Super Bomberman Collection Review: A Worthy Grouping of Bomberman's Greatest Adventures

The Bomberman series had something of a humorous beginning, with its origins rooted in a stealth prequel of sorts to Lode Runner. While Lode Runner would disappear into the ether after the connection was established between the two franchises, Bomberman continued to soar. In the intervening years, Bomberman has gone through various ups and downs.

The early years on the NES and SNES were the golden era, but it would see some pretty nifty 3D releases during the 2000s. After a long absence, Konami would dust off Bomberman for a couple of new entries in 2017 and 2023. They were decent enough, but as a longtime Bomberman connoisseur of sorts, I was waiting for games that had the same veracious energy as the classic games.

Whether they heard my call or not, Konami just dropped a stupendous compilation of classic games in the franchise known as Super Bomberman Collection. It wasn't something I expected to happen, but after spending quite a bit of time reliving these classics, I am thrilled to come away knowing that these timeless games have not lost their step one bit.

Super Bomberman Collection is one of those compilations that we need to see more of. There is a certain element of banking on one's nostalgia, but Konami has also become one of the best companies in the world when it comes to both classic game preservation and making previously Japan-exclusive games available to everyone.

The chaotic, unfiltered madness that Bomberman has always been known for has its roots in these games. This is a compilation that has everything a Bomberman fan could want, including some stellar presentation with behind-the-scenes goodies. Despite some nagging technical issues, is twenty bucks well spent if you've ever enjoyed this franchise.

An International Affair

Super Bomberman Collection contains seven total games in the franchise, with the first-ever US releases of Super Bomberman 3, 4, and 5 also included. It also includes the Famicom releases of Bomberman 1 and 2. There's no expense spared here, as you can explore every single version of the game no matter what region you are in.

I grew up playing the Super Bomberman games on the SNES, so that was where I went immediately. Having never played the later games due to their lack of release in the US, I was delighted to experience these games for the first time. And what really strikes me is how much each game attempts to amp up the stakes and new ways to play.

By the time you get to Super Bomberman 5, the devious level design has reached a fever pitch. There are so many cool new mechanics and power-ups, and this collection really illustrates just how much fun these developers were having with the series back in the day. The older Famicom games are also fun, if a little primitive in comparison.

The care and love put into this compilation can't be overstated. There's so much attention to what fans love about the series, and the presentation is simply delightful. I've played a lot of compilation titles, but Super Bomberman Collection just has so much lovely charm and spirit.

The menu design is so cute, featuring splashy key art from the series with the selected game running in a corner below. It's all very slick and responsive. The transition to and from each game is also marvelous, with smooth, fast loading and no sense of sluggish UI design that has plagued some previous compilations in the past.

Another key aspect of Super Bomberman Collection's presentation is how it showcases each game. So many small little flourishes, like being able to physically unbox each game with a 3D render of the cartridge, as well as beautifully scanned and complete manuals, are appreciated. It gives the whole game less of a standard compilation vibe, and feels more like a celebration of Bomberman's heyday.

There's also pretty standard stuff that you see in most compilation titles. Artwork, concept sketches, a music player; all of that is also present and accounted for. The whole package looks and sounds superb when it comes to the presentation, and it's clear this was made in an effort to give Bomberman fans something special.

A Bombastic Good Time

Bomberman's core gameplay loop has remained fairly straightforward since day one. You're dropped into a level with enemies, bombable obstacles and traps, and power-ups to give you more bombs, longer explosive range, and more speed that will help you reach the goal. It has powered so many of my favorite games, and upon revisiting the games with this collection, I'm amazed at how well each game holds up.

There's a wonderful simplicity to the concept of Bomberman. In a time when games are more complex than ever before, being able to play something that just effortlessly refines a simple concept is a blast. Pun fully intended.

It's not just status quo for the entirety, of course. Each game does its best to increase the chaos, introducing mounts for Bomberman, faster enemies, and boss battles that really lean into the strategy of placing bombs at the right time in order to get a direct hit. It may look like absolute madness, but when you're in the zone, there's an almost zen-like meditative state that can come over you.

While the Super Bomberman games are the star of the show, as each one demonstrates just how comfortable this team was becoming with the series back in the day, the classic Famicom releases are also quite enjoyable. There aren't as many cool power-ups or unique enemies, but to see the early days of the series given just as much love as the more popular ones is quite nice.

They're also a bit harder than the SNES games, and you may find yourself using the game's rewind and save state features. Power-ups come far less frequently in these games, so there's a bit of a steeper learning curve in those to be aware of.

It's not to say it doesn't eventually get a touch repetitive, of course. By the time you're on your third or fourth Super Bomberman game, you may find yourself with a bit of fatigue. There are a lot of new power-ups and mechanics for each game, including the adorable mounts that are first seen here in Super Bomberman 3, but the overall structure of each game is relatively the same.

Thankfully, the game does have a few cool features to mitigate that. I'm not normally a fan of boss rush modes, and this one didn't do much to change my mind, but you may find a bit of enjoyment in it. Not to mention browsing the gallery of over 200 images and listening to the outstanding music player. There's a lot in this package to love.

Welcome to Value Town

Value and bang for the buck are incredibly important for compilation games. Some recent compilation titles have included far too few games to justify their price tags, while others have featured rather shoddy emulation. That's not the case with Super Bomberman Collection.

Super Bomberman Collection includes seven games, a ton of artwork and behind-the-scenes features, the complete soundtrack from each game, and some outstanding quality-of-life features. It's a lot of content, and when you consider it comes in at just twenty dollars, the value is remarkable.

Each emulated game runs at a blistering pace. CRT filters feel a bit tacky these days if not done right, and while Super Bomberman Collection features a serviceable retro gloss, it's not quite as authentic as it could be.

There's also a somewhat unusual bug that seems to appear where the game audio will sometimes fall out of sync, and it will be painfully hard to listen to. This is fixable by re-starting the game, and it will run fine after that, but it's still a bit disappointing. It's a shame when you consider how well the rest of the game runs, that a few little nagging issues can cause some minor headaches.

Super Bomberman Collection is a must-own for anyone who has ever enjoyed this franchise. With a grand total of seven games, including many that are reaching US shores for the first time, snappy presentation, and tons of behind-the-scenes goodies, you really can't go wrong. There are a few unfortunate technical issues, including some problems with audio that can cause the game to go out of sync, but the overall package here is stupendous. For only twenty bucks, you are getting a spectacular amount of content.