The return of a good Bomberman game...finally.
Review 49
Released: 2001
Developers: Activision, Hudson
Game Genre: Puzzle/Action
Story
It seems like every Bomberman story is the same. This time, 5 meteors have crashed on an unknown planet and Max was sent to investigate. A week later, Max is nowhere to be found and Doc sends Bomberman to find him.
Gameplay
Yes! Finally, Bomberman returns! This is the first handheld Bomberman that has the classic Battle Mode that everybody loves.
In the Quest Mode, you follow the storyline, trying to find Max. A cool part of that is reminiscent of Bomberman Quest for the GBC. There is more than one town, however. Towns are all over the place, and each one is very different from the others. Also, the Karabon return in this one, with even more advanced battle systems and experience points. There are around 100 different Karabon that you can pick up throughout the course of the game.
In Battle Mode, you face off against 3 different colored Bombermen and attempt to defeat them. Sounds boring, but the Battle Mode is what made the Bomberman series.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty darn good, especially for an early GBA title.
Improvements
Previous Games: Pocket Bomberman (GBC) Bomberman Quest (GBC) Bomberman Max Red: Challenger/Blue: Champion (GBC)
I don’t even know where to start. First of all, the battle mode. It’s about time that the Bomberman Battle Mode came to a handheld system. It’s always fun to play when the Quest Mode gets annoying or boring. The Quest Mode itself is a huge advancement. It is so much more complex, in a good way. With all the Karabon, and then the Karabon Battle Mode as a side-game, the multiple towns and dungeons, the Karabon’s functions outside of their Battle Mode, and the interaction with different NPC’s have all improved greatly from previous handheld Bomberman titles.
Durability
The Battle Mode does get repetitive after a while, and the Quest Mode as well, just not as fast. The story’s always the same, and so there’s not a replayability factor.
Sound: The sound is not bad at all. The towns have separate music from the dungeons, and most the dungeons have different music as well.
Controls: Well, as always A uses bombs, but this time, pressing B does not use another bomb, it uses the special ability of a Karabon. The L button brings up the world map or the map of a base you are in. The R button brings up the menu, where you select the current bomb, use an item, or switch your current Karabon. The Start button pauses the game and the Select button saves it.
Difficulty: Normal
It’s not as hard as previous Bomberman games, but it’s not easy either.
Overall Score (8/10)