Konami has done it again, releasing SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 with much success and creating an amazing party game.
Konami, the creators of SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2, are probably best known for their horror titles as well as their classic Nintendo games and card and board games. Starting distributing jukeboxes in the ’60s and swiftly moving into arcade units in the early ’70s, since releasing hundreds of games, it is safe to say that Konami is more than proficient when it comes to releases. The first Bomberman game was released by Konami in July of 1983, with the new release of SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 coming out during the 40th anniversary on September 13th, 2023.
Releasing as a sequel to Super Bomberman R, which came out in 2017, SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is available on Nintendo Switch, following Bomberman games being released on most generations of Nintendo throughout the years. SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 will also be on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and PC. Crossplay is available between platforms and there is a large capacity for both online and offline play.
The Super Bomberman franchise has been known for its puzzle-solving and adventure gameplay, which has been continued in SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2. The story mode contains fully animated and voice-acted cutscenes and uses this puzzle-solving gameplay and adapts it into base building, defending said base, exploring an area, and boss battles. The story is split between 3 main worlds that each have a unique style to them that creates a nice variety between the sections.
The first two of these worlds are in the Star System Hurricane. The first of which is the Planet Fulvita, and the second is Planet Aquastar. Both of these contain 15 areas to be explored and 9 secret puzzles that can be found on the planet. They also have 100 Ellons each that can be rescued in the softboxes around the levels and are collected at the end of the secret puzzles. Each of these worlds ends with a boss fight that tests the skills of the player, with each getting harder than the last.
The final section of the SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 story mode is a world called the Unknown Star. Like the previous planets in the game, it has 15 areas and 9 secret puzzles with 100 Ellons to collect. The Unknown Star is the home of the Black Immortal, who lives on the Black Moon, a place that can be used to destroy other planets. The Black Immortal is the leader of the Lugions. These are small alien-looking creatures that resemble the Ellons, looking like their evil counterpart. These have been around from the first planet, working against the player and piloting Lugibons, large mech-like robot suits.
The second half of the Unknown Star is a boss rush that features the bosses from both the Fulvit and Aquastar planets. The bosses are not the same as they were when the player previously fought them; however, they are instead the Elite version, which makes them far harder to defeat.
The story mode in SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 does contain a fair amount of repetition, although this does not make it dull to play. Instead, the repetition allows the player to play similar sections to those before, but they have been made harder. The more frantic version appearing later in the game is very fun.
As well as having a fun Story Mode, SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 has several other game modes for a player to choose from. This includes Castle Mode, a 16-player asymmetrical multiplayer mode that has one player on defence looking after the castle for a set amount of time. They can use Ellons and Gimmicks along with multiple weapons they have at their disposal. The other 15 players have to form an army to attack the castle to collect a key and take the treasure chests from the defender while holding one of the keys.
This mode is great fun, particularly when playing in a group. Having one opponent acting as a tyrant in their castle while everyone else has to work together in a team often ends in hilarity, with players yelling at each other as they all try to rush the castle and its defender. The game can also be filled out with bots meaning that smaller groups of friends can still get to enjoy the game mode.
This game mode is best played with friends, either online or all in one room, as communication is a key part of the mode, as is screaming at each other when someone loses their key for the third time in a row. Not that anyone would be so foolish. It should also be noted that playing this mode with random players is also very fun, and playing against people with differing tactics is so much fun.
The second of these modes is a Grand Prix mode. This consisted of 6 players, split evenly into 2 teams. One of the teams has to try to collect as many crystals as possible, while the other team of bombers has the objective of defeating as many of their opponents as possible. This game mode is another great one to play with mics or in the same room as friends, as working as a team can make the mode far more fun. However, playing this as an online experience can create a large variety of playing techniques from all different people and will certainly bring out the competitive side in most people.
Battle 64, the title being a reference to the 1997 game Bomberman 64, is the penultimate mode in SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2. In this mode, the player will face off against 63 opponents. Rather than having a huge arena that would be somewhat of a nightmare, the players are evenly divided into different areas where they have to battle off in rounds. Each round lasts 60 seconds, and between each round, some blocks will fall, closing certain areas and thinning the herd.
This mode is so much fun due to the chaos of having so many people involved in a single match. It should be noted that the players will not be on the same screen as all 64 players. It could have been more fun to have the rounds feel more like the game modes seen in battle-royal style games or even in the same mini-game mode as Fall Guys. Fall Guys is an excellent example of a large-scale battle sim that is designed for a younger audience, so there is not the same level of violence that can be seen in games where the player is asked to kill others in order to win.
The final round available for players in SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is the standard mode. This is a mode with 16 players able to battle against each other. This classic mode has been available in other Bomberman games and is a staple of the series. It is another very fun mode that is very fun both with other players and against CPU characters as a way to learn the game when first starting out.
One of the best additions to SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is the Level Editor. This tool allows players to create their own maps to play on both with friends and to upload for others to play at their will. These shared maps can use a variety of blocks, traps, and other objects to be added to the map by the creator. The creation mode allows the maker to playtest the map before they decide to share their game with others. Once the map has been shared, those playing it are able to download the map to avoid issues that could come with streaming the games others have made.
There have been many games in recent years that have been released with a level creator that fans can use to make their own maps. This is a great example of one of these modes, with the controls being simple to use and many of the blocks and traps being very simple to slot into place. While not having the freedom of other recent creative modes, such as the Forge mode in the Halo games, the level creator does have an appropriate amount of customisation for the levels that are likely to be designed.
Beyond all of these game modes allowing for a lot of variety in the ways that can be played, the controls are also a massive win in SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2. The controls are very simple, and any new addition to the controls a player will use are introduced and slowly built upon in a way that is not too overly complicated or confusing for the player. The steady rate of additions is not overwhelming at all, which is always a great sign of a game that knows how to simplify controls for a player base.
Another fun addition to SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is the costumes that are available for the players to unlock as they move through the game. Some of these are simple recolours that, while being pretty, offer little to the overall game. However, some are a lot more fun. These include some guests from other Konami games, one of the best of which being the Pyramid Head Bomber, which is absolutely amazing to see in the game. Other Silent Hill characters are invited to the party, as well as characters from Metal Gear Solid and the Gradius series.
All of these additional characters are amazingly designed, along with much of the rest of the game. The art style is much like the games of the past, but with far better performance and graphical capabilities due to SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 being available on the next-gen consoles. The colours of the Bombers often stand out from the background in a way that makes it very easy to find your character on screen, this is very useful in some of the bigger game modes, as not being able to find yourself on screen is an issue that has plagued all gamers at some point in their lives.
In terms of sound, the whole of the story mode is voice-acted. While some of the voices of characters could be described as being on the annoying side, they actually fit the cartoony style of the SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 and the fun and upbeat music that is also in the background of each world and every game mode. There are also soundscapes on the planets that differ from each other, creating a different feeling for each planet, which is a very fun way to add to the immersion of the game.
SUPER BOMBERMAN R 2 is a very fun addition to the Bomberman series, an already very successful and fun series that appears to be getting better with age. While the addition of crossplay can make some matches feel a little unbalanced, and some of the CPU characters are far too easy to beat, the game is a very fun party experience and should always be played with friends if the chance arises.
