomberman R (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  29. ↑ Meyer, Lee (16 January 2017). "First Impressions: Explosive Action in Super Bomberman R". Nintendo Life. NLife Media. Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  30. ↑ "Super Bomberman R Had The Best Opening Week For The Series In The Last 20 Years - Siliconera". www.siliconera.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.
  31. ↑ Craddock, Ryan (2 August 2018). "Super Bomberman R Hits One Million Worldwide Sales, Konami Celebrates With Bungee Jump". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  32. ↑ Stockdale, Henry (17 March 2021). "Super Bomberman R Passes Two Million Sales Worldwide". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
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