pdm9phhs rates this game: 5/5
For all the Marios, Sonics, and Crash Bandicoots of the video game universe, there are just as many second-tier mascot characters like Hudson's nondescript bomb-dropping concoction, Bomberman. And while Hudson's white-suited explosives expert may not get the respect of some other, more high-profile characters, his image is indelible and his games have brought smiles to many faces. But the most recent entries in the annals of Bomberman history have been less than satisfying, so it comes as quite a surprise to find that Bomberman Generation is such an engaging and addictive game.
Bomberman Generation is primarily a puzzle game.
It may look like a 3D platformer or action game, but Bomberman Generation is really a puzzle game at heart, true to the series' origins. As is customary with games bearing the name, the object of Bomberman Generation's single-player mode is to blow up everything in your path on the way to each level's exit. But in order to blast your way through some areas, you'll have to find unique ways to get your bombs to their mark. To do so, you'll have to make use of the game's many different bombing abilities. Bomberman can throw bombs, kick them, detonate them remotely, stack them to create bridges across previously impassable gaps, and use them as a shield. It's become obvious that Hudson has run out of ideas for new bomb types, but it's how the different bombs must be used that make the game so challenging and rewarding.
At the game's outset, you'll be able to drop your bombs around the levels, get clear, then return to pick up your bounty once they have exploded. But later on, you'll note how objects that must be bombed will be placed behind obstacles that can only be overcome via constructive thinking. Sometimes you'll have to use several different bombing techniques in a short period of time or switch between four different elemental bomb types just to open one door.
For the most part, the single-player experience is a linear one. You'll progress through a level and then be forced back out to a menu screen once it's completed. But there are plenty of hidden areas in the game that can only be found by being thorough, and missing one of these areas can cause problems later on in the game. In many cases, you'll have to use the special elemental bombs to proceed, but if you didn't come across the special warp areas that will create these new bombs, you'll have to backtrack through each previously conquered area looking for them. It can become tedious and almost enough to make you want to stop playing.
The classic Bomberman gameplay has returned.
A new twist to the Bomberman series included in this game is the addition of "charaboms." Charaboms are small creatures very reminiscent of Pokémon, and Bomberman will have one equipped at all times. As you blow up pots scattered throughout the game's environments, you're rewarded with charabom feed that will increase your monster's fighting abilities. Whichever charabom you have equipped when you pick up the feed will automatically eat it and rise in level. Equipped charaboms give Bomberman his different bombing abilities, so you'll have to switch between your stable of creatures at regular intervals. You're given a charabom at the game's outset, and you will be able to acquire more by defeating them in minigame battles that play out very much like the Pokémon games for the Game Boy Color or by "mating" two charabom characters to create a new one. The charaboms are a nice addition to the series, and raising them while playing through the single-player adventure adds quite a bit of strategy to the proceedings.
The single-player quest also contains four other minigames that will reward Bomberman with the items he needs to turn his normal bombs into elementally charged explosives. The minigames themselves are very simple, yet they can be incredibly frustrating at the same time. As mentioned previously, even once you acquire the item that will give you a new bomb type, you'll have to find the special warp area that will combine the item with Bomberman's bombs. The game also features a healthy number of boss fights, and you'll find that even the early bosses provide an adequate challenge.
