Its a shame to see one of the best Bomberman games overlooked so much...
Bomberman Hero has a pretty weak plot. I recently ordered the game of ebay because it is one of my favorite childhood games. When i got it in the mail, I was too excited to sit through an annoying opening cinematic but this is what I got from some of the other cinimatics in the game. A evil organization called Garden has come to bomberman's galaxy, kidnapped the princess and is bent on taking over the galaxy.Its bombermans job to save the girl and save the Galaxy! The plot really does not go any more in depth than this but most platformers arent that big on plot.
Bomberman Hero has a total of 5 worlds, 4 of which have three stages in them and each stage as roughly 5-10 sub stages. If you are not trying to collect the extras or branch into extra levels, each of these levels can be completed in the 5 minutes, some in a matter of seconds. The short levels work very well but it doesnt seem like there is much game here. If you are any good at platformers it shouldnt take you more than 3 hours to topple this game.
Controls are simple, you jump with A and throw bombs with B. You can also place bombs and kick them like in the original Bombermans by pressing R or down C twice. At first it may take some time to gauge how far you need to throw your bombs, seeing as you always throw them a set distance.
Now lets get onto the actual gameplay. Each sub stage involves you getting from point A to point B, killing enemies and collecting gems for a higher score. Each Sub stage is different from the last and while each stage isnt necessarily original, creative and interesting enemies are always there to keep you busy. One of the games selling points, I guess, was the bomber gear, seeing as it is the entire opening pretty much. In certain levels, Bomberman gets to man different pieces of um, gear, like a jet pack, a helicopter for your head, a snowboard or a underwater jet. Pretty much all of these pieces of gear put you on rails and is effective in switching up the gameplay for some fun twists, except for the snowboard. With the snowboard you can only do tricks to attack rather than using bombs, and it is hardly effective.
Graphically, Bomberman Hero does not do much to separate it from other games. Other than some poor destruction effects, the game looks about on par with every other 3D game on the N64. However it does feature a lot of slowdown and glitches. One of the best things the game does though is its art, which has a nice quirky style.
Possibly the best part of the game is the amazing soundtrack. While there are only around 10 songs in the game, each one is a great retro track that fits with most of the stages. Maybe if they had more it would be better, hearing the same song every other level does get kinda annoying. The sound effects in the game are bad and sound generic and cheap but I think it adds to the game. Oh and Bombersmans one piece of voice acting at the end of each stage? Classic.
While Bomberman Hero is short, it is very fun and well worth the $5-$15 you could spend on it online. While there is no multiplayer, which is a let down, and while the game is pretty easy, especially compared to other games, it is a great game. Sure it is pretty bad when compared to other great platformers on the N64 like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie but it is still a good game. Maybe I am just caught up in the whole nostalgia I feel when I play this game, but if you like platformers and are looking for a fine addition to you N64, look no further.