Bomberman

aka: Bomber Man, Bomberman Special
Moby ID: 10806
NES Specs
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Conversion (unofficial) See Also

Description official descriptions

Bomberman was a robot in a bomb making factory who longed for his freedom. Rumors circulated that escaping to the surface would allow the robot to become human. Getting out would be the trick. Each room is inhabited by monsters that must be neutralized and the exit itself hidden underneath bricks.

The first of the Bomberman series, Bomberman is a single-player game with a top down view and simplistic controls. In fact, in addition to movement, the player only has a single ability: placing bombs. Each bomb explodes into a cross-shaped blast (four directions) which can destroy either enemies or blocks. Power-ups may be found to increase the size of the blast, place additional bombs, increase the speed of the Bomberman or to walk through walls. The goal on each level is to destroy all enemies and escape through the exit before the time limit is up. Hitting the exit with a bomb blast releases more enemies which must also be destroyed.

Spellings

  • ボンバーマン - Japanese spelling
  • 炸弹人 - Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (NES version)

Composition & Arrangement
Sound Programming

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 59% (based on 17 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 51 ratings with 2 reviews)

Good, but it could be better...

The Good
Bomberman Special was based on the NES' Bomberman. Its idea was great, and its gameplay and graphics were good. Music and sound effects were also good, better even than the NES ones.

The Bad
NES version had a thing MSX version didn't: Bomberman speed. Bomberman, in MSX, was very slow, which affects Bomberman's search time. Bomberman needed to be quicker to find the exit, blow up the enemies and quit level.

The Bottom Line
Bomberman was a good game, even on MSX, with the Special release. If you want a good game for MSX, get and play it! But don't expect too much of it...

MSX · by Gustavo Henrique dos Santos (97) · 2016

Great Hudson Soft classic!

The Good
NES' Bomberman had good graphics for its era, simple gameplay and good sound effects, besides the classic soundtrack. Its concept was innovative and the NES version is better than the MSX one. Because this, Hudson Soft developed a new NES version-like MSX's Bomberman game, called Bomberman Special.

The Bad
Nothing to say, it was a classic (and still is)!

The Bottom Line
A nice classic from Hudson Soft! If you have an NES or GBA, get it and explode the enemies!

NES · by Gustavo Henrique dos Santos (97) · 2014

Discussion

Subject By Date
An arcade version? Really? RetroArchives.fr (709) May 4, 2020

Trivia

Development history

The NES/Famicom version of the game was programmed entirely by Shinichi Nakamoto in three sleepless days...incredible for a game that ended up selling over a million copies. Apparently Nakamoto had a habit of chewing gum as he programmed, and when he ran out of gum he started chewing on pencils instead without even looking away from the screen.

Ending (Spoiler!)

At the end of the NES version of this game it is revealed that you helped turn Bomberman from a robot into a human being. The human he turns into is none other than the lead character in the NES version of Lode Runner.

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Related Games

Bomberman 64
Released 1997 on Nintendo 64, 2017 on Wii U
Bomberman '93
Released 1992 on TurboGrafx-16, 2006 on Wii, 2016 on Wii U
Bomberman Blast
Released 2008 on Wii
Bomberman: Party Edition
Released 1998 on PlayStation, 2008 on PSP, PlayStation 3
Mega Bomberman
Released 1993 on TurboGrafx-16, Genesis, 2011 on PSP...
Bomberman 2
Released 2008 on Nintendo DS
Bomberman GB
Released 1995 on Game Boy
Bomberman Fantasy Race
Released 1998 on PlayStation, 2010 on PSP, PlayStation 3
Bomberman 64: The Second Attack
Released 1999 on Nintendo 64

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Shoddyan.

Game Boy Advance added by Corn Popper. Palm OS added by Kabushi. MSX added by koffiepad.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Guy Chapman, Alaka, monkeyislandgirl, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, Patrick Bregger.

Game added January 22, 2004. Last modified February 19, 2024.