is an arcade-style maze-based video game developed by Hudson Soft. It was first released in 1983 for the MSX, NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001, Sharp MZ-700 and FM-7 in Japan, and for the ZX Spectrum in Europe (under the English language title Eric and the Floaters, Spanish Don Pepe Y Los Globos). Bomberman spawned the long-running series with many installments building on its basic gameplay. The earlier game Warp and Warp by Namco is a most likely inspiration for the Bomberman gameplay.

Story

The original Bomberman is a robot forced to work at a bomb factory. He is the best bomb maker there. Bomberman starts growing bored of making bombs in a factory day in and day out. He hears a rumor that any Bomberman that makes it from the underground factory gets a wish. Bomberman, desperate to escape his job, sets out on a journey to the surface and to turn Bombermen into human bombermen, using his wish. The only thing standing in his way is the factory security guards who will do anything to keep the factory working.

Gameplay

The eponymous character, Bomberman, is a robot that wants to be free from his job at an underground bomb factory. He must find his way through a maze while avoiding enemies. Doors leading to further maze rooms are found under rocks, which Bomberman must destroy with bombs. There are items that can help improve Bomberman's bombs, such as the Fire ability, which improves the blast range of his bombs. Bomberman will turn human when he escapes and reaches the surface. Each game has 50 levels in total.

The game was subsequently ported to the Famicom and released in Japan on December 20, 1985, arriving for the U.S. Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. This version would later define Bomberman's more famous design, a robotic anime-like character with a pink antenna. In 2004, this version of Bomberman was re-released for the Game Boy Advance, part of the Classic NES Series. There are two additional MSX games, Bomberman 3D and Bomberman Special, both released only in Japan (in 1984 and 1986 respectively). Bomberman Special is based on the NES game. The NES had its own sequel, Bomberman II, in 1991. The game Bomberman World was released for Playstation and PC in 1998. More recently Bomberman has been released on the Xbox 360 through the Xbox Live Arcade Service. This latest Bomberman game called Bomberman Live features play against up to 8 people both locally and over the Internet. More recently Bomberman has been ported to mobile phones. Across Europe one can find many different versions of these games such as Bomberman Deluxe, Bomberman Kart and even a Bomberman 3D. In Japan, some of the NTT DoCoMo handsets come with Bomberman Wide installed. Some mobile versions of the game feature a multiplayer option via the bluetooth connection. Bomberman Blast was released also on September 29, 2008.

References

• Top Secret Passwords Nintendo Player's Guide
• Bomberman Operation Manual, NES-BM-USA, Hudson Soft USA

External links

• Bomberman entry at Generation-MSX
• Eric and the Floaters review by Sinclair User
• Bomb Master Reflex, a Bomberman clone with Source in C++