Bomberman II

Nintendo exclusive

Bomberman II follows the popular Famicom/NES game Bomberman, incorporating a number of new features to the series. The game maintained the classic Bomberman game-type, requiring the player to navigate a maze of blocks using bombs to make a path. It added a two-player and three-player mode, and had a more developed storyline. The game was developed by Hudson Soft and released on the Family Computer and the NES. It was marketed as Dynablaster in Europe.

Released: 1991
Platforms: NES
Genres: Arcade Maze Puzzle
Developers: Hudson Soft
Publishers: Hudson Soft
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Age ratings: CLASS_IND L ESRB E
Languages: English
Composers: Jun Chikuma

About

Bomberman II, released in Europe and Australia as Dynablaster, is a action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo Entertainment System originally in Japan in 1991, Europe in 1992 and later in North America in March 1993.

›Story

The player controls White Bomberman, who is framed for the terrible crimes committed by Black Bomberman. After being accused of robbing a bank, White Bomberman is thrown in jail. The player must navigate White Bomberman through a series of puzzles to escape his prison cell and bring Black Bomberman to justice.

Keywords

retro
maze
compilation
sequel
8-bit
explosion
bonus stage

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Bomberman II is an action and puzzle video game where the player controls the eponymous character. There are three game modes: Normal Mode, Vs. Mode, and Battle Mode. Normal Mode is a single-player campaign, while the other two are multiplayer configurations with competitive gameplay.

In the Normal Mode, the player controls White Bomberman. The campaign begins with Black Bomberman, his evil rival, pulling off a bank heist and framing White Bomberman for it. Condemned for the crime he did not commit, White Bomberman's objective is to break out of jail and pursue Black Bomberman so that he can bring him to justice and set the record straight.

Development

Bomberman II was developed and published by Bomberman series creator Hudson Soft, and is a sequel to Bomberman (1985). Like the predecessor, it was created for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and was the final Bomberman game released for the console. Bomberman II was designed by Hitoshi Okuno, later the director of Bomberman 64 (1997), and programmed by Yasuhiro Kosaka, who would provide programmming works for Japanese role-playing video games like Tengai Makyō: Fuun Kabukiden (1993) and Elemental Gimmick Gear (1999). Mika Sasaki and Jun Chikuma, respectively the graphic designer and the composer of Bomberman (1990), returned to their role for Bomberman II.

Bomberman II was released in Japan on June 28, 1991. It was released in Europe in 1992 and in North America in March 1993. The European version was published under the title Dynablaster because the 1985 Bomberman was not released there. The North American version was given a box art by Greg Martin, a former Hanna-Barbera artist and freelance illustrator who created packaging artwork for video games like the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The three-player Battle Mode is compatible to the NES Satellite and NES Four Score.

Reception

Four writers reviewed Bomerman II in Famitsu. One reviewer said that if users had played the PC Engine version of the game, they may find the multiplayer mode disappointing as it did not have as many potential players, but that it was still lots of fun. Another complimented the game as having better gameplay balance. One reviewer found it disappointing as it had a smaller playfield than the original, but that the simultaneous gameplay more than made up for it.