Mega Bomberman

The Good
Bomberman '94 is a superb game from Hudson Soft, in which the gameplay is the same as previous Bomberman games, but with a few differences. You see, instead of you finding the exit hidden in one of the blocks, the exit is already revealed - a piece enclosed in glass belonging to some sort of huge structure, and to have access to that piece, you need to bomb the smaller structures with the green bit on top. Once you collect the piece, the remaining blocks will be turned into gold coins, and you must collect these within a strict time limit. But when you collect the piece in the last level of an area, you don't actually collect it until you defeat a boss, so that you can continue the game.

The game gives you the option of collecting the piece without bombing all the enemies in the level, but if you do this, you won't be able to score more points than you do if you destroy the structures, collecting the pieces, and getting the gold coins. If you are going to destroy enemies, then keep in mind that you will have to destroy blocks that get in your way. Another difference in the gameplay is that you will encounter various tricks and traps as you progress through the game. The first set of levels may be easier to get by, but later as you explore different areas, you will encounter volcanoes that will shoot many rocks at you, missiles that are aimed straight for you, and many other situations.

Destroying a few blocks that obstruct your path can prove very useful, as you will occasionally be awarded a power-up that will help you along the way. Even better, you can get one of five kangaroos. Each of them consists of a particular color (purple, green, blue, yellow, and pink) and each kangaroo has their own advantages. For example, the purple roo can jump over a block or a bomb, while the blue roo can kick bombs over walls. These roos can also be used for backup, so if your roo happens to be killed, you automatically jump off.

The highlight of this game has to be playing 1-5 human- or computer-controlled players, battling it out in different levels, and receiving a trophy at the end. As the player, you get to choose the number of players that you want, the number of wins, and the level in which you want to battle it out on. You also get to select what type of characters that you want to be. There are eight of these characters, and include Grampa Bomberman, Bombergirl, Kamikazee Bomber, Construction Bomber, Bonsaver, Big Bomberman, Tiny Bomber, and Bookworm. These characters have strong or weak offenses or defenses, depending on which one that you choose.

The ability to play against computer-controlled players is not available in the original Bomberman, but this ability is available in Bomberman '93, but even the ones in Bomb '93 are not as challenging as the ones in Bomb '94. For a start, all of the things that you can do in single-player mode, including riding kangaroos, you can do in the battle levels, plus there are a few deadly power-ups that you need to worry about. Before playing against an old friend of mine at some levels, I asked him which set of levels between Bomb '93 and Bomb '94 that he liked, and he chose the latter because the battle levels were more of a challenge, and I agreed. However, regardless of the level that we were playing in, I have managed to beat my friend too many times. Even if he managed to earn a number of trophy, I managed to outsmart him by earning just one more trophy that was considered a win.

The graphics are slightly improved to give much more of a cartoon feel to them. You start the game in the jungle, an overgrown forest region that controls the air quality of the planet. Apart from the Tundra, no other areas interested me. Some of the music in Bomberman '94 have a Japanese feel to them, and the sound effects are consistent to those that can be heard in previous Bomberman games for the TG-16.

The Bad
The only thing missing from Bomb '94 is the ability to destroy enemies using manual detonation. With it, you can set a series of bombs and detonate them at your own free will if an enemy approaches them, but without it, you enemies could find the chance to escape before the bombs go off.

The Bottom Line
Bomb '94 is much better than its previous counterparts. The excellent battle levels, the many challenges that you face in the various levels, and the option of riding kangaroos make this a top-notch game.

Rating: ****½