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A.P.I Review:	BOMBERMAN WORLD
Developer:	Hudson Soft	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	Sony	1-8 Player
Game Type:	Party/Puzzle	Memory Card
Review Date:	August 1998	Multi-tap

Setting the Scene

With summer coming to an end across Europe and school a few weeks away, 
most parents will no doubt be almost insane by now. Why not ease the pain 
a little by keeping them quiet for a few hours on the PlayStation. The 
simple question is, will this game keep them quiet for longer than it 
takes for a couple of headache tablets to wear off..?

Genre

Puzzle????  Party???? Adventure???? Kids?????

Graphics

Well, if graphics are all that you are concerned about I do not
recommend Bomberman.  There is definitely nothing exciting here except
for the long opening CG FMV.  To watch someone else play this game you
would think, what a cheap title for something as sophisticated as the
Playstation.  But you have to play it to really experience its true
draw.  The graphics are very basic.  No fancy backgrounds, no fancy
animation.  They serve no other purpose than to form a board to play on.
The characters and animation are very childlike but don't let that fool
you.  Hudson somehow makes it work.  Behind all of Bomberman's basic
features lies a very addicting and challenging game.

Sounds and Effects

The sounds are much like the graphics, very basic, but they work.
There's really nothing too spectacular but the tunes match the animation
and the feel of the game very well.

Playability

Here's where Bomberman really shows its stuff.  Beneath the basic task
oriented game (i.e.- collect crystals, blow up competitors) lies a very
entertaining challenge.  To start off, Bomberman has three different
modes, Normal, Battle, and Challenge.  

The Normal mode allows you to travel from board to board avoiding (and
destroying) the other creatures while collecting all the crystals in
order to open the door to the next board.  Along the way you can collect
extra bombs and lives, etc. to strengthen your chances of completing the
board. 

The Battle mode matches you up against all the other characters in the
game (10?) in a pseudo battle royal with bombs.  The goal here is to be
the last man standing.  It's pretty crowded at first with a lot of bombs
exploding so you have to be careful, but it feels surprisingly
delightful when everyone else dies and you don't.  Don't lollygag either
because there is a time limit and the outer edges of the board will
start to fill in and can crush you.

The Challenge mode is a lot of fun.  You pick a time limit for the board
(2 minutes or 5 minutes) and then you must complete the board within
that time or die.  I found this mode extremely addicting and very
frustrating, but when you're as competitive as I am, that just adds to
the games pleasure.  As in Battle mode, when the time starts running out
the music speeds up and the board fills in.  Don't get caught or you
will die.  You main goal in this mode is to simply get through the
board.  You don't have to worry about collecting crystals and the like,
just finish.  You can't move on until you finish your current board.

Bomberman is extremely easy to play.  You move around the grid with the
D pad and drop bombs with the touch of a button.  That's basically it!
You don't have to worry about finding secrets and you certainly don't
need to worry about executing complicated moves.  It is a very basic
game with the old fashioned concept of collect the necessary items and
move on.

Value for Money

I would definitely recommend adding this game to your collection.  You
will probably call me every name in the book at first, but once you play
this game a couple of times you won't want to stop.  It just seems to
draw you to it.  It is very addicting and quite challenging if you are a
competitive person.  Well worth the investment.