Bomberman (PCE)

Bomberman

Japanese Japanese cover art U.S. U.S. cover art

Developer(s): Hudson Soft System Software (Sharp X68000) Actionomics (Amiga) Publisher(s): Hudson Soft (JP) Turbo Technologies (US) Ubisoft (EU) Platform(s): PC Engine Sharp X68000 MS-DOS Amiga Atari ST Release date(s): JP: December 7, 1990 (PCE April 1991 (Sharp X68000) US: 1991 EU: April 1992 Genre(s): Action, maze, strategy Mode(s): Single player

Bomberman (ボンバーマン bonbāman), known as Dynablaster in the European release, is a video game originally developed by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine. It later saw release on various other platforms.

Story

Introduction

Japanese manual:

時は未来世紀、思考能力を持ったロボットの2号機、ブラックボンバーマンが三森博士の手で完成された。しかし、博士のプログラムミスによりブラックボンバーマンは悪の道へと歩み始め、ついには博士のひとり娘、理沙を連れ去り機械城に立てこもったのだ。

Japanese manual (English translation):

In a future century, Dr. Mitsumori finishes creating his second robot capable of thought, Black Bomberman. However, due to the doctor's programming error, Black Bomberman set off on a path of evil. In the end, he kidnapped the doctor's only daughter, Lisa, and barricaded himself in his machine castle.

U.S. manual:

It is hundreds of years from now, and you are the first robot created by the famous Dr. Mitsumori. As "Bomberman," you possess awesome power, but you have been programmed only for the pursuit of goodness and justice. But alas, Dr. Mitsumori has made a terrible mistake.

Through a programming error, Dr. Mitsumori's second robot, "Black Bomberman," has gone berserk. Seeking to control the world, he has kidnapped Dr. Mitsumori's only daughter, Lisa. Now he is hiding out in the mysterious Mechanical Castle. Your job? Infiltrate the Castle, rescue Lisa, and rid the world of this mechanized misfit once and for all!

Object of the Game

When playing a one player game, your mission is to find Dr. Mitsumori's daughter - ultimately destroying Black Bomberman and his evil followers. In order to complete your mission, you must advance through all 8 stages (64 rounds) of the game while scoring as many points as you can along the way. Look for special items during each stage - they will increase your power and your chances of finding Lisa!

Ending

At the end of the game, White Bomberman defeats Black Bomberman, forcing him to release Lisa and grovel for mercy. Lisa is returned to Dr. Mitsumori, and the machine castle is destroyed.

Gameplay

This is a traditional maze-style Bomberman game. Both single-screen and scrolling-screen maps are present. Maps of larger sizes are two screens wide. A single power-up is hidden within a soft block in each round. If the power-up is not found by the time all enemies in the round are defeated, the soft block containing it will begin flashing.

Bomberman's goal in each round is to destroy all enemy characters and reveal the exit, which is hidden beneath a soft block. If the exit is hit with an explosion, it will release eight enemy characters. Additionally, each round begins with a 4-minute timer; if the timer reaches zero, all enemy characters on the map will disappear, and twelve Pontans will appear. Each stage contains 8 rounds. In the eighth round, Bomberman must defeat a special boss character.

Progress in the game can be resumed using the password system. Passwords may contain characters A-Z. Passwords are eight characters long. A save and load feature is also present in the game.

Areas

There are 8 stages in the Normal Game. Each stage contains 8 rounds. There are a total of 64 rounds in the game.

• Stage 1: The Wall
• Stage 2: Rocky mountains
• Stage 3: River
• Stage 4: Forest
• Stage 5: Lava Cave
• Stage 6: Inside of the Castle, Part I
• Stage 7: Inside of the Castle, Part II
• Stage 8: Inside of the Castle (Final Stage)

Enemy Characters

The following enemy characters appear in this game:

• Ballom
• Nagacham
• Shashakin
• Ojin
• Boyon
• Pontan
• Terupyo
• Pass
• Ectopu
• Pomori
• Gacha
• Onil
• Uotan
• Bomba
• Buffer
• Flapper
• Korisuke
• Maron
• Chondria

Power-Ups

The following power-ups can be found in the game:

• Bomb Up
• Fire Up
• Speed Shoes
• Detonation Switch
• Bomb Pass
• Wall Pass
• Fire Suit
• 1UP
• Skull
• Bonus Item

Battle

Up to five players can compete in the Battle (the DOS and X68000 ports only allow four players). The last player standing wins the match. 1 to 5 matches may be chosen to determine who wins the game. Further settings are determined by the number of players:

• 2 Players
  • Timer: 3:00
  • Chondria x 2, Ballom x 2
• 3 Players
  • Timer: 3:30
  • Chondria x 2
• 4 Players
  • Timer: 4:00
  • Chondria x 2
• 5 Players
  • Timer: 4:30
  • No enemy characters

If the timer reaches zero, all remaining players are destroyed, and the match is a draw.

Bomb Ups and Fire Ups may be found within soft blocks in the stage. If Skull Mode (ドクロモード, dokuromōdo) is selected, Skull panels will also appear.

Gallery

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