Image credit: vgmuseum.com
Developer: Eleven
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Format: Game Boy Color (black cart)
Released in: 1998
Bomberman Quest, is special in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Unlike Bomberman Tournament or Bomberman Generation after it, Quest’s underlying structure doesn’t take on the form of classic Bomberman stages like a lot of other role player Bomberman games tend to. There aren’t soft blocks, there aren’t stages, there aren’t distinct worlds.
Instead, Quest is set in a small, compact, interconnect world that scrolls screen-by-screen. There are no soft blocks. But there are dozens of unique enemies, each often occupying its own area within the world. Each enemy is unique to its screen, taking on the form of a mini-boss that you must defeat.
And this is where the game gets interesting, because enemies drop new items and gear, and these new items and gear become handy in defeating new enemies and accessing new parts of the world.
One example of this is a mole-like enemy - it can only be defeated once you obtain a hammer to stun it in place. There is no shortage of environmental hazards and puzzles that require a combination of items to overcome and explore. Zelda: Link’s Awakening had established the ideal conventions for an overhead action adventure game on the Game Boy, and it’s clear developer Eleven decided to stand on the shoulders of giants when designing Bomberman Quest.
Becuase Quest’s world is compact, with each screen presenting a new enemy or secret to uncover, the pace of discovery is kept brisk and engaging. It’s also challenging - I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen the game over screen.
Bomberman Quest is the rare Bomberman role player that didn’t overstay its welcome, and is sufficiently differentiated from its successors like Bomberman Tournament, which share more in common with Neutopia and classic Bomberman titles than Quest’s unique approach.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re into Bomberman and are after something that feels fresh and exciting.