Super Bomberman R (Nintendo Switch) Review

The core idea of the White Bomber and friends has always been simple to pick up and play immediately, and Super Bomberman R is no different in that regard. Starting in a maze-like grid of block obstructions, characters must blow up anything in their way with explosives that detonate in lines. Power-ups can sometimes be found after destroying blocks that increase various stats, such as number of bombs droppable at once, or range of explosions, and the goal is to trap opponents with said dynamite to be the last player standing.

The appeal of this basic concept is prioritised, as the first selection of the main menu is to head straight into Battle mode, deviating only to choose local or online multiplayer. Up to eight players can go in either mode with eight Joy-Con, and up to four Switch consoles can connect locally as well, creating a vast array of options to play with others. Both these modes can be played solo too, and winning online yields currency as the ranking system progresses.

Available to either one or two players is the Story mode, which tasks the eight Bomberman siblings with stopping an evil menace laying waste to many worlds. Each one has eight stages that follow the maze-like grid structure, but often have higher floors and switch platforms, and many give certain requirements to progress, like defeating all enemies or finding hidden keys. Boss fights await at the end of these levels, with both a simple and a stronger form of each to overcome before the world is cleared.

These levels highlight one of Super Bomberman R's shortcomings, and it is the visual detail in the grid environments. As in, even on the TV screen it is sometimes difficult to see slopes or gaps for what they are, and though extra lives are aplenty in this mode, many will be lost because of potential indecision. Overall, the game has a solid level of colour and lively animation, especially in the story cutscenes, and remains locked at a steady 30 frames per second offline, regardless of the carnage onscreen.

Super Bomberman R's quick and accessible multiplayer functionality makes it a strong candidate for constant bootup, but providing more incentive is the Shop feature, which luckily doesn't use microtransactions, but in-game currency. With money won through multiplayer battles, new characters to use and accessories to make them wear can be purchased here, as well as the all-important battle maps to bomb one another on.

Super Bomberman R's current asking price may currently be its biggest barrier to success, as for a quick pick-up-and-play game that this series excels at, £50 might be asking too much. Grating on the nerves might also be the voicework within the game, as although each of the eight main bomber characters have their own distinct voice and personality delivered with charming cheese, the constant repetition during matches is a good reason to make use of the voice volume control in the options menu. Despite these slight issues, Super Bomberman R remains a solid choice for a launch pickup.