Konami's popular Bomberman series features the iconic grid-based gameplay after over 70 games and 10 million copies later. Is Bomberman ready to explode into esports after almost 30 years, or is the popular Hudson Soft character better-suited for traditional multiplayer?
Let’s explore the series’ defining characteristics, then tackle the big question.
How to Play Bomberman?
Bomberman is all about strategic bomb placement in arena-like stages. Bombs explode in the four cardinal directions (up, down, left, right) after a few seconds, destroying enemies, soft blocks, and items in range. If you’re not careful, you might even hurt yourself. Take cover behind hard blocks while chaining explosions to trap opponents. The gameplay is fast-paced, challenging, and frenetic.
In other words, Bomberman sounds perfect for one of the only genres he has yet to conquer: competitive play.
Competitive Bomberman battle royale: What works well?
All of the pieces are in place to give Bomberman a chance to excel as an esport. Super Bomberman R Online, the latest game, shifted Bomberman toward modern competitive juggernauts thanks to a new take on the battle royale formula.
The Battle 64 game mode is the biggest reason to consider Bomberman tournaments. This mode drops 64 players into different grids within a giant arena. Sections of the arena close as time passes throughout the match. That means players must make their way through doors to find opponents and avoid elimination.
The core mechanics are the usual Bomberman experience: methodically plant bombs to thwart other players until you’re the last one standing. Bomberman always had basic battle royale elements, just never on a massive scale. It wouldn’t be a logical leap to introduce Bomberman competitions when games like Fortnite are already huge contenders.
Compelling guest characters
Super Bomberman R Online is chock-full of playable characters from Konami franchises like Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Metal Gear Solid:
- Pyramid Head
- Simon Belmont
- Raiden
- Alucard
- Vic Viper
- Bill
- Lance
- Naked Snake
- Richter
- Old Snake
- Bubble Head
- Princess Tomato
- Mimi
- Nyami
- Robbie the Rabbit
- Bean
These types of characters are a natural draw for players and viewers.
Let’s not forget that these types of cosmetic options, exclusive characters, and new modes indicate at least the intention of competitive play (or at least the hope for it), as we see the same niceties in games like Call of Duty. These additions reward players for continued play and keep them coming back to personalize how they enjoy the game and compete.
What skills do you need to win Bomberman?
Competitors must rely on the same mental skills that chess players exhibit when making moves three or four ahead of their opponents. Players must make mental notes of player and bomb positions, figure out the best place to put bombs without being hurt in the crossfire, determine which power-ups like the Pierce Bomb are worth more reward than risk, and decide when to leave certain zones to win.
Benefits of multi-cam streams
Typical Bomberman gameplay, doffing battle royale rules, wouldn't lend itself well to competitive play because the scale is too small to make matches engaging. Multiple arenas to focus on (especially via broadcast) is the better option. That way, audiences can zero in on their favorite players, no matter where they are on-screen, and root for them via multi-cam streams for competitive events. Teams wouldn’t be necessary -- every player for themselves. That would make for much more interesting narratives in the end, after all.
Can we expect official Super Bomberman R Online tournaments?
Super Bomberman R Online’s gameplay mechanics make it the perfect possible esports addition whether you’re a spectator or a player. It’s doubtful we'll see Bomberman in any current competition rotation based on a lack of expressed developer and player interest. Should any organization be brave enough to deem it worthy of competitive play: bombs away!