Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Majesco Release: 03/15/04 Genre: Action
Bomberman has almost always been synonymous with multiplayer hijinks to rival the best of them. But for a good portion of its existence the single player campaign was functional at best. With the 16-bit platforms Hudson took baby steps to make it compelling with varying results. The N64 games were not much better. However Bomberman Generation was a noticeable step up legitimately enjoyable experience. It was only lacking a multiplayer mode. Bomberman Jetters aims to right that wrong while offering a better story. But it falls on its face in few areas and is a lesser experience for it.
Bomberman Jetters is a tie-in to the anime of the same name. Unfortunately the anime was never officially localized. The game allegedly has none of the character personalities and is dry as a result. In the anime the Jetters were essentially a surrogate family. In the game they are nothing more than nuisances who interrupt to state the obvious and the game would be better off without them. Outside of Shout, Birdy and Dr. Ein the rest are absent. The plot sees the Hige Hige Bandits plan to crash the artificial comet Dark Star in to Planet Bomber to wipe out the Jetters. With 24 hours before they crash White Bomber and Max are sent to deactivate the Dark Star’s engines to prevent total destruction.
With its 2004 release date Bomberman Jetters comes across as an iterative sequel. But that is not the case. In Japan it was released six months after Bomberman Generation in 2002 meaning the two titles were in development simultaneously. Maybe if the game had a similar release in the West or if the anime were localized so I have some context for its story I would be kinder to the game but I doubt it. Its problems would still be the same and it would still be disappointing next to its solid predecessor.
By and large the gameplay is mostly the same as in Bomberman Generation. White Bomber retains the utilize bombs of varying sizes and eventually elemental bombs to destroy enemies and solve environmental puzzles. New to the game is a second playable character. At the touch of a button you can switch to Max. As cool as it may sound Max is almost identical to White Bomber outside of two differences. He cannot use Charaboms but has access to Hyper Plasma Bomb. This unique bomb has a long charge time but destroys most enemies on screen and can bust down certain doors. Sadly this bomb only necessary a few times throughout the game, meaning using Max is mostly cosmetic.
Bomberman Jetters aims to continue the strong single player campaign of its predecessor but falls short. Like that game the pace is slower yet somehow the game is not as exciting. That is because most of the levels are relatively straightforward despite your expanding abilities. Bomberman Generation would frequently feature levels that would center on a gimmick to navigate around or add an extra element to the proceedings. The few times Jetters indulges in such it is great. The Hige Ring Tower is a confusing yet awesome bit of design that is up there with the best of them. But otherwise they are simple and perhaps a little too big for how little is going on. The elemental bombs try to add depth but they are easy to miss and only factor during the boss battles for the most part.
The lesser focus on Charaboms is also part of it. The previous title made excellent use of the Charaboms as well as had a fun battling minigame a la Pokemon. There are less of them and despite a level up system they do not feature as much which is disappointing. Usually a level will lean on a particular Charabom with some having more of a spotlight than others. But you acquire most of them toward the end of the game and they are barely a factor in gameplay. Whether the game’s failings are because of its anime tie-in or not Jetters is lesser for it. I still had fun with the game but not as much as Generations.
Although the level design has its ups and downs the major boss battles remain a highlight and the game’s strong suit. Each characteristic boss has tons of personality and a number of cool attacks. They have recognizable patterns that are easy to spot yet it still comes down to execution. Even with the recommended bomb type they still present a suitable challenge deserving of being a boss. Note that I am taking about the Bombers in the middle and end of each world. The generic “bosses” at the end of the regular stages are rarely notable. The boss battles were some of the best parts of the previous game and I am glad they continue in this regard.
While the single player is not as good multiplayer remains as addicting as ever. There are four modes that each provide hours of fun: knockout battle, battle for balloons which is basically capture the flag, battle one-two, and standard battle. Standard is your traditional Bomberman multiplayer down to the viewpoint and map style. With a large variety of configurable rule sets and eight maps they at least remember which side of the bread this series is buttered on. It is a damn shame the GameCube had few online games as this would have been a truly great entry for that.
Bomberman Jetters was released for the PS2 and GameCube, at least in Japan. The two games are identical gameplay wise but differ visually. The GameCube version use cel shading like its predecessor and is a good match for the anime aesthetic they are going for. The PS2 game does not and as a result has muddy textures and looks like play dough at times. Visually I think Bomberman Generation is stronger. Not only do you visit more worlds but they were more imaginative and detailed. The English dub has also taken a step back as some of the voice actors are outright bad or in one case offensive. Seeing as the game was in development at the same time it is surprising that this one looks worse.
In Closing
Bomberman Jetters swings for the fences to be the complete package but misses the mark slightly. The additions to the campaign do nothing to add depth and the level design is a regression. But the multiplayer mode is classic Bomberman and is enjoyable in its own right. It is hard to put a number on this one. I do not completely dislike it but I feel the previous title is the better game. The fact the game was $19.99 at release says a lot about the publisher’s confidence in the title. Even they were aware the game would be divisive and I agree.
