Super Bomberman R (Nintendo Switch) Preview

By Adam Riley 22.01.2017

Review for Super Bomberman R on Nintendo Switch

Many people may have wondered what has happened to Konami in recent years, especially on Nintendo formats. The presence of the company has simply disappeared, with even the likes of Pro Evolution Soccer and Castlevania being markedly absent, and Metal Gear not making the leap to Wii U. Things are about to change, though, as a classic Hudson Soft franchise is due to hit at the launch of the Nintendo Switch thanks to Konami. Get ready for some multiplayer madness, in the form of Super Bomberman R.

Memories of Bomberman 64 are long gone, thankfully. Moving the high-octane multiplayer antics into the 3D realm just did not work and sadly tarnished the series considerably, to the point where even highly rated spin-offs on popular formats like Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS failed to stimulate enough interest again to keep the series alive. Then developer Hudson was absorbed into Konami and its various titles squashed completely. All hope for a return was seemingly dashed.

Now, following on from the successful revival of Momotaro Dentetsu on 3DS just before Christmas in Japan, Konami is hoping to get the same positive result with Super Bomberman R, and from the early hands-on at the recent Nintendo Switch Premiere, even the multiplayer addictiveness alone means it is worthy of attention.

Screenshot for Super Bomberman R on Nintendo Switch

Konami is touting lots of single-player content, but on show at Nintendo's event in London, UK, it was all about reliving those heady days of all crowding around a tiny TV set, running around the various mazes, and unleashing havoc with the bomb supply. Had that feeling of exhilaration subsided over the years, though? Immediately being handed a Joy-Con and told to hunch over the smaller Switch screen, separated from its base unit and propped up on its stand, it became apparent that the draw was as strong as ever. That same intensity and passion for winning kicked straight back in.

Collect icons to increase bomb range, drop more explosives, run faster, kick bombs away or pick them up, and so on. This is classic Bomberman through and through. There are plenty of elements to play around with and in the demo tested, it was pretty much a back-to-basics battle arena, with the exception of holes appearing in the floor, meaning pathways were restricted, making the tactical element of trapping opponents with bombs even harder than normal. Dying, though, was no awful thing, since the old school re-appearance on the sidelines for revenge returns, moving around the perimeter of the battleground, launching bombs in the hope of scoring a kill-shot and being reinstated into the action. Fun, fun, and even more fun!

Screenshot for Super Bomberman R on Nintendo Switch

Final Thoughts

People may look at Super Bomberman R and scoff simply because it is a classic older title with no real graphical improvement. It looks like the old SNES releases for the most part, but that is no bad thing at all, since it looked magnificent on the small Nintendo Switch screen, and was as time consuming and addictive as ever. Konami would do well to look at more of its own, and Hudson's, back catalogue to dig out games of old that fans desperately want to see return. This Bomberman revival promises far more than just mere multiplayer elements, but even just for eight-player bouts it will be one of those to play with friends for months and months to come.

Developer

Konami

Publisher

Konami

Genre

Action

Players

8

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10 (2 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now    Also on Also on Nintendo eShop

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