Bomberman stars in his first, and only, platformer adventure for the N64 and the result is a surprisingly decent game

User Rating: 8 | Bomberman Hero: Milian Oujo o Sukue! N64
Bomberman games usually end up being the same concept every time (although that's not a bad thing). Lay bombs, blow up some blocks, collect power ups, kill enemies and reach the exit. Now, Hudson tries something a little different with Bomberman's second title on the N64 with a platformer approach. It's too bad to see this game receive negative reviews because, although not the best game for the N64, it has plenty of fun to offer.

Unfortunately, the plot is pretty weak, although Bomberman hasn't really been big on plot anyway. A princess escapes from the evil Garaden empire and has stolen a data disk from them and has inserted it into a robot. As she escapes, she is captured but sends the robot to a planet down below (sound familiar in any way?). The robot crash lands on Bomberman's world while he is training. Bomberman receives news of the princess' capture and takes off to save her and stop the Garaden empire. The plot is as simple as that but eventually, the empire uses the data disk in hopes of bringing back Bagular, the main villain in past Bomberman games who died in Super Bomberman 3.

There are a total of 4 worlds to pass in the whole game; Planet Bomber, Primus Star, Kanatia Star, and Mazone Star. Once you beat all 4, you will move on to the final stage, Garaden Star. Each planet has 3 sections of stages to go through and there's about 5 in each section. Like all platforms, you must jump on platforms and solve some puzzles in order to progress through the stage. Of course there is a boss at the end of each planet but you must also fight Nitros, a bomber like you, as a mini boss on every world. You have 4 hits to begin with but you can add more if you collect enough gems, which are littered throughout the stage. The only problems is the game doesn't save your extra hits that you receive when you turn the game off, even when you save.

Your one attack in the game is to, of course, use your bombs. You can kick them or even throw them at your enemies or, instead of jumping on them like most platforms, you can jump over them and throw a bomb under you. These bombs certainly make the game more interesting. You can even find power ups in each stage to increase the amount of bombs you can throw at a time, increase their blast radius or increase your own speed.

Every now and then, you'll also get a stage where you must fly (either a plane or helicopter), snow board, or swim (with a sub marine attachment). These stages are interesting for the most part but some can be frustrating at times. An interesting addition to the game no less.

One thing you'd expect from a Bomberman game is multiplayer......well, unfortunately, there isn't any in this game.

The graphics in this game are ok but far from the best on the system. The music in this game, however, is great. The game recycles the music more than once, but it does have its share of some memorable tunes.

This game is no Banjo Kazooie and it has its flaws, but Bomberman Hero is a good game that is worth checking out if you love platformers. It doesn't bring too much new to the table that other platforms haven't done but what it does, it does right and that's all that matters. It's just a shame that this game got so overlooked.