Bomberman (1985 video game)
A maze action game that launched a franchise.
Bomberman is an action game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, created by Hudson Soft. It launched in Japan on December 20, 1985, and in North America in January 1989. This game is an enhanced version of the 1983 computer title Bakudan Otoko and is recognized for launching the long-running Bomberman series.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Hudson Soft
- Programmer
- Shinichi Nakamoto
- Composer
- Jun Chikuma
- Platforms
- Nintendo Entertainment System
- MSX
- Famicom Disk System
- Palm
- Game Boy Advance
- Genre
- Action, maze
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Bomberman is an action and maze game with a top-down perspective. The player controls a bomb production robot who must escape an underground complex, defeat enemies, and reach the surface to become human. Each level contains enemies and randomly generated destructible blocks. Bomberman's primary weapons are bombs, which explode after a short delay and shoot jets of fire in four directions. The main objective is to defeat all enemies and locate the exit hidden under a block. Hidden inside blocks are power-up panels: permanent power-ups increase blast radius and bomb capacity, while temporary power-ups grant abilities like walking through blocks or a remote detonator, lasting until death. There are 50 levels; as the player progresses, levels become more complex and enemies more advanced. Eight enemy types behave differently, some moving through blocks, and reward varying scores. Bonus stages appear infrequently between levels. A timer adds pressure; if it runs out, extra foes appear. If a bomb blast hits an exit, more enemies spawn and must be defeated. Contact with an enemy or being caught in an explosion costs a life. The player starts with three lives and earns one per cleared level. A password system allows saving and resuming progress.
Development
Bomberman is based on Hudson Soft's Bakudan Otoko (1983), originally made for personal computers in BASIC. After releasing Bakudan Otoko, Hudson entered the console market with Lode Runner (1984) and Star Force (1985) for the NES. The company decided to port Bakudan Otoko to the NES. Both games were created by Shinichi Nakamoto, a programmer and R&D director at Hudson Soft. Nakamoto felt Bakudan Otoko had a simple but compelling formula, but was not expansive enough for consoles, so he added many new mechanics. He devised a power-up system inspired by space-themed shoot 'em ups, allowing players to amass firepower by collecting items. Hudson wanted to redesign the original protagonist, an "old man in a hat", thinking it would not attract console gamers. Nakamoto replaced him with the robot character from Hudson's NES port of Lode Runner, reasoning that a robot would make the player less sorry to see it blown apart. The ending shows the player character transforming into the Lode Runner protagonist, establishing Bomberman as a prequel. Bomberman was Hudson's first game to use sampled sound effects, for the bomb explosion. Nakamoto compared recordings of explosions until he chose the most satisfying one. The soundtrack, the series' first, was composed by Jun Chikuma, who mixed techno and electronic genres.
Release
Bomberman was first released in Japan on December 20, 1985, and in North America in January 1989. A Famicom Disk System re-release followed on April 27, 1990. Hudson published an MSX port as Bomberman Special in 1986. The game appears as a bonus mode in Atomic Punk (1990) for Game Boy. A Palm mobile port was released in 2001. The NES version was re-released for Game Boy Advance in 2004 as part of Nintendo's Classic NES Series, and again in 2005 via Hudson Best Collection Vol. 1: Bomberman Collection. It was also included in the 2026 compilation Super Bomberman Collection.
Reception and legacy
Upon release, three MSX Magazine reviewers praised the easy-to-understand gameplay and progressive upgrades, and liked the password feature. Character designs and enemy variety drew mixed reactions. Bomberman sold approximately one million copies in Japan by 1989. A Computer Entertainer reviewer found the NES version "mildly addictive at first, but we soon became bored with it," and called the graphics "extremely simple" with "little visual appeal." Leslie Mizell of Game Player's recommended it for new NES audiences but noted it was too easy and became monotonous. In retrospect, Nakamoto declared the NES port the definitive version. Reviewers regard it as the starting point of the Bomberman franchise and the foundation of its gameplay, though the lack of multiplayer was noted. Critics of the Classic NES Series re-issue were divided: Nintendojo, Play, and GamePro found it enjoyable, while 1UP.com, GameSpot, and IGN cited the lack of multiplayer as disappointing and not justifying the $20 price. A direct sequel, Bomberman II, was released in 1991.
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