There is a reason why "Super" is in the title because this game is an absolute blast!
THE GOOD
-Extremely addictive multiplayer
-Cool power-ups
-Fun story mode
-Brilliant and colorful graphics
-Chaining bomb explosions is very gratifying
-Tight controls
THE BAD
-Music is grating
OVERVIEW
I remember playing countless hours of Super Bomberman with friends. Whether it was crawling through the story mode or surviving the cutthroat action of the multiplayer mode, it was easy to rack up tons of fun filled hours. The story starts off in White Bomberman's hometown of Peace Town when suddenly an evil man named Carat Diamond, of Diamond City, forcefully unleashes his creation of destructive robots on the entire world. White Bomberman and his partner Black Bomberman join forces this time in order to defeat these robots and stop Carat Diamond's evil plans. The story is a little campy but it really doesn't matter because the focus quickly goes to the astonishing gameplay.
GAMEPLAY
Super Bomberman has two types of game modes: Normal and Battle. The Normal or Story mode is exciting to play either by yourself or with a friend. The entire game is played on a 7x6 game board with unbreakable walls that restrict your movements in a horizontal or vertical motion. There are six themed worlds each with eight stages and a boss battle at the end. Each stage gets progressively more and more difficult as the enemies get faster and more intelligent. The object for each stage is to find the portal which leads to the next level. The portals along with other helpful power-ups are hidden in destructible walls that can be uncovered by blasting them away. The bosses, like all the other enemies in the game, can be dispatched using your sack full of bombs.
The thrilling story mode is fun to play through multiple times, but Super Bomberman's claim to fame is the enthralling Battle mode. The Battle mode lets you and three other friends, via the Multitap, participate in a good old-fashioned deathmatch. Each player starts in their respective corner giving them time to gather power-ups before they have access to each other; except for two stages that pin all the players in the middle. There are twelve uniquely themed stages to enjoy like Jump Zone (where the players can quickly move around the board on spring boards) and Bomb Zone (where random bombs rain down on the contestants). When you're playing with friends the replay value for this game goes through the roof. Unfortunately, playing the Battle mode against the computer isn't quite as entertaining but still fun none-the-less.
The control scheme in Super Bomberman works extremely well. Navigating around the map is a breeze and chaining bombs (which is loads of fun especially in multiplayer) together is easy. Pretty much all the four main buttons (A, B, X, and Y) are used for different tasks from planting a bomb to punching a bomb.
Speaking of punching a bomb, this game has a great selection of power-ups that can really tip the odds in your favor. All the power-ups are available either one of two ways: destroying walls or killing an opponent. There are power-ups that grant you the ability to lay more explosives down, power-ups that let you punch a bomb over a wall, power-ups that let you kick a bomb over a great distance and other power-ups that grant you equally as helpful abilities.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Super Bomberman, albeit a violent game, has a quite cheerful color scheme. The graphics are clear and vibrant which makes the game very enjoyable to look at. Plus, the level design, whether you're playing story or multiplayer, is very enjoyable.
The sounds effects like chaining a series of explosions are nice to hear but the soundtrack is a bit grating. This is especially noticeable in the multiplayer mode where you have the same high pitched music ringing over and over again; this is a bit disappointing.
CONCLUSION
Super Bomberman is the reason everyone, who owns an SNES, should have a Multitap. This game offers hours and hours of timeless fun whether you're crawling through each of the story levels or battling your friends in a free-for-all. There is a reason why "Super" is in the title because this game is an absolute blast!