Hello and welcome to the latest entry in Lost Gems, the series where I discuss games that have been lost, forgotten or completely removed from distribution. This week, we are taking another trip through the explosive catalogue from Hudson Soft, with the major leap into 32-Bit for the Bomberman series. So let us take a look at Saturn Bomberman, the exclusive release for the SEGA Saturn from Hudson Soft released between 96/97.
Disclaimer: while the game discussed in this feature is no longer officially on sale, there are still ways to obtain it. This can be either through the secondary market, or via unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be any links to roms or rips of the games being covered.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be starting with the general game experience, then give my personal thoughts on the titles. I have covered other games in the Bomberman series, which you can find linked (HERE).
About the game
Saturn Bomberman takes place on Bomber Planet, the world that Bomberman and his companions defend. In this adventure, the demon Crator has been unleashed by the super villain Mujoe (Mr. Meanie outside Japan), who has brainwashed it with a mind control device. To save the world Bomberman must recover the gems that once sealed Crator from the Hige Hige bandits. Once all of the gems have been collected, Crator can be defeated once again.
Just like the other games in the series, we have the Normal adventure game and battle game, but exclusive to this release, there is the Master Game. Starting with the Normal game, the loop follows the formula established in Bomberman 94’ and Super Bomberman 3. The objective is to destroy target beacons, which will open up the exit when all of them have been destroyed, with enemies wandering around each of the areas to hinder the player.
The enemies that appear in stages are related to the world they appear in, with some worlds having multiple themes to them. These include the clowns and pirates of Amusement world, sentient dolls in samurai world and living revolvers in Wild West world. There is a good variety of enemy types in this release, offering a fun challenge for players during the adventure. Just be aware they don’t need to be defeated to clear the stages.
Progression through the world will vary as the game progresses, with the first three worlds having only one boss battle, whereas the fourth and fifth worlds feature two boss battles. This keeps the game from getting repetitive during the fairly long run time. Included in this game is the map screen, which will allow players to return to previous stages, with the ability to play easier stages to build power-ups on the player and farming lives.
Speaking of power-ups, all of the established powers have returned to this game, with the bomb and flame increases, the kick boot, glove and remote bomb to name a few. But introduced to this release are the marble bombs, based on the marble shooter B-Daman toys, allowing players to shoot bombs that detonate on impact. If the player dies during a stage, some of the special power-ups will be lost when restarting, with all upgrades going away on a game over.
Introduced in this game are the Tirras, dinosaur like creatures that are hatched from eggs which Bomberman can ride. When they are hatched, they are shown as babies, being small and cute and growing when an egg icon is filled on screen. There are five different types of Tirra that can be encountered, each with unique skills. We have Pink that can jump, Purple uses sonar to locate items, Blue kicks bombs, Green runs in a line and Yellow roars to stun enemies.
The Tirra can be dismounted so players will be able to switch to different ones if eggs appear, allowing players to try different options depending on the stage. As this game supports co-op play, it also allows players to be able to both have a Tirra companion, but be warned it is possible to blow up a partner causing them to lose their dino. Using the Map mechanic, players can return to previous stages to easily power up their Tirra.
On the topic of Co-op play, this game has two player action, where the White and Black Bomberman work together through the adventure. Just like the other games, this can be a chaotic and frantic experience. If player loses a life, they will be able to rejoin the game immediately at the cost of a life. This is where the challenge can ramp up, as the players share a pool of lives with the partner player unable to rejoin if they run out.
If the player dies during single player, or both die in co-op play, the current stage will be reset. In the event that all lives are lost, players will be given the option to continue, save the game or go to the main menu. If the player chooses to go to the main menu, or soft resets the game, they will be able to resume from the stage they go to. However, when continuing from the main menu or loading a save, all power-ups will be lost.
Moving onto the Master Game, this is a unique single player tower climb mode. In the spirit of the original games, the player must clear a total of 20 stages, with the objective being to defeat all enemies. In this mode, players have a single life to get as far as possible, with death immediately ending the playthrough. However, players can collect additional “lives” which will protect them from the flames and enemies, but they are limited in their usage.
Much like the other modes, there are special items that can help the player like the kick boot and glove. But in this mode, they are limited to the stage they are collected, being removed from the player when the current floor is cleared. This adds an element of strategy to the proceedings, as each stage has a different approach that players must take. Don’t dawdle however, as there is a time limit and if it expires, the game ends immediately.
Every four stages, there is a boss that will appear, each with their own unique thematic elements, which are tied to the overall martial arts theme. This extends to the look of Bomberman in this mode, who wears an outfit that is reminiscent of Goku’s signature look from the Dragon Ball series. When the player is able to clear all of the stages, or if they die during the attempt, they will be sent to the results menu, getting a ranking based on their performance.
The last part of the main game to discuss is the Battle Game. This is the classic multiplayer mode where players battle it out in chaotic and explosive combat, with free for all and team battle modes. There are two types of battle game, with Match Play, where players will face off in single match sets, alongside the Series Play, offering a league based tournament play. After selecting the style of play, players will be able to set the battle options.
In the Battle options menu, players will be able to select the size of the battlefield, there are two options to select from, with normal and wide (discussed in detail further below). Then players set the mode, number of players and rules for play, including the number of wins needed, length of time and more. Once all of the rules and settings have been chosen, players will then select the characters that will enter the battle.
For this release, the White and Black Bomberman appear as the only series representatives, with the rest of the roster consisting of guests from other Hudson properties. These guest characters include the Hudson mascot Honey, Milon of Milon’s Secret Castle and Bonk from the platformer series that was on PC-Engine. Players can also unlock two secret bonus characters, obtained via a code entered on the main battle screen, expanding the playable roster to 12 characters.
After all characters have been selected for battle, players will be able to select from one of 8 stages if in normal play. These include the classic arena, alongside special gimmick stages, like the soccer stadium where goals will spawn flames when bombs are kicked into them. The diversity of the stages gives this release a lot of chaotic variety, as they each offer a unique experience for players to enjoy. Then we get to the special Wide Stage.
If the player selects the Wide Stage option from the battle menu, the maximum number of players will go from eight to ten. This game mode is known in fan circles as Hi-Ten Bomberman, as it was heavily based on the unreleased special tech demo, created by Hudson in partnership with NHK to promote widescreen TV technology. When playing Wide mode battles, the field is significantly larger, with the camera zoomed out which does have its downsides.
Due to the much larger size of the battlefield, the sprites are smaller than usual making visibility harder on smaller screens. This gimmick can be a lot of fun for groups, but does require a larger viewing space for players to get the most out of it. At the time of release, this was difficult as the average size of television screens was around 18 for smaller rooms and 21-25 for larger spaces. Thankfully with new displays it is easier to enjoy this mode.
In both Normal and Wide mode, the traditional power-ups and items will appear just like the standard game modes. But there are some special unique items that can be found in the Battle Game. These include the Skull, which will curse the player that picks it up and can pass it on to other players, with effects like reversing movement, power reduction and auto bomb dropping. There is also the Devil which will curse all players immediately.
The Tirra eggs also appear, with the ability to level them up by collecting more eggs. The companion will grow by one level for each additional egg collected, up to the maximum of level 3, with the power of the Tirra enhanced with each upgrade. Just like the main game mode, if the player takes damage when riding the Tirra, they will survive but at the cost of their friend. There is no way of selecting the type of Tirra, adding to the chaos of multiplayer.
If Mad Bomber is activated, players will be able to continue to attack other players after death, appearing on the edge of the screen in a special machine to throw bombs into the field. At the end of a match in both normal and wide mode, if it has been activated, players can activate Bomber Catcher, which is a crane game mini game that will give the winner a bonus item, ready for the next series of battles with a special item exclusive for Wide Mode.
Personal thoughts
As mentioned in my previous features covering the PC-Engine releases of Bomberman, I am a fan of the series, with Saturn Bomberman being my personal favourite. I have had a deep love for this game for almost 30 years, having been able to experience the game before it as officially released in my region via import. There is something very special about this game, with the general look of the sprite work, transitions and depth of content in the game.
I spent many years playing the game off and on, with most of my time being in the battle mode with family, being a staple of game time together. Although, we didn’t have a multi-tap so we would have to pass the controller around, with the winner of each set staying on. I didn’t manage to stay on often, but I always had a lot of fun playing the game with my dad. We also got to play through the Main game together, but I wasn’t very good at it when I was a kid.
I would come back to the game whenever that itch needed to be scratched, managing to beat the Normal game mode after many attempts. The Master game did take a longer time to beat, as I just didn’t have the skill to get through it as a kid, but since then I am able to clear the mode fairly consistently. The main reason I return to the game is for multiplayer, having introduced others like my wife to the chaos of the Wide bomber stage.
The game made the most of the Saturn hardware, using the full FMV capabilities for the intro and in game scenes, with fantastic anime style animation. Then there is the highly detailed sprite work, which has both background and foreground elements that work well, giving the stages even more life to them. The only issue is that some of the stage elements can obscure breakable blocks, enemies and even items that can appear.
As this is an exclusive title for the SEGA Saturn, it also managed to feature online gameplay through a system called Net Link the US and XBAND modem in Japan. This system allowed players to connect via phone lines, making it one of the earliest examples of online console gameplay. As the Net Link system was discontinued long ago, it is not possible to play the US version online now aside from via emulation. But it is still possible to connect via XBAND in Japan.
The game received a positive reception from critics and players, with the game maintaining a fan following that has continued to this day. The popularity of the game, as well as the relative rarity of it due to the unfortunate poor performance of the Saturn in the west, has led to the game having a high cost for international versions. However, the Japanese version which is often seen as the superior release, is more affordable on the secondary market.
Now there has been a resurgence of popularity with the classic Bomberman games, with Konami re-releasing the Super Nintendo games via the Super Bomberman Collection. This has been a relative success, meaning there is a demand for these games in the modern day. Sadly, I don’t think that there will be a modern port of Saturn Bomberman, although with the Zebra Engine from City Connection, if a deal can be made, it is a possibility.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then please stick around and see what else catches your eye. I cover a wide range of games in reviews, get special previews and put out regular features. I have Lost Gems, Retro Revival where I discuss re-releases and the occasional Gaming Oddities piece, where I cover weird and wacky titles. So stay a while and have a look around.
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