Bomberman has quite the explosive legacy, so a Super Bomberman Collection review was quite an expected thing that would happen at Infinite Start. Having recently released on PC, Super Bomberman Collection brings us 7 core titles that everyone needs to get to kickstart their journey into this blast of a world. Right from the get go it is evident that the people doing the interface and menus really care about representing Bomberman in any way possible. There is some interesting features that should be the minimum in any kind of collection, but since it does take effort to make you rarely see them.
Depending on which game you pick, an image of the cartridge will be displayed depending on the version, but there’s also a very neat feature to virtually unbox your games to reveal 3D models of every important content of the box, that being the cartridge and manual. These 3D renders are recreated to the last detail, and this applies to all 3 versions of each game whenever those exist of course. For Super Bomberman 1 and 2 you can pick to play either the USA release, the Japanese release, or the European release, North America wasn’t lucky when it comes to getting Super Bomberman 3 however, as it was only released in Europe and Japan.
If you thought you couldn’t interact with these 3D models, you would be wrong, the manual is a crucial prop to your virtual box that you can actually read and zoom through, it is impressive how well they have managed to scan everything. This feature in itself is a treasure mine for archivist of fans of video game culture in general, and I’m surprised this isn’t the norm that every collection should aim for, you would be hard pressed to even find a collection that supports viewing concept art and other assets too, but Super Bomberman Collection also has us covered in that front.
You also have quite the wholesome screen for listening to the soundtrack of the games bundled in the collection, which is quite a neat addition to have since people like me really love being able to have easy access to music from games. In particular the soundtrack of the Bomberman series has always been quite bombastic to say the least, and with each new entry things kept getting better and better, a rather impressive feat since we are speaking about Super Nintendo games here. You will also discover you can play the original 2 Bomberman games that released on NES in the same menu you find the sound test, nifty!
Collections are often focused on recreating accuracy, even if it means people have to play a worse version of things to keep the nostalgia alive, but with the ability to easily swap the region of each game you can play in any way you desire without filters. There has been some minor censorship things going on since the first game, but if you swap to the Japanese version you can just play things how they were meant to be played. The cool part is that most of these games don’t really have a written story, its just pure explosive action all around that never gets old.
My personal favorite is Super Bomberman 2, but keep in mind that this collection also carries Super Bomberman 4 and 5, released for the first time in English language since they were initially locked to Japan as a region. If you aren’t a fan of emulating, this is an amazing opportunity to play something new for the first time, and I can confirm that Super Bomberman 5 is definitely a blast from the past that still feels right in present times, and will definitely do well in the future. All of these games, perhaps maybe barring the original on NES, feel like they can hold their own weight to this day.
The boss fights, the frenetic action happening in each stage, and the very unique gameplay that hearkens to an era where fun was prioritized and creativity was rewarded. I hope the idea of a collection is a message from Konami implying that we will get a new Bomberman that feels like a real game, rather than some failed live service that has been abandoned. The formula of destroying everything in your path while being careful isn’t old and will never get old as long as there’s enough spacing between sequels, and one can always get experimental with spinoffs.
The fifth entry of the series is definitely something every fan of the Bomberman series should give a try, and for those wanting to relieve the days of cooperating or fighting with a family member in the game rest assured that those features are still included, keep in mind that there’s zero online support however. Along some old features come new ones such as being able to access a Boss Rush mode for each game, a welcome feature that a ton of fans appreciated, giving us more things to do after we have beaten each game.
Despite the explosive nature of the Bomberman franchise, strategy is key and proper positioning is crucial to avoid a certain death, there is a common rule between all the games, that being one strike and you are out. Super Bomberman might ease you into thinking this is an easy franchise that you can trick by exploiting the flawed yet charming design, but reality strikes once you boot up Super Bomberman 2 and each subsequent entry. Even for an experienced gamer there will be times where you may want to use the rewind feature, or save states, but I was able to do them without using those features.
Out of the 5 games in the Super Bomberman lineup, I have a deep preference towards Super Bomberman 2 as it truly fixed many issues that the first game had while making everything else much better. Objectively however, Super Bomberman 5 is regarded as one of the best entries in this classic series and I’m still blown away by it, the whole time traveling shenanigans have been something unique and the addition of alternate endings is a first in the series, it makes me wonder how a Super Bomberman 6 would have played out.
Super Bomberman Collection Review – Verdict
Super Bomberman Collection: Barring the lack of online features, Super Bomberman Collection is an explosive package that you shouldn't miss out on. Whether you were wanting to play the series, or you are a loyal fan, this collection has been crafted with tons of love. The archival material was surprising, and the game lineup can keep you entertained for many hours by bringing new challenges. A bombastic opportunity awaits! – Hiro
[Editor’s Note: Super Bomberman Collection was reviewed on PC and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.]
