Bomberman World

information

Title

ボンバーマンワールド / Bomberman World

Console

PlayStation

Genre

Traditional (collect all crystals)

Players

1 to 5 (battle)

Developer

Hudson Soft

Publisher

Hudson (JP)
Sony Computer Entertainment (EU)
Atlus (US)

Releases

28 January 1998 (JP)
August 1998 (EU)
30 September 1998 (US)
19 August 1999 (JP, The Best For Family)


Japanese box
(disc / front / back)

European box
(disc / front / back / inlay)

American box
(disc / front / back / inlay)
American box images from Plasma Captain.

After being sealed away at the end of Bomberman Wars, the Dark Force Bombers are freed from their crystal seals by the nefarious Professor Bagura. They are recruited into yet another of his planet-conquering schemes, taking up home in five elemental worlds. It's up to Bomberman to put these eons-old enemies back in their place!

Bomberman makes his PlayStation debut, and for the first (and last) time ever, the action is presented in an isometric perspective! Paired with a prerendered 3D aesthetic, the action is presented as more three-dimensional than before, boasting some of the largest sprites the series has seen yet while still retaining the classic grids-and-blocks gameplay.

REVIEW INDEX
Ação Games 8.5 / 10
Arcadde 3 / 5
Computer & Video Games 2 / 5
Famitsu 24 / 40
Game Informer 6.5 / 10
Gamers 2.75 / 5
Gamers Republic D+
GameSpot 5.2 / 10
Hobby Consolas 90 / 100
IGN 7.8 / 10
Planet Playstation 78 / 100
Playmania 5/ 10
PSX Magazine 6 / 10
Super GamePower 8.5 / 10
Superjuegos 90%

The Battle Game doubles down on crazy gimmicks, including stages with - get this - two arenas! Smaller chunks of land float above the arena that you can access by springs, teleporters or trapdoors. And if you want an extra challenge, the Challenge Game pits you against a single stage of enemies and hazards, ranking you based on how quickly you clear it and how high your score is.

This game is the final chapter of the "long, long ago" story that began in Pocket Bomberman and later continued in Bomberman Wars, with the revived Dark Force Bombers facing off against Bomberman in the modern day. The heroes of Wars also appear in the game's Battle mode, appearing months before their game even hit shelves!

Bomberman World released to mixed reception; although arcade-appreciating audiences were satisfied, some considered it too primitive for PlayStation. Bomberman purists in particular were put off by its off-kilter perspective and lack of content, coming across as a step-down from Saturn Bomberman, which had set a high standard for the franchise. Several of the game's features originate from the cancelled Virtual Boy title, Virtual Bomberman, suggesting its development was partially a salvage job.

Bomberman World was later included on the PC compilation Bomberman Collection.

Guidebooks for this game were published by Shogakukan and Prima. Bomberman World was also covered in the New Bomberman All Encyclopedia.

This game's soundtrack was included in Bomberman Selection '98, along with Saturn Bomberman Fight!!'s music.

Not to be confused with the 1991 Bomberman World for arcades, developed by Irem. If you're looking for the one with the 4-player co-op and features the United Nations building being hijacked, then Irem's game is what you want.

Bomberman World wasn't always a PlayStation game - it seemingly began life as Virtual Bomberman, a Virtual Boy game that was developed and promoted, but was ultimately unreleased.

RETURN TO
MASTER GAME LIST
RETURN TO
HOME PAGE
page last modified: 28/10/2019