Bomberman 64

Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Nintendo

Released: December 3, 1997 Rated: E 7/10

Hudson’s iconic mascot (I’d say he beats out Bonk the Caveman) debuts in 3D just in time for the ‘97 holiday rush, bringing another easy multiplayer option to utilize those four ports on top of a new adventure mode. While it sits adjacent to the signature selection of 3D platformers and probably gets an honorary inclusion alongside Banjo, Mario, and its own proper platforming sequel, Bomberman Hero, Bomberman 64, it must be remembered, is much more of a puzzle/adventure title than anything based on collecting.

Our 3D presentation takes the form of a three-quarters view, with a rigid but surprisingly useful ability to rotate it 45 degrees at once for eight different viewpoints. The nature of Bomberman 64’s layouts being a mixture of the series’ familiar grid-based design and full 360-degree maneuverability is the linchpin of its design philosophy, for better or worse. It’s easy to tell that enemies and terrain placement, for example, follow a square grid, and you can get your bearings quite easily by visualizing this grid on top of each level. There is an issue, however, wherein this design crutch sits somewhat at odds with your own movement and the use of the namesake bombs you’ll use to solve puzzles and fight enemies throughout the game.

Clearly a choice meant to highlight the use of the 3D environment and freedom of the control stick, Bomberman 64’s only real issue is that its jump to 3D, in spite of avoiding camera problems, is still rather awkward and imprecise. This is somewhat inherent given the mechanics of the series up to this point, it’s just that even in gameplay so volatile, given that it uses literal bombs that are every bit a threat to you as your environment, the lack of precision that comes from taking away those guiding lines leaves a lot of room for error. Throwing and kicking bombs may still follow a straight line, but the fact that that line can be at any angle from Bomberman, or that the distance you throw it isn’t a clearly highlighted number of spaces away leads to a lot of trial and error. And when you’re working with bombs that give you both a limited amount of time to execute and those “errors” can be outright fatal, it’s worth highlighting. And yes, this “for better or worse” level of havoc is even more apparent in the series’ signature multiplayer mode, where having the skill to overcome margins for error is satisfying, but the increased volatility is down to personal preference among any group of players.

Now, obviously, that was two decently long paragraphs dedicated to what I, personally, would consider a gameplay negative. But once again, particularly if you’re only picking up Bomberman 64 for your multiplayer retro nights, your mileage may vary greatly on this. What I can say for myself, however, is that the campaign and overall presentation in Bomberman 64 is still on a very high level. With over a dozen titles and spinoffs across a variety of platforms, the Bomberman franchise makes its transition to 3D with no shortage of characters or visual cues to draw on, and Bomberman 64 does come out looking almost quintessentially of its time, but in the best way possible. If I were to picture a 1997 mascot game with a mix of 2D and 3D assets, I think I’d probably picture this, Crash Bandicoot 2, or Mega Man Legends. It’s plenty bright and cheery, with cute characters and enemies boasting big heads and tiny bodies. The hectic nature of the multiplayer combined with simple but exciting maps also creates an overall feeling of endearment in the madness of bomb chucking and explosions with friends. Boss designs are clever and work well as their own little puzzles, even when the moveset and controls are as simple as they are.

The music of Bomberman 64 is another highlight that really drives home how Hudson knows how to present this franchise even as it works its way into a new era. The main themes for each of the five main levels are great pieces that provide excellent upbeat vibes and are likely to get added to playlists when you’re through. Even as the levels feel like they’re going to be an overused trope-like sequence of forest, ocean, volcano, glacier, and metro, the tunes are a huge part of giving them their own feel, not that they’re all that plain otherwise.

Bomberman 64 is an interesting bit of nostalgia that feels like you’ve played it a hundred times, even if it’s your first experience with it. Unlike a lot of games, though, this is merely a reference to its odd sense of coziness that simply comes from being so firmly representative of its era. And at the same time, it’s clever and original even for a series that has lots of entries preceding it. Other than a pretty sizable sense of growing pains in how it controls and the overall sense of volatility that can hold Bomberman back as a whole, this is a really solid game in a franchise that ends up having a nice little home on the Nintendo 64.