Bomberman Hero

"Platforming Goodness!"

Bomberman Hero was released exclusively on the Nintendo 64 by Hudson in 1998. Bomberman Hero isn't like Bomberman's past games; it's an action/platforming game. You can walk around in 8 directions, instead of the usual 4. I personally think that Bomberman's new form of gameplay is for the better.

Gameplay: 8/10

The goal of each level in the game is to make it to the end of the level. Simple enough. However, it's not as easy as you would think. There are many obstacles to jump over, many enemies to blow up, and many keys to find. There are 5 planets in the game; each planet has 3 areas, with the exception of the last planet. The areas usually contain 4 or 5 stages, and on the last stage of the 2nd and 3rd areas, there is a tough boss fight. The game's difficulty varies; sometimes, it will be a breeze, while other times it will have you screaming at the television. Bomberman has 4 hit points, and if they are all gone, you lose. There are health powerups that give him a hit point back, and there are also flame powerups that make the explosion of the bombs he throws bigger. One of the main focuses of the game is to see how many points you can get. This means collecting all the gems, destroying all the enemies, and finding all the secret areas. At the end of a stage you'll get a score from 1 to 5, which tells you how you did in terms of getting points. There are a lot of platforms in this game that you have to jump across, and they require a lot of patience. You'll have to look to see if you see your shadow on the platform before you land, just to make sure you don't fall off. The entire game doesn't take place on foot, however. There are stages in which you have to fly on a jetpack, pilot a submarine, have a helicopter blade flying over your head, and, my favorite, snowboard! Those four types of stages can be a challenge, so you'll have to practice on those for a bit.

Story: 8/10

The story is basically a Mario game. Bomberman is trying to save Princess Millian from the clutches of the evil Bagular. Bomberman battles across 4 planets, and when he makes it to the fifth, he battles Bagular.

Graphics/Sound: 7/10

The enemies in this game can be a little blocky, but not so much as to where they would keep you from playing the game. There is a very little bit of slowdown when the bigger bombs start going off. I really like the music in this game. It is completely original, and I think it sounds great. It's also cool to hear the constant sound of a bomb going off.

Play Time/Replayabilty: 5/10

Once you beat the game, there really isn't much left to do. You could try getting perfect 5's on all the levels, now THAT would take a while. But really, it's just one of those games that you beat once and hardly ever play again. It took me awhile to beat it, I know that.

Final Recommendation: Buy

Bomberman Hero is a superb video game, and everyone who enjoys platforming games and owns an N64 should own. It's probably pretty cheap nowadays, too.

Final Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/05