Bomberman '93 is a video game in the Bomberman

Bomberman

Bomberman is a strategic, maze-based computer and video game franchise originally developed by Hudson Soft. The original game was published in 1983 and new games in the series are still being published to this day. Today, the commercially successful Bomberman is featured in over 70 different games...

 series. It was released on the TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....

 in 1992 in Japan, with western releases following in 1993. The game has been re-released for the Wii

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...

's 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...

, with full multiplayer capability intact, in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 and Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. In Japan, Bomberman '93's sequel, Bomberman '94

Mega Bomberman

Mega Bomberman is a video game from the Bomberman series. It was originally released in 1993 as Bomberman '94 for the PC-Engine and was ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994...

, was released instead.

Story

The Black Bomberman has attacked a city, stealing the seven power circuits that provide it with electricity and scattering them across several planets. The city is completely disabled and is in great fear. It is up to White Bomberman to recover them.

Gameplay

The gameplay consists of the same basic structure as the previous games in the series. The player controls Bomberman by moving him around block filled mazes and laying down bombs. The bombs erupt into a cross-shaped explosion several seconds after being set. The explosion can destroy any blocks or enemies in its path, as well as Bomberman himself. If the explosion touches another bomb, the second bomb will instantly explode as well. This basic formula is used in both the single player and multi-player modes.

Single Player

The single player game consists of seven themed worlds, each containing eight stages. Each stage consists of a block filled maze, with enemies scattered throughout it. Using bombs, the player must destroy the blocks in their path and defeat the enemies. Once all of the enemies are defeated, the portal to the next stage opens. Powerups are hidden beneath certain blocks, which can give the player increased bombs and fire power, as well as useful abilities like being able to kick bombs. The eighth stage of each world is a boss battle. The game differs from previous games in the series in that the stages are more interactive, with devices such as conveyor belts and teleporters appearing in certain areas. This mode utilizes a password system to allow players to continue from where they left off.

Multi-Player

The multi-player mode allows up to five players to compete against one another in a timed deathmatch. Each player attempts to collect power-ups in order to destroy the competing players while staying alive.

The last Bomberman alive wins the round. Unlike the single player game, some blocks contain skulls instead of power-ups. These are detrimental if picked up. There are multiple stages to choose from in this mode, with each having its own theme and gimmick.

The Virtual Console version of the game supports only 4 players using Wii Remote

Wii Remote

The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...

s. The 5-player mode can be activated by holding the R button on an attached GameCube controller while starting the game from the Wii menu.

Reception

Bomberman '93 was awarded Best TurboGrafx-16 Game of 1993 by Electronic Gaming Monthly

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...

.