Released in Japan only in 2001, Bomberman 64 (part deux; the second; version two) is very different to the 1997 N64 game of the same name. This game is entirely presented in 2D, with no 3D graphics in the game at all, and the package is a compendium of different single and multiplayer Bomberman games. The game was developed by Racjin for Hudson Soft. An English language fan translation is available for this title, which will please English-speaking Bomberman fans.

Bomberman 64 has three main play modes: Bomberman mode; Panic Bomber, and SameGame mode – plus it also has a theme park, called “Bomberman Park“, which you can wander around and play lots of different minigames.

“Bomberman” mode is the tried and tested 2D version of Bomberman, except that each level that you complete has two exits – taking you either up or down, depending on which door you enter – and this in turn takes you through a pyramid of levels, each of which are different. The aim is to make your way to the final set of levels, and then beat the boss at the very end. This will give you a final score, which – if it’s good enough – can be entered onto the high score table.

The boss battles in this game are very challenging. You can’t really trick a boss into walking into your dropped bombs; you need to kick or throw the bombs and explode them in a way that will catch your opponent out.

“Panic Bomber” is a Tetris-like puzzle game where you have to score points by chaining together coloured bombs that drop vertically down the screen. You can rotate the bomb clusters, and move them left and right into the position you want. And – if you want to speed up play – you can also push down to make them drop quickly. The next cluster is shown at the top, before it comes into play. The game is, of course, very derivative of Tetris, but it’s still absorbing and challenging, and it’s great that it’s been included in the package here. You can even choose what type of pieces to play with (and can unlock more by playing the main game). And you can play the game multiplayer, in “Battle Royale” mode.

“SameGame” mode is a simple grid-based puzzle game where you can erase clusters of bombs (or other graphical pieces) that are exactly the same. Doing so makes the entire stack collapse and change configuration – hopefully creating more matching pieces that are touching. If you no longer have any matching pieces, the game ends. So the idea is to carefully remove clusters; create more matching pieces, and clear the entire board.

“Bomberman Park” is the surprise feature of Bomberman 64 for me. It reminds me of the fun fair in Legend of the Mystical Ninja, where you can walk around, entering different buildings, and playing lots of different minigames. I’m not entirely sure exactly how many minigames there are in Bomberman 64, but there are a lot, and some of them are really good. There’s a Pang tribute; a submarine depth charge game; an overhead driving game; a sliding puzzle game (ugh!); reaction games and direction games. If you win, or create a new record, you’re usually awarded a medal. Other parts of the park are unlockable if you win enough medals.

The game remembers all the high scores for every game you play, and you can have the game save to a memory card automatically, in case you forget to save manually. The “High Scores” section details all the records.

Personally, I think that this is arguably the best Bomberman game on the Nintendo 64. In fact, it makes me wish there were more 2D games on the N64, because 2D games rock when they’re hosted on powerful consoles!

Note: Bomberman 64 was the last game ever released, during the console’s initial lifetime.

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