I'm a big Bomberman fan, as my past few reviews might indicate, so I was pretty excited to play some more of the retro games I never got around to when I got my PCE Mini. Bomberman '94 is technically a game I have owned before, as I used to own Mega Bomberman on my Genesis back in the States, but it was never a game I played terribly much of. I'm happy to have finally properly seen what the game has to offer. I beat the Japanese version in one sitting, only using save states on the final boss (because heck that guy XP).
Bomberman '94 has you traveling through 6 worlds trying to piece back the planet after a comet shatters it. You can replay old levels after finishing them before, and certain levels have specific powerups exclusive to them. This is super important if you wanna do something like go back to world 2 to get remote detonating bombs again if you die and lose them. There are technically only a couple dozen levels, but many levels have several rooms you need to travel through, so they feel like several levels over one larger stage.
The stages also don't play like most other Bomberman games, as your goal isn't often to destroy all the enemies and reach an exit that's hidden, but you need to destroy several shield generators protecting either the medal piece at the end, or the door leading to the next area. Each of the 6 worlds has a boss, and some of them are quite tough, but their difficulty and hit boxes are far better balanced than what I've played of Bomberman '93. Another very cool addition to this game is the addition of Louies (or Roois in Japanese), the kangaroo companions that frequent in so many other Bomberman games after this. Their special powers and ability to take an extra hit for you, on top of how cute they are, make them a welcome mechanical addition to the game for me.
The presentation is very nice, with a vibrant, colorful, and a bit slicker style than Bomberman '93. Bomberman is no longer so chonky, and this is where we start to see a svelter Bomberman. His enemies are also a bit more richly detailed, and despite not being on a CD, Bomberman '94 has some really nice music and boss graphics compared to the game released only a year prior. The final boss is a really massive difficulty spike, and probably the only negative point in the game for me. You only have 5 minutes to beat him, he has 3 stages to his fight, and his mechanics will likely take at least a few deaths to properly decipher, so he adds a LOT of playtime onto the game if you aren't using save states. At the very least you have unlimited continues.
Verdict: Recommended. This is an excellent Bomberman game and great fun. It's certainly Bomberman as you've seen it elsewhere, but especially on the PCE Mini, it's a great time alone or with friends. It's not my favorite Bomberman from this era, but it's certainly a good, more balanced Bomberman experience among the 16-bit era of the series.
Bomberman '94 has you traveling through 6 worlds trying to piece back the planet after a comet shatters it. You can replay old levels after finishing them before, and certain levels have specific powerups exclusive to them. This is super important if you wanna do something like go back to world 2 to get remote detonating bombs again if you die and lose them. There are technically only a couple dozen levels, but many levels have several rooms you need to travel through, so they feel like several levels over one larger stage.
The stages also don't play like most other Bomberman games, as your goal isn't often to destroy all the enemies and reach an exit that's hidden, but you need to destroy several shield generators protecting either the medal piece at the end, or the door leading to the next area. Each of the 6 worlds has a boss, and some of them are quite tough, but their difficulty and hit boxes are far better balanced than what I've played of Bomberman '93. Another very cool addition to this game is the addition of Louies (or Roois in Japanese), the kangaroo companions that frequent in so many other Bomberman games after this. Their special powers and ability to take an extra hit for you, on top of how cute they are, make them a welcome mechanical addition to the game for me.
The presentation is very nice, with a vibrant, colorful, and a bit slicker style than Bomberman '93. Bomberman is no longer so chonky, and this is where we start to see a svelter Bomberman. His enemies are also a bit more richly detailed, and despite not being on a CD, Bomberman '94 has some really nice music and boss graphics compared to the game released only a year prior. The final boss is a really massive difficulty spike, and probably the only negative point in the game for me. You only have 5 minutes to beat him, he has 3 stages to his fight, and his mechanics will likely take at least a few deaths to properly decipher, so he adds a LOT of playtime onto the game if you aren't using save states. At the very least you have unlimited continues.
Verdict: Recommended. This is an excellent Bomberman game and great fun. It's certainly Bomberman as you've seen it elsewhere, but especially on the PCE Mini, it's a great time alone or with friends. It's not my favorite Bomberman from this era, but it's certainly a good, more balanced Bomberman experience among the 16-bit era of the series.