Bomberman Hero
Encyclopedia
is an action
video game sequel to Bomberman 64 for the Nintendo 64
. Bomberman Hero is more advanced in terms of gameplay
, as well as having more level
s, bosses
, weapon
s, and character moves. However, it lacks multiplayer and therefore focuses on the single player
action. This game is also available on the Wii's
Virtual Console
service.
; a princess steals a secret data disk from an evil empire, and she safely smuggles out the information through a robot
, but is captured herself. Bomberman is training in his headquarters
when news arrives about the princess
being captured. Bomberman chases after the Garaden Empire to save the Princess, but the Empire eventually claims back the disks to rebuild their leader, Bagular, whose body was destroyed in Super Bomberman 3
.
At first Bomberman travels through four worlds; Planet Bomber, Primus Star, Kanatia Star, and Mazone Star. Each world has its respective boss from the Garaden Empire; Endol, Barudia, Bolban, Natia and Cronus. Within each world there are different areas with their own collection of stages. Towards the middle of a world Bomberman encounters Nitros, a mysterious recurring mini-boss similar to Bomberman. While on his adventure Bomberman encounters characters from past games such as Black Bomber and Louie. The basic plot for the first three worlds is that Bomberman chases after Princess Millian only to find that she has been transported to the next world. While on Mazone area three, Bomberman finds Princess Millian safe in a lab. She tells him to find the rest of the disks in the next few levels. After giving the disks to Princess Millian she turns out to be Natia in disguise. Natia then sends the disks needed to rebuild Bagular to the Garaden base. After Bomberman battles Natia and her robot pet Cronus he sets out towards Garaden Star. Within Garaden Star Bomberman battles resurrected forms of the past boss' through the various stages. Towards the middle of the world Bomberman encounters Nitros for a final battle. After the battle, Nitros snaps out of his brainwashed state, explains himself to Bomberman, shares his power with Bomberman, and then tells him to defeat Bagular for him. At the end of the world Bomberman meets up with the recently resurrected Bagular and engages him in an epic (and rather odd) final battle. As a final act of desperation Bagular self destructs Garaden Star in an attempt to kill Bomberman. The story seems to end here with the destruction of the Garaden Empire and the credits. Although, after obtaining a perfect score on every level and by collecting all the Adok bombs a new cutscene takes place after the destruction of Garaden Star. A mysterious figure says “Bagular you fool, you lost again!” and suddenly the final world Gossick Star appears. At the end of the second level Bomberman ascends the elevator to the final battle. There he battles Evil Bomber, the possible real mastermind of the operation. After defeating Evil Bomber, Bomberman flies away in a spaceship with Princess Millian and the credits run.
can jump, has a life meter, faces tougher bosses, and has the ability to throw bomb
s farther, thus, making Hero a more platform oriented experience. There are several different areas to be encountered, each with about five different stages. A unique feature is that it's possible to play with an extra advancement, such as a jet pack
or a submarine
.
There are also several different types of bombs in addition to the regular ones. Ice bombs turn enemies into a block of ice which can be moved around and used to jump on to get to higher places. Salt bombs only harm slugs, which cannot be harmed by any other means. Control bombs explode when remotely detonated; a useful ability against certain bosses.
Much of the game's replay value is in the sub-mission of scoring the amount of target points per stage, which awards Bomberman a certain amount of stage points (1 through 5) at the end of each level. You can re-enter the stages as often as you like, in order to secure the highest possible score within the stage. Medals are awarded on a per-planet basis, awarded based on the total number of stage points at the planet's completion (red, blue, bronze, silver, and gold). Getting a perfect score on every planet (or rather, a gold medal on each one) will award mini games to be accessed on the options screen. The games include:
gave a 6.7 out of 10, saying, "Despite the uninspired plotline, Bomberman Hero is a rather surprising success. In a departure from Bomberman 64, Bomberman Hero boasts a number of new gameplay features that make this a completely new Bomberman game." On a mixed review, IGN
heavily criticized the lack of multiplayer mode, giving it a 6 out of 10 and stating, "Nintendo and Hudson serve up a decidedly average 3D Bomberman sequel -- without a multiplayer mode."
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
video game sequel to Bomberman 64 for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. Bomberman Hero is more advanced in terms of gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, as well as having more level
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
s, bosses
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
, weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s, and character moves. However, it lacks multiplayer and therefore focuses on the single player
Single player
A Single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. "Single-player game" usually implies a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" usually refers to a game mode for a single player, where...
action. This game is also available on the Wii's
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service.
Story
The story is similar to (and even could have been based upon) Star WarsStar Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
; a princess steals a secret data disk from an evil empire, and she safely smuggles out the information through a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, but is captured herself. Bomberman is training in his headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
when news arrives about the princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
being captured. Bomberman chases after the Garaden Empire to save the Princess, but the Empire eventually claims back the disks to rebuild their leader, Bagular, whose body was destroyed in Super Bomberman 3
Super Bomberman 3
Super Bomberman 3 is a game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is the third game in the Bomberman series for the SNES.-Description:...
.
At first Bomberman travels through four worlds; Planet Bomber, Primus Star, Kanatia Star, and Mazone Star. Each world has its respective boss from the Garaden Empire; Endol, Barudia, Bolban, Natia and Cronus. Within each world there are different areas with their own collection of stages. Towards the middle of a world Bomberman encounters Nitros, a mysterious recurring mini-boss similar to Bomberman. While on his adventure Bomberman encounters characters from past games such as Black Bomber and Louie. The basic plot for the first three worlds is that Bomberman chases after Princess Millian only to find that she has been transported to the next world. While on Mazone area three, Bomberman finds Princess Millian safe in a lab. She tells him to find the rest of the disks in the next few levels. After giving the disks to Princess Millian she turns out to be Natia in disguise. Natia then sends the disks needed to rebuild Bagular to the Garaden base. After Bomberman battles Natia and her robot pet Cronus he sets out towards Garaden Star. Within Garaden Star Bomberman battles resurrected forms of the past boss' through the various stages. Towards the middle of the world Bomberman encounters Nitros for a final battle. After the battle, Nitros snaps out of his brainwashed state, explains himself to Bomberman, shares his power with Bomberman, and then tells him to defeat Bagular for him. At the end of the world Bomberman meets up with the recently resurrected Bagular and engages him in an epic (and rather odd) final battle. As a final act of desperation Bagular self destructs Garaden Star in an attempt to kill Bomberman. The story seems to end here with the destruction of the Garaden Empire and the credits. Although, after obtaining a perfect score on every level and by collecting all the Adok bombs a new cutscene takes place after the destruction of Garaden Star. A mysterious figure says “Bagular you fool, you lost again!” and suddenly the final world Gossick Star appears. At the end of the second level Bomberman ascends the elevator to the final battle. There he battles Evil Bomber, the possible real mastermind of the operation. After defeating Evil Bomber, Bomberman flies away in a spaceship with Princess Millian and the credits run.
Gameplay
Bomberman Hero controls very differently from Bomberman 64. In Hero, the characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
can jump, has a life meter, faces tougher bosses, and has the ability to throw bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s farther, thus, making Hero a more platform oriented experience. There are several different areas to be encountered, each with about five different stages. A unique feature is that it's possible to play with an extra advancement, such as a jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
or a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
.
There are also several different types of bombs in addition to the regular ones. Ice bombs turn enemies into a block of ice which can be moved around and used to jump on to get to higher places. Salt bombs only harm slugs, which cannot be harmed by any other means. Control bombs explode when remotely detonated; a useful ability against certain bosses.
Much of the game's replay value is in the sub-mission of scoring the amount of target points per stage, which awards Bomberman a certain amount of stage points (1 through 5) at the end of each level. You can re-enter the stages as often as you like, in order to secure the highest possible score within the stage. Medals are awarded on a per-planet basis, awarded based on the total number of stage points at the planet's completion (red, blue, bronze, silver, and gold). Getting a perfect score on every planet (or rather, a gold medal on each one) will award mini games to be accessed on the options screen. The games include:
- Slide Racer: Play through the Crystal Hole level on the Bomber Slider, racing against a snowman. Beat him and get the record time to win.
- Golden Bomber: Bomberman gets the Golden Chip, which allows him to travel underwater with ease. Traverse through three stages to beat the Boss of the Woods.
- Treasure Hunt: Princess Millian's ship, which was full of treasure taken from Bagular's base, was shot down at the treasures were scattered all over the six planets. Find them all.
Advertising
Like the previous Nintendo 64 Bomberman game, Hero was advertised using a remixed and reworded version of the classic Spider Man theme song.Reception
The game received generally mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave a 6.7 out of 10, saying, "Despite the uninspired plotline, Bomberman Hero is a rather surprising success. In a departure from Bomberman 64, Bomberman Hero boasts a number of new gameplay features that make this a completely new Bomberman game." On a mixed review, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
heavily criticized the lack of multiplayer mode, giving it a 6 out of 10 and stating, "Nintendo and Hudson serve up a decidedly average 3D Bomberman sequel -- without a multiplayer mode."