Dyna Blaster

Dyna Blaster or Dynablaster is a name that has been given to the European releases of the game of the Bomberman. It's a strategic, maze-based video game franchise originally developed by Hudson Soft.

Released: 1 February 1991
Platforms: Atari ST/STE MS-DOS Amiga
Genres: Puzzle Arcade
Developers: Hudson Soft
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action

About

Bomberman, also known as Dyna Blaster in Europe, is a 1990 action maze video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16. An entry in the Bomberman franchise, it is a reimagining of the first game in the series. The game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. The game garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on the TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.

Bomberman is considered the first video game with last man standing or battle royale gameplay.

Keywords

maze

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player takes on the role of White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him.

The single player game is divided into eight worlds, each one divided into eight stages. Each stage is presented as a maze of blocks filled with enemies. By using bombs, the player must destroy the blocks blocking their path and defeat all of the enemies. Once all of the enemies are defeated and the hidden exit is uncovered, the player can proceed to the next stage.

Development

Bomberman on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 was created by most of the same team that would work on several projects such as later entries in the Bomberman series at Hudson Soft, with Tsukasa Kuwahara acting as sole designer. Atsuo Nagata and Yūji Muroya served as co-programmers, while Hideyuki Ogura and Mika Sasaki created the pixel art. The soundtrack was composed by Jun Chikuma, with Keita Hoshi also collaborating in its development at sound programmer. The game was first published in Japan by Hudson Soft on 7 December 1990 and in North America by NEC in April 1991.

In Europe, the game was released for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS by Ubi Soft as Dyna Blaster due to the European mainstream media associating the original name with terrorist bombings. Versions for the Atari Lynx and Commodore 64 were in development, but never released.

Reception

Bomberman on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 garnered positive reception from critics since its release. Aktueller Software Markt's Hans-Joachim Amann criticized the visuals but commended the sound and gameplay. Computer and Video Games's Paul Glancey and Richard Leadbetter praised the visuals, music, gameplay and multiplayer. French magazine Génération 4 praised the animations and playability but criticized the visuals and sound.

Hobby Consolas' Marcos García commended the simple graphics, sound, gameplay and multiplayer aspect. Likewise, Jean-Marc Demoly of French publication Joystick praised the gameplay and multiplayer component. Both Martin Weidner and Stefan Hellert of German magazine Mega Fun gave the PC Engine original a positive outlook. 78 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 51 spot, indicating a large popular following.