Super Bomberman Collection review – a classic blast from SNES multiplayer

One of the most popular multiplayer franchises of the retro era returns, with a lavish compilation of seven games that showcase Bomberman at his peak.

Until a few years ago, it seemed like Konami had completely given up on the games industry. Unlike most other publishers, they have many other business interests, from fitness clubs and casinos to slot machines and anime. Given the current state of the industry, their withdrawal makes much more sense now than it did at the time, but we’re happy to see their re-emergence as a major publisher starting to pay off.

Nevertheless, without Hideo Kojima, it’s still unclear what they’ll do with Metal Gear, even with the success of the recent remake, and the continued lack of a new Castlevania game is baffling, especially considering how many other older franchises they’ve brought back. But after a shaky start, the Silent Hill franchise is now in poor health, while they’ve also brought back everything from Contra and Gradius to Survival Kids.

Some revivals have worked out better than others, but inevitably they have now ended up with Bomberman. Once the mascot of PC Engine maker Hudson Soft, which Konami bought in 2011, it was one of the most popular multiplayer games of the ’80s and ’90s. The series has struggled to stay relevant since then, but with this compilation of SNES games it’s easy to see why the series was once so beloved.

Bomberman first appeared in 1983 on the MSX home computer and was initially released under multiple names in Europe, including Dyna Blaster and Eric & The Floaters (for the little-known ZX Spectrum version). The series is interesting because it isn’t closely tied to any particular format, although the 10-player Saturn Bomberman was a favorite at gaming events long after the Sega Saturn itself became irrelevant.

Still, the majority of people probably experienced the series on the SNES, and that’s what this compilation focuses on. It includes Super Bomberman 1 through 5, the latter two of which have never before been released outside Japan. That alone is a welcome effort, but the collection also includes two additional games and a host of artwork, a music player, and a boss rush mode with an online leaderboard.

Whether or not you’ve played these specific entries in the series, all Bomberman games work in the same basic way: you’re stuck in a small maze filled with destructible blocks. These can be destroyed by laying a bomb, which explodes in four directions and will kill you, or any enemies or fellow players, if you are caught in the blast.

All games have single-player modes, which become increasingly complex, but Bomberman is an early example of a game where it was played almost exclusively for multiplayer. It’s also interesting because you could argue that the first is the best simply because it’s the most straight forward, with only classic power-ups, such as the ability to lay more than one bomb at a time, increase the range of your bombs, and punch or kick bombs once they’re placed.

Each new game adds more power-ups and complications, some of which became permanent fixtures and some of which were never seen again. For example, Super Bomberman 3 introduces Louiesthese are rideable kangaroos that are clearly inspired by Yoshi. They let you hit bombs or jump over obstacles, while they can also hit you if you get involved in a bomb explosion.

It’s pretty clear why Super Bomberman 4 and 5 were never released outside of Japan, as the PS1 was already over a year old when 4 arrived, let alone 5. Super Bomberman 4 is perhaps the best of the bunch, as it introduces additional creatures and vehicles that, after first blowing them up and turning them into eggs, can be used or ridden.

Released just a few months before Bomberman 64, Super Bomberman 5 is less of an evolution, though it does introduce non-linear progression to the story campaign. It’s also a good capstone to the subseries, which incorporates the best elements of the previous games.

The collection also includes what we believe to be the NES version of the original game, although bizarrely it doesn’t say that and we’re only assuming that based on the copyright date and a small bit of cropped artwork. Bomberman 2, which is definitely an NES game, is also included, which is a very welcome bonus, but Konami really needs to start including good museum information in their retro compilations.

This is even worse than Gradius Origins, in that while there are plenty of games, plenty of artwork, the original manuals and neatly rotating 3D boxes and cartridges – for all three regions – there is absolutely no text or description describing what anything is, aside from the modes and power-ups in each of the five SNES games.

Nevertheless, this is a great little compilation, with plenty of games and a rewind option for the often frustrating single-player campaigns. Technically, it does have online multiplayer, but only through Nintendo’s GameShare feature. That means you can play against someone else online without them having to own a copy. However, only one person can play per console, which makes it difficult to organize full matches.

The amount of entertainment you get from Bomberman is directly proportional to the number of people playing, and that’s multiplied if they’re in the same room. On that basis alone, the lack of flexibility in the online options is forgivable, especially at the very generous asking price.

Konami has tried many times to create online-focused versions of the game, but after the SNES era, the franchise saw a rapid decline in popularity, especially in the West. It’s not really clear what they can do to reverse that trend, but this is certainly a welcome reminder of how fun the games could be at their peak. If they try to make a new entry after this, we really hope it doesn’t blow up.

Formats: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Red Art Games (original developers: Produce! and Hudson Soft)
Release date: February 5, 2026
Age rating: 7

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