Super Bomberman 3 for SFC

Image: MobyGames

Super Bomberman 3

What's Yoshi doing here?

Genre: arcade - n/a

Publisher: Hudson Soft

Year: 1995

System: SFC

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

Same great Bomberman gameplay. Three significant mechanics are added. First, Yoshi-like kangaroos give you an extra hit of health. So it's not strictly one-hit kills here. Nice. Second is a power-up which allows you to pick up and throw bombs. Sounds cool, but this makes it difficult to quickly lay a line of multiple bombs, since instead you'll lay down a couple before picking up one and throwing it. This makes it easy for an enemy to trap you by simply dropping a bomb in front of you. With that tactic no longer viable, your best chance of success now reverts to standing as far away as you can from your opponent and mashing A to throw bombs from long distance. This doesn't feel like Bomberman anymore. It's generally best to avoid this powerup, unless you also get the ability to walk through bombs. My second complaint is the new after-death participation, where dead players can throw bombs from the edges of the screen. Bomberman games were already hectic - this new mechanic makes the game downright manic. I like the idea of allowing dead players to participate, but this is too much. Thankfully, it can be toggled on or off to suit your preference.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Again, it's more of the same , which isn't a bad thing. The story mode is a little more interesting, I'd say. I enjoyed the stages more than in the previous two games. The battle mode has all the options you could hope for including being able to play one player.

Theme Score: 5

Theme Notes:

There are, I think eight different playable characters and the kangaroos and enemies give the game a lot of personality that the first game lacked and the second game only hinted at.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The character designs are fun but otherwise the graphics haven't evolved hardly at all since the first game. This is a late release for the SNES but it looks like an early gen game

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

All the classic Bomberman songs are here but there are actually some new bangers. Maybe that's not even the right word cuz a lot of the new songs are somber and melancholy and beautiful. And the sound effects are iconic.

Overall Score: 79

Review ID: 1853