3 Bomberman heads drop at a time. The goal is to match 3 in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). There are two codes you can enter to change the pieces:
SD Bombermen (4622)
Balloons (5656)
Why? Why not. Little touches like these are always welcomed in my book. In addition to the Bomberman pieces you have 3 others:
The unlit bomb
The lit bomb (put these babies on the unlit ones for a blast!)
Note: This blast doesn't destroy the Bomberman pieces. Rather it ignites the unlit bombs, taking them off your field
And finally... once you've filled up your power bar... the MEGA BOMB. It can take out almost every piece on the field, depending on block positioning
The Mega Bomb is the most visually impressive "clear-all-ish" piece I've seen in a puzzler. Panic Bomber actually uses a special chip. The mega bomb definitely gets the treatment as it pulsates with flames and makes a huge boom when dropped. It's sheer, raw, unadulterated POWER at its finest. Thank you, Mr. Special Chip Thingie
Of course, while the goal is to keep your playing field from filling up, the best way to beat the opposition is by crafting chain reactions. The 3-falling pieces instead of 2 format will take some getting used to for many of us, but once you do the combo's flow. Here's a basic 2 hitter
Connect the green there
The green guys wipe out..
.... And the whites follow suit
And, what Bomberman game would be one without a 4-player mode? Yes -- even in a puzzle game!
Simply brilliant... brilliantly simple. The smallness of it might be a bit off-setting initially, but you'll quickly adjust. Besides, a tiny amount of the occasional squinting is more than worth it for a chance to duke it out with 3 buddies
And like any classic BM title, it's very user-friendly -- 2, 3 or 4 players can play, with 1-5 matches to win the trophy. "B" allows you to go back to the previous screen
Check out this 3-hit chain on the 1P side. The most I've done was 5, which, literally, is a killer
Drop the green on green...
... they vanish, dropping the blue piece...
... which diagonally connects...
... dropping a stack with a green...
... to complete the 3-hit chain
To create huge chain reactions you have to set yourself up. Here's another 3-hit combo -- this time much easier to see. Notice I've stocked up on red and green. Not to mention some white...
Green connects horizontally...
... and diagonally! 6 piece combo
Dropping the stack of 3 reds...
I see RED horizontal... vertical...
.... AND diagonal connections!
Major poppage happens...
The white pieces fall...
Your simple run-of-the-mill 3-chain 19-piece combo!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
OK, at its core it's just another puzzle game. But the Bomberman characters, coupled with the 4 player mode, make it pretty damn cool. Perfect for puzzle and Bomberman fans
