Bomberman Land
Score: 92% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Hudson Soft Developer: Hudson Soft Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Party/ Puzzle/ Action
Graphics & Sound: Bomberman Land is not to be confused with Bomberman World which was a much older game on the PlayStation platform. This new entry is an attempt to move away from the strictly puzzle-based gameplay into more exploration and mini-game activity. Bomberman Land doesn't throw out the much loved puzzle format, but does throw a curve ball by way of the new Bomberman Land Mode. This looks in practice like a series of episodes and a world map that is populated by a maze of places and a mix of characters. The Bomberman we know and love from cut-scenes mostly is now playable in many more ways. As you explore the world, you'll see a defined path and lots of possible stops along the way. At each destination, you'll see an icon that represents what you can do there. Sometimes this icon will change depending on your actions in other areas of the game. Mostly this mode is a huge treasure hunt. You are trying to collect numbered and colored game pieces that are scattered throughout Bomberman Land. Early into your exploration, you'll find that people just hand over the pieces or you can even find them on the ground. As you progress, you'll find that the pieces need to be earned; you'll need pieces to open up locked areas of Bomberman Land. Winning pieces is the first goal related to the new mini-games available for our hero. Since you happen to be in a kind of theme-park atmosphere, it stands to reason that you should enjoy some games. Mini-games run the gamut from simplified copies of popular classic or arcade titles to even more simplified casual gaming experiences. The graphics for these are decent, with good sound and music to keep you occupied. The more standard puzzles that players expect are also in Bomberman Land and enjoy a huge variety from a design perspective. Something for everyone in this joint...
Gameplay: The initial reaction that many players will have to Bomberman Land is along the lines of, "!?" The first and most prominent mode is the eponymous Bomberman Land Mode and it doesn't contain any puzzles. I was approaching it thinking that the puzzles would come as I explored the world, but that's obviously not the case. All the characters you meet give you some comment, suggestion, clue, or challenge. You'll even get to battle boss characters in Bomberman Land Mode where you'll be challenged to a mini-game. If you can beat the best score, you'll beat the boss. All the mini-games come with a similar threshold for scoring high and winning items, game pieces, or access to other areas in Bomberman Land. The items and game pieces often are central to solving some puzzle or opening a new area. This mode does a lot to stoke your curiosity and spirit of adventure, but it isn't really challenging. It's a time commitment for a single-player and may be an attempt to placate people that want more from their Bomberman than just puzzles. The idea of asking for more than just puzzles when Bomberman easily counts as one of the best puzzle concepts in game history is a bit of a puzzle on its own. We can only assume that the developers see casual gamers and the mini-game glut as a chance to draw in a wider audience. The Bomberman Land Mode isn't for everyone, but if it brings new players to the classic Battle Mode it will have succeeded. Battle contains a huge amount of entertainment and the option to drive multiplayer action for four PSP competitors from a single copy of the game. As a single player, you'll have the option to customize the field of battle heavily and select one of several play styles. The Normal Battle is a last-man-standing type of play where you cruise around the map trying to collect items, avoid bomb blasts, and leave your opponents basking in the fire of either their own or your well-placed bombs. Variations on this include item pick-up competitions like the Stars Battle, still within the framework of the battle map. Almost 50 maps are here, so you won't run out of steam soon. Further customization includes options to lob bombs at competitors from the sidelines once you are knocked out, which is great for you and annoying for them. You can create handicaps and seed the map with items that do more harm than good. It's a great party-game concept and a sure prescription for hours of casual fun.
Difficulty: One additional customization for the game's Battle Mode is the option to select Easy, Normal, or Hard opponents. This changes how well they avoid their own blasts and how strategically they play overall. They'll do more damage in Hard settings and go out of their way to grab items or ambush you with bombs. The Easy A.I. is just as it sounds and doesn't do much other than get in its own way and step on bombs. There's no adjusting the human players' A.I. unless you do some handicapping, which is certainly possible through the multiplayer interface. In the Bomberman Land mode, you'll find a neat tool for mediating the difficulty of mini-games. At certain points in the game, you can grab a card that your character holds like an item, called an Easy Card. As the name suggests, this is a device for dumbing down the mini-games and making it easier to win. This only works on a one-card-per-game basis, but can really help overcome some of the more challenging mini-games or those on which you don't want to work too hard.
Game Mechanics: A smart device related to Easy Card use is that you can carry the card around and not use it until you want to use it. When you have it in your possession, the keepers of each mini-game will ask you if you'd like to use the Easy Card. If you say "No" you go on and play the game at the normal level of difficulty. The characters that introduce each game will also be so kind as to provide you with a nice explanation of how to play. Little touches like this are scattered through Bomberman Land and help to make the flow of things intuitive. The controls are always very simple. The mini-games use just a few buttons and rarely more than two or three in combination. Most of the work is done for you, so a side-scrolling action game might automatically scroll and require you to press buttons at key moments. The best mini-game by far for my money is the one that requires you to unravel a roll of toilet paper without a break. If you've tried this at home, it's harder than it looks. A handy "breakometer" keeps tabs on the state of your paper and any impending rips or tears. Other games are more traditional, arcade-style and put Bomberman into some funny scenarios. Collecting items plays a role in the Bomberman Land Mode, echoing what you do in the Battle Mode maps. Certain items you collect will prove essential in solving puzzles but it all happens through a very simple interface. Talking to characters and reading dialogue is the downside of this style of play, but it's a minor annoyance, especially if you adjust message speed to "Instant." PSP gamers will appreciate Bomberman Land for its inventive mini-games combined with a rock-solid classic style of Bomberman puzzle gaming. The multiplayer is perfect and takes advantage of the system's capabilities nicely. Grab some friends and get ready to bomb!
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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