The Nintendo Switch has been the uncontested attention grabber at PAX South — not exactly a surprise given launch day is just a few weeks away — but not everything in Nintendo’s booth makes a great case for the company’s next platform. And there’s probably no better example of that issue than the laughably overpriced Bomberman revival, Super Bomberman R, scheduled to debut alongside the Nintendo Switch.
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Bomberman is one of the oldest franchises that still maintains a regular presence in the video game industry. Most Bomberman titles include both single and multiplayer offerings; a campaign for lone wolves, featuring AI-controlled opponents, while groups can compete to be last man standing on any maze in the game. It’s a simple but effective formula; one that combines strategic thinking and quick reflexes into short, surprisingly addicting multiplayer matches. The series boasts one of the easiest-to-master control schemes in the industry— directional pad for movement, A button for placing/throwing bombs — making it easy for just about anyone to be competitive off the jump.
And to its credit, Super Bomberman R seems to replicate the entire formula with remarkable accuracy. Nintendo is only showing the multiplayer portion at PAX South but everything from the isometric camera angle to hurriedly dashing behind blocks or around corners to avoid incoming damage. It’s a scene that should instantly be familiar to any longtime fan of the series.
But Super Bomberman R should not be a $50 video game.
Like many couch co-op games, or even local competitive titles, it’s easy to get lost in Super Bomberman R when you have friends (or, in our case, a few strangers) to play with. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for fellow iDigitalTimes reporter Steven Asarch and me to get caught up in conversation with the other two players we’d been grouped with. Like many of its predecessors, Super Bomberman R also manages to walk the tightrope balanced between the game’s focus on competition and fun. The game stays fun, even if you’re not the best player, and will undoubtedly become a fixture of some social circles. But I just can’t get past the price.
Most of Super Bomberman R’s competition, at least in the couch co-op/competitive scene, ships with a much cheaper price tag. Case in point, Overcooked was one of my favorite 2016 releases and $20 will get you both the base game and its first expansion. And you don’t even have to wait on a Steam holiday sale. And the last three Bomberman games to emerge, one each for Xbox 360, Wii and PS3, each debuted at $10. Sure, there are subtle changes to the core formula, like the ability for eliminated players to continue hurling bombs onto the battlefield. But this isn’t exactly a reinvention of Bomberman, nor does it seem like a collection of content on-par with similarly-priced games, inside or outside of the Nintendo ecosystem.
Super Bomberman R is a great diversion; one with the potential to become an early favorite among Switch owners who host game nights and/or those looking to test out Nintendo’s first online matchmaking service. But the only way it’s going to find long term success is if the companies responsible for its creation come to their senses and offer Super Bomberman R at a more reasonable price. Of course, we’re talking about Konami. The same company that thought Hideo Kojima was expendable. So, good luck Super Bomberman R?
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes and follow Scott on Twitter for more PAX South news, including previews, interviews and hands-on coverage, throughout the remainder of the show.
