Developer: Konami / Hexadrive
Genre: Party / Action
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: March 3rd, 2017
Price: $49.99 / £49.99 / €49.99
Story Mode - After a 20 year hiatus, the Super Bomberman series makes its long-awaited comeback on Switch! Choose from the eight members of the Bomberman Bros. and travel through over 50 stages across five worlds in single-player or local co-op to defeat the evil Buggler and his Five Dastardly Bombers. For the newcomers among you, Bomberman is a game where you traverse grid-based stages using bombs to defeat enemies and the occasional boss. The challenge lies in not only avoiding the baddies and hazards, but also making sure you don't blow yourself up with friendly fire. Note: don't expect a story mode like that of Bomberman 64, Bomberman Quest, or any of the other non-traditional entries, as this game is not like those games. It sticks strictly to its old-school identity while also including modern features such as 3D graphics and voiced cutscenes.
Battle Mode - Of course, it wouldn't be a Bomberman game without multiplayer! The gameplay is much the same as the Story Mode, only instead of slow-moving AI you have to contend with intelligent humans trying to trap you in a corner with various deadly explosives. Though not as extensively customizable as some previous Bomberman games, the maps come complete with stage gimmicks, revenge carts, power-ups, and special abilities. You can play with up to 8 players locally by using 8 controllers with a single Switch, or 4 Switch consoles with 2 controllers each. There's also 4-player online play with a lobby system, though it's quite laggy at the moment and Konami is looking into it.
In-Game Shop - Gems earned through playing the game can be used to buy cosmetics for your Bomber, as well as new maps/characters for multiplayer and extra continues for Story Mode.
Nintendo Life - 8/10
Cubed3 - 8/10
Destructoid - 7/10
Metro - 6/10
The Sixth Axis - 6/10
Attack of the Fanboy
It's been too long since I've played *any* Bomberman...
