3D Bomberman

Reviewed on: 08/06/06
Reviewed with: Sony Ericsson K700i
Developed by Hudson Soft

It seems like the Bomberman label is popping up on everything lately; bomberman kart, bomberman puzzle, bomberman pinball, bomberman panic……there’ll probably be a bomberman washing machines next, just you wait. So, Bomberman’s had a good run so far on the small(est) screen, but has never ventured anywhere beyond his good old two dimensions. Until now.

3D bomberman is basically a revamped version of the original Bomberman mobile and the later released Super Bomberman. As a result, the concept (and context) is more or less the same as before, only with some welcome additions-and some minor alterations, for example, instead of the aim being to get the key to open the door to the next level, you now have to blow up all the enemies to succeed. You’ll also notice that Bomberman himself, and indeed everything else, have grown a bit bigger to fit in with the new 3D environment.

If you haven’t gathered yet from the conspicuous title and what’s been said already, Bomberman 3D is a “3D” game, which means an instant jump in the standard of graphics from the last two games (I’m not counting the other mobile games which aren’t purely “Bomberman”). Unfortunately, frame rate is quite often still a problem in 3D mobile games, but not, it seems, with this game- it runs quite smoothly, with little pauses or problems, even while it’s showing you an overview of the entailing level. Kilobytes are also saved by just the terrain being in 3D- the rest of the environment, including Bomberman and the enemies, are still in 2D. The result is it looks like scaled down version of the Bomberman announced for PSP at this year’s E3- only Bomberman’s looking a bit pixelated, maybe on the grainy side. The sound, contrary to the graphics, hasn’t really changed a lot from previous mobile instalments- just short polyphonics beeps and music throughout the game, except for bomb blasts. As the 2D characters have to move around a 3D world, the animation is a bit dodgy- but works, to some extent. The game’s also pretty colourful, following in the footsteps of its 2D predecessors.

The bomberman mobile games have always been about getting a “quick fix”- blowing up a few fiends for a minute on the train, for example. It was always because the levels were short, simple but still sweet- giving you small maps to play, while simultaneously packing a reasonable challenge into it. 3D Bomberman does well to keep this spirit close during the transition into the third dimension. There are as many levels as you’d expect in a typical Bomberman game, while the 3D surroundings have allowed for some new gameplay elements-things like a new jumping ability, and springboards scattered around the level to elevate you around the jagged terrains. All the classic powerups are still here, while the bomb blast radius is still understandable. Lastly, the ever-famous VS mode introduced in Super Bomberman has been salvaged- and it’s still fun, I’m glad to report.

So, 3D Bomberman is good if you want to see the little guy in a new perspective, or are an avid Bomberman fan, you should give it a go.