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Saturn Bomberman is a video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Sega Saturn. It is the first game in the Bomberman series released for home consoles to include 10-player multiplayer battles. It is also the first official Bomberman game to support online multiplayer, via dial-up modem (in Japan only).

Story[]

As taken from the English manual:[1]

"The Fuse Is Lit!"

"It was just another seemingly routine day for Bomberman. While flying on patrol, looking for threats to the sanctity of peace that the world so enjoyed, Bomberman stumbled upon something that could potentially throw it all into shambles. Deep in the tangled underbrush of the rainforest, a glint caught Bomberman's keen eye. Rising from the green depths, the Crystal Tower loomed. But the crystals which held the horrible monster Crator inside the tower were missing, and so was Crator. Then a radio message crackled into the cockpit. It was Dr. I... "Bomberman, Mr. Meanie has unleashed Crator and is using his powers to conquer the world! You must get the crystals back before it's too late! The MeanieLand Amusement Park is their secret base. Please hurry!" It is up to Bomberman to regain control of the crystals and restore order to a crumbling planet, crushing the evil Mr. Meanie along the way. With that, a new chapter in the fight between good and bad begins..."

Taken loosely from Japanese:[2]

暑〝巨も遜蓑の軍箱を尋るため、 バトロールを羅けているボン丿ヾ一マンの謂に藝蓋
逼槽が丈ったのは、 ある膳れた芭の手優だった。 ジャングルの藁藻くにそぴえるク
リスタルタワ一に欝節されていた穣謂晨禅が覆窪してしまった。 閣の笹算から通豫
を支配しょうと企むヒゲヒゲ団は、 伝説魔神の封印を解く4つのクリス夕ルを奪
い、 魔神コントロール装置を装着して意のままに操っているのだ。
伝説魔神を操るヒゲヒゲ団から世界を守るためには、 4つのクリ スタルを取リ返
し、 ヒゲヒゲ団を倒すしかない!
かく して、 ポンバ一マンとその仲間たちとの新たな戦いが始まった…。

A group of thieves led, known as the HIGE HIGE Bandits, head into the deepest depths of a jungle in search of the Crystal Tower. A monument sealing away the legendary demon, Crator, they make quick work of undoing the crystals keeping the monster at bay, releasing him. A mind-control device is thrown onto Crator, putting him under the bandits' control.

To save the world, you'll have to take back the four crystals and defeat the HIGE HIGE Bandits! And so, a new battle begins...

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After uncovering all four crystals, Bomberman (maybe Black Bomberman) and Dr. Ein watch on as Crator arrives in Dino World, plunging the place into a deep winter. When Bomberman (and maybe Black) arrive at the crash site, the four crystals surround and weaken Crator, allowing them to take him out. After this, they hop back into the Kepo time machine and head to the future, infiltrating the HIGE HIGE Bandit's secret base and then confronting Mujoe and Dr. Mechard. After the latter's defeat upon his blimp, the thing falls and explodes at Bomberman, maybe Black Bomberman, and their Tirra make their escape.

After dropping the Tirras off back in their time, White and Black head back to the present, making note of a golden Tirra statue, as well as an edit of Mt. Rushmore with Bomberman's face on it, eventually landing back home where they then celebrate.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.

Normal Game[]

In the Normal Game, the game plays like a traditional Bomberman game, players must defeat all of the enemies and Core Mechanisms in each stage to advance to the Exit. This mode can be played with 1 or 2 players. Bomberman is controlled by Player 1 while Black Bomberman is controlled by Player 2.

Stages[]

Battle Game[]

For the first time in any Bomberman game, up to ten players can compete in the Battle Game. Two multitaps are necessary for this, as a single Saturn multitap adds only six extra controller ports.

Modes[]

Matches can be determined in one of the following ways:[3]

  • Match Play - The stage and other settings are selected for each match.
  • Series - Players can select a series of stages and battle settings, such as the number of rounds per match. The preset matches are then played in sequence. Up to 100 rounds can be played in Series mode.

The following game modes are available:

  • Single - Individual players compete against each other.
  • Tag - Players are split into teams.

The field size can also be determined:[4]

  • Normal - Allows for up to eight players. All stages are available.
  • Wide - Allows for up to ten players. Only the Field of Glory stage is available.

Special Options[]

  • Shuffle - Players' starting positions are decided randomly in each round.
  • No Draw - Enables Sudden Death mode.
  • Devil - The Devil powerup will appear somewhere in the stage.
  • Mad Bomber
  • Bonus Game - Bomber Catcher

Characters[]

The game features playable characters from other Hudson Soft titles.

Secret Characters[]

Stages[]

Master Game[]

In this mode, one player must eliminate all enemies in each floor of the Tower. There are 20 floors in total. The goal is to get a high score.

Every four floors, the player will face one of the 5 Bomber Masters as a boss:[5]

Tirras[]

In this game, Louies are replaced by dinosaurs called Tirras that can be ridden. They offer special abilities.

The dinosaurs come in five different colors:[6]

  • Purple Dinosaur: This dinosaur emits ultrasonic waves to explode bombs and reveal the contents of soft (bombable) blocks. His ultrasonic waves grow as he grows bigger.
  • Blue Dinosaur: This dinosaur can kick bombs over objects. His kicking ability grows as he grows bigger.
  • Green Dinosaur: This dinosaur sprints down the line until stopped by an obstacle. As he gets bigger, he becomes faster and gains the ability to stop running and make turns while running.
  • Yellow Dinosaur: This dinosaur can stop your opponents in their tracks with his roar. His roar range grows as he grows. His roar causes other players to drop powerups
  • Pink Dinosaur: This dinosaur can jump over soft blocks. When grown, he can also jump over hard blocks, and jump further distances.

XBAND Edition[]

A little over two months after the initial Japanese release of the game, a new Japan-only edition was made that added support for the Sega Saturn XBAND modem for online play (as well as the Sega NetLink adapter, which used the same technology). While SegaNet matchmaking services have long been discontinued, it is still possible to use XBAND modems to play online today by making a direct-call connection to another modem through the phone lines.

Party Pac Edition[]

A special "Party Pac" edition, released on December 24, 1997 in Japan, included one Hudson-made SBom Joycard controller and one SBom Multitap for the Sega Saturn, along with the game. It was the third Japanese re-release of the game, coming after the XBAND edition and the SataKore reduced-price edition.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. EU manual, pg. 10, 12
  2. Saturn Bomberman SS (Japanese) Manual
  3. EU manual, pg. 36
  4. EU manual, pg. 38
  5. JP manual, pg. 24-25
  6. EU manual, pg. 58

Trivia[]

  • The Japanese case art shows an alternative English logo that reads Bomberman SS. This may have been the original intended English title for the game. The name could have been turned down to avoid association with the Schutzstaffel of Nazi Germany, even though the "SS" stands for Sega Saturn.
  • The 5 Bomber Masters seen within the game's master mode would actually re-appear in the Bomberman Jetters anime, specifically as judges alongside Momo in the B-1 tournament.
  • While Mujoe and the HIGE HIGE Bandits would go on to make numerous more appearances, Dr. Mechado, interestingly, would never do so again, outside of the Jetters anime and its tie-in game, along with Bomberman Jetters: Game Collection. However, he did make an unexpected return in the Survival Mode of Bomberman Kart DX as the twice-fought penultimate boss.

References[]

  1. Saturn Bomberman European manual
  2. Saturn Bomberman Japanese manual
  3. Prototype Images: https://twitter.com/fukumenz4622/status/1668257871534997505, https://twitter.com/fukumenz4622/status/1667734829532852229
Games
Main Bomberman (NESTG-16ArcadeParty Edition) • IIWorld (1992)'93'94 (Special} • Super (2345) • Saturn (Fight!!) • NeoAtomic64 (1997)World (1998)WarsHero64: The Second Attack!Online (Dreamcast)64 (2001)GenerationNetOnline (PC)Act:ZeroLive (UltraBattlefest) • Online JapanBlastSuper R (Online2)
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Other RPG QuestTournamentRPGStory DS
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Mobile Touch: The Legend of Mystic BombTouch 2: Volcano PartyChainsDojo100-nin TaisenMobileTaisen!
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Spin-Off Robo WarriorBlaster Master BoyStar ParodierHi-Ten (Chara Bom) • Panic BomberB-Daman (Bakugaiden: Victory heno MichiBakugaiden V: Final Mega Tune) • PocketFantasy RaceKart (DX) • DreamMix TV World FightersHardballBakufuu Sentai BombermenR20 ☆ MoeBombergirlAmazing
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