Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Nintendo Release: 08/31/98 Genre: Platformer
Bomberman 64 was a valiant attempt at creating an engrossing adventure to accompany the series multiplayer mode. While it was not perfect it was an enjoyable game with an excellent soundtrack. Apparently someone at Hudson was really dead set on nailing the campaign as Bomberman Hero completely loses the multiplayer and is a single player experience only. The singular focus should allow the game to reach its potential. Bomberman Hero is a flawed experience that has its moments but is not as good as its creators probably hoped.
For a game that wants to tell an expansive it heavily rips from Star Wars. Bombeman is training at the Bomber Base when he is instructed to investigate a crashed spaceship. There he discovers Pibot, a robot who informs him that Garaden Empire has attacked the planet Primus Star. The princess Millian is kidnapped but manages to smuggle one of the four disks the Garaden Empire were after on Pibot. With his new sidekick in tow Bomberman sets out to rescue the princess.
Bomberman Hero goes full on 3d platformer and arms its hero with a host of new moves. He can finally jump and grab ledges like your average platforming star. These abilities are called on frequently throughout the game. Most of the techniques from Bomberman 64 return such as kicking bombs. Unfortunately you can no longer pump up bombs to create larger explosions. Instead charging up will toss three bombs simultaneously which sounds cool but I never found a use for it. In the biggest gameplay departure you now have a life bar which is a god send as the game would be near impossible otherwise.
The varying bomb power-ups return with a few new ones in tow. The most basic increase the number you can throw or drop (up to 4) and their radius. The most important are crystals which will increase your life bar at set amounts. You will need a lot of these to reach the max of heart bars but in a stupid move if you turn the game off it defaults back to four. Sadly the various other bombs are rare. Remote bombs, ice bombs, and salt bombs (!) are situational and mostly used to solve specific puzzles. This is a shame as the game could have used the added variety they provide.
Bomberman Hero is a mix between a full 3d platformer like Super Mario 64 and the on rails adventuring of Crash Bandicoot. Most levels are small 3d arenas that simply task you with reaching the exit. Occasionally there is another objective that needs to be completed first such as collecting four pieces of a key or defeating all of a certain enemy type to progress. These eventually graduate to large, full blown maps that you can explore at your leisure somewhat. Bee lining the exit is simple in most cases. But to see all the game has to offer you must collect items to earn higher end level ranks. To switch things up there are numerous levels in which Bomberman will ride a vehicle such as a submarine or helicopter for light shooting action.
The game has big aspirations but falls short in a number of areas. The camera is the biggest issue. Bomberman Hero uses a fixed camera you can manipulate slightly but not nearly enough. This causes all manner of problems with the frequent platforming. Judging distances and lining up jumps is frustrating and leads to many, many deaths. The framerate is also a problem. In the more enclosed areas it is stable. But once the game opens up it drops precipitously. The game begins to chug badly around its midpoint and rarely gets better. The lack of a lock-on function is glaring. Most enemies in the game are dumb and easily dealt with. The bosses however are smarter and will actively avoid your attacks. Trying to aim is needlessly frustrating and makes these battles drag on. The Ocarina of Time and its influence could not come out soon enough.
In the absence of multiplayer Bomberman Hero has a mass of extra content to incentivize replay value. The main quest is long as it is. But by earning a five point ranking on every level the planet Gossick becomes accessible. This houses the true final boss and the game’s good ending. Earning that ranking varies by level but some of the boss battles and their windows for completion are tough. Yet it always remains an obtainable goal. Bomber Star is a collection of bonus levels that I found easily skippable although I will not poo poo their inclusion. Whether you like the extra levels depends on how much you like the game itself. I like Bomberman Hero to an extent but the thought of playing even more of it is not appealing given how long it is. In my opinion the exclusion of even a basic multiplayer mode hurts.
In Closing
Bomberman Hero has tried and succeeded somewhat to make the single player portion of the series better. But sacrificing the trademark multiplayer that made Bomberman what it is was the wrong choice. This is a decent game but on a platform with so many better options that does not cut it.
