Hi-Ten Bomberman

Did You Know?

• Hi-Ten Bomberman is regarded as the basis for Saturn Bomberman.
• In 2019, multiple discs containing data of the title were found by Takahashi Meijin.
• Namco's 1988 Homerun Contest preceded Hi-Ten Bomberman as a widescreen HDTV game by five years.

Gameplay

Hi-Ten Bomberman is a multiplayer-only action-maze game. Up to ten players each control a differently colored Bomberman character, assigned by controller port via multitaps. The playfield is displayed on a large, landscape-style HDTV widescreen. Players place bombs to defeat opponents and destroy blocks, which may reveal items such as extra bombs or fire range increasers. Five modes are available: Battle Royale (a ten-player deathmatch), 2 Group Battle (two teams of five), 3 Group Battle (three teams of three, nine players only), 5 Group Battle (five two-player teams), and 1 VS 9 Battle (one player against nine).

History

Hi-Ten Bomberman was conceived by Katsuhiro Nozawa, who had worked on Star Soldier and J.J. & Jeff. The game ran on two PC Engine units for basic hardware and controller inputs, combined with a custom PC-based PCB nicknamed Iron Man, which later became the basis for the PC-FX; no home release on that platform was considered. Between five and ten units were produced, each costing around JP¥2,000,000. Former Hudson Soft executive Takahashi Meijin stated that NHK wanted to push the HDTV market in Japan, and the expanded 16:9 aspect ratio allowed ten players on-screen but required custom technology. The game was first showcased at the 1993 Super Caravan event and was last seen playable at Studio Park on the NHK Broadcasting Center in August 1997. Hudson Soft had plans to showcase it in other regions, but these never materialized. In 1994, an updated version titled Hi-Ten Chara Bomb was showcased at the 1994 Super Caravan event, featuring a larger arena and selectable characters from Hudson properties such as Bonk, Far East of Eden, Milon's Secret Castle, and Momotaro Densetsu.