Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!: Difference between revisions

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{{italic title}}
{{italic title}}
{{Rewrite-expand}}
{{rewrite-expand|Needs tables providing descriptions of each round, item, and object}}
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{{game infobox
{{game infobox
|image=[[File:WarioB_Cover.jpg|250px]]<br>North American box art
|image=[[File:WarioB_Cover.jpg|250px]]<br>North American box art
|developer=[[Hudson Soft]]
|developer=[[Hudson Soft]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|released={{release|Japan|August 10, 1994|USA|November 1994|Europe|June 29, 1995|Australia|June 29, 1995}}
|release={{release|Japan|August 10, 1994|USA|November 1994<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081003181232/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/manuals/dmg_games.pdf Nintendo ''Game Boy (original) Games'' release chart.] Archived October 3, 2008.</ref> or December 1994<ref>''Nintendo Power'' Volume 67, page 106. [https://randomhoohaas.flyingomelette.com/bomb/gb-1/ref.html#magazine Bomberman Shrine scan.]</ref>|Europe|June 29, 1995|Australia|June 29, 1995}}
|genre=Action
|genre=Action
|modes=Single player, 1-4 players simultaneous ([[Super Game Boy]] only)
|modes=Single player, 1-4 players simultaneous ([[Super Game Boy]] only)
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|media={{media|gb=1}}
|media={{media|gb=1}}
}}
}}
'''''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!''''' (Japanese: ボンバーマンGB, ''Bonbāman Gēmu Bōi'') is a crossover game between the [[Wario (franchise)|''Wario'' franchise]] and [[Hudson Soft]]'s {{wp|Bomberman|''Bomberman''}} series that was released in 1994 and 1995 in North America and Europe, respectively. The game is a reskinned version of ''Bomberman GB'', which was released in Japan in August 1994. The ''Wario'' series theme was exclusively added to Western releases. Aside from Wario's presence, the game is mostly unchanged and plays like other ''Bomberman'' titles. The ''Bomberman GB'' released in the West is actually the Japanese ''Bomberman GB 2''.
'''''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!''''' is a crossover game between the [[Wario (franchise)|''Wario'' franchise]] and [[Hudson Soft]]'s {{wp|Bomberman|''Bomberman''}} series that was released in 1994 and 1995 in North America and Europe, respectively. The game is a reskinned version of ''{{wp|Bomberman GB}}'', which was released in Japan in August 1994. The ''Wario'' series theme was exclusively added to Western releases. Aside from Wario's presence, the game is mostly unchanged and plays like other ''Bomberman'' titles. The ''Bomberman GB'' released in the West is actually the Japanese ''Bomberman GB 2''.
 
The player takes the role of either [[Wario]] or [[Bomberman]] and fights against up to three copies of the other character. Wario's goal is to rob [[Bomberland]], while Bomberman's is to protect it. In every round, the player has to defeat the enemies by strategically placing [[Bomb (object)|bombs]], while they are able to do the same.


The player takes the role of either [[Wario]] or [[Bomberman]] and fights against up to three copies of the other character. Wario's goal is to rob [[Bomberland]], while Bomberman's is to protect it. In every round, the player has to defeat the enemies by strategically placing [[bomb]]s, while the enemies are able to do the same.
==Story==
==Story==
[[File:Wario Blast Title Screen.png|thumb|left|256px|Title screen, as played on [[Super Game Boy]].]]
[[File:Wario Blast Title Screen.png|thumb|left|256px|Title screen, as played on [[Super Game Boy]].]]
'''Story from the instruction booklet'''<ref>''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' instruction booklet, pages 4 & 5.</ref>
'''Story from the instruction booklet'''<ref>''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' North American instruction booklet, page 4.</ref>
:'''''WARIO INVADES THE LAND OF THE MADBOMBERS!'''<br /><br />Wario, in his constant search for new lands to conquer and trea-<br />sures to gain, has found the extra-dimensional portal<br />that links his world with the one that Bomberman<br />inhabits. Thinking that the Madbombers will make a<br />nice addition to his legions of mindless minions (as<br />well as a new source of funds for his nefarious<br />schemes), Wario steps through the gate... and soon<br />finds that the Madbombers are not quite the dim-wit-<br />ted flunkies he originally thought them to be!
:'''''WARIO INVADES THE LAND OF THE MADBOMBERS!'''<br><br>Wario, in his constant search for new lands to conquer and trea-<br>sures to gain, has found the extra-dimensional portal<br>that links his world with the one that Bomberman<br>inhabits. Thinking that the Madbombers will make a<br>nice addition to his legions of mindless minions (as<br>well as a new source of funds for his nefarious<br>schemes), Wario steps through the gate... and soon<br>finds that the Madbombers are not quite the dim-wit-<br>ted flunkies he originally thought them to be!
{{br|left}}
 
[[File:Planetbomber.png|thumb|left|The ending cutscene]]
After completing the game, regardless of which character the player chose, Bomberman rides a [[moto]]rcycle across a canyon. Wario appears, also on a motorcycle, and the two chase each other back and forth indefinitely until the player resets the game.
{{br|left}}
{{br|left}}


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
[[File:WarioBlast.png|thumb|left]]
[[File:WarioBlast.png|thumb|left]]
The player can choose to play as either Wario or Bomberman, but this does not change any aspects of the game, minus reversing the passwords. There are eight rounds in total, including three regular levels and one boss level each.
The player can choose to play as either [[Wario]] or [[Bomberman]], but this does not change any aspects of gameplay, other than reversing the passwords for each level. There are eight rounds in total, including three regular levels and one boss level per round.


There is a secret game mode called "The Battle" that was never revealed in-game and can only be accessed using game guides. In this mode, the player starts with all power-ups, and the goal is to defeat indefinite enemies to get a high score. The password is 6565 to play as Wario.<ref>https://www.suppermariobroth.com/post/629981990257606656/wario-blast-featuring-bomberman-contains-an-extra</ref>
The game shares its objective with other ''Bomberman'' games. The player has to blow up between one to three opponent(s) via the use of bombs to advance, while they try to do the same to the player. The entire game is played from a top-down perspective. The player maneuvers around a grid-like playing field, setting off bombs to blow up unsuspecting enemies, and destroy [[block (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|block]]s to clear the way and to reveal occasional [[Normal Item]]s. The player wins by defeating the enemy [[Madbomber]]s (which take on the appearance of the character not chosen). Every level is played with a best-of-3 rule. If the player wins two times, they gain access to the next level. Failure to do so results in a [[Game Over]].


The game shares its objective with other ''Bomberman'' games. The player has to blow up between one to three opponent(s) via the use of bombs to advance, while they try to do the same to the player. The entire game has an eagle-eye perspective. The player maneuvers around a grid-like playing field, setting off bombs to blow up unsuspecting enemies, and destroy walls to clear the way and to reveal occasional power-ups. The player wins by defeating the enemy [[Madbomber]]s (which take on the appearance of the character not chosen). Every level is played with a best of 3 rule. If the player wins two times they gain access to the next level. Failure to do so results in a [[Game Over]].
When playing the game on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] with a [[Super Game Boy]], an additional multiplayer mode for up to four players is available, known as the Battle Mode.<ref>''"Of course, what would a Bomberman game be without a Battle Mode?"'' &mdash; ''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' North American instruction booklet, pages 4 and 5.</ref> In this mode, two or more players are able to play against each other, with up to four players being supported using the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System#Super Multitap|Super Multitap]].


When playing the game on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] with a [[Super Game Boy]], an additional multiplayer mode for up to four players is available. In this mode, multiple people are able to play against each other. The additional two players on top of the default two players that a SNES can support needs the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System#Super Multitap|Super Multitap]].
The game also contains a secret game mode called "[[The Battle]]" (not to be confused with the Battle Mode), available by entering the password 5656 on the title screen to play as Bomberman, or 6565 to play as Wario. In this mode, the player starts with all power-ups, and the goal is to defeat endless waves of opponents to obtain a high score.
{{br|left}}
{{br|left}}


==Bosses==
==Bosses==
At the end of each world, the player faces a boss. A certain strategy is required for each of them. The following list uses the names from ''[[Nintendo Power]]''{{'}}s coverage from the game in ''Volume 67'', with the exception of Pukupuku and Gururin Knight, whose names come from the original game ''Bomberman GB''.<ref>[http://www.hudson.co.jp/gamenavi/gamedb/softinfo/bomcole/Gb.html ''Bomberman GB'' (part of ''Bomberman Collection'') at Hudson's Japanese website]</ref>
At the end of each round, the player faces a boss that requires a strategy. The first five bosses drop a [[Special Item (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Special Item]] upon defeat.
*World 1: [[Cup King]]
*Round 1: [[Cup King]]
*World 2: [[Top Man]]
*Round 2: [[Top Man]]
*World 3: [[T-Bear]]
*Round 3: [[T-Bear]]
*World 4: [[P-Flower]]
*Round 4: [[P-Flower]]
*World 5: [[Thunder Cloud (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Thunder Cloud]]
*Round 5: [[Thunder Cloud (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Thunder Cloud]]
*World 6: [[Pukupuku (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Pukupuku]]
*Round 6: [[Pukupuku (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Pukupuku]]
*World 7: [[Gururin Knight]]
*Round 7: [[Gururin Knight]]
*World 8: [[Mad-Bomber]]
*Round 8: [[Mad-Bomber]]


==Staff==
==Staff==
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==Development==
==Development==
[[Mario]] was first considered as protagonist of the game, but there were concerns that having him use bombs to defeat his enemies would be out-of-character<ref name="noribomber">[https://twitter.com/nori_bomber/status/1365848274960146432 nori_bomber (Norio Obuko) on Twitter] (February 27, 2021), ''Twitter''. Retrieved February 28, 2021 ([https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1365874820395589638 English translation by PushDustIn]</ref>. The development team pondered which [[Nintendo]] character who could feasibly use a bomb as a weapon and not be injured by its blast, eventually settling on [[Wario]]<ref name="noribomber"></ref>. Even though Wario was a new character at the time, Nintendo sent the developers a list of approved and forbidden actions for the characters, which designer Norio Obuko likened to the approval process for using {{wp|Disney}} characters in term of strictness<ref name="noribomber"></ref>.
''Bomberman GB'' was originally known as ''{{fandom|Bomberman|Bomber Boy}} 2'' during development.<ref name=bomber>nori_bomber (November 20, 2021). [https://twitter.com/nori_bomber/status/1462247400672690176 Tweet by Norio Ohkubo]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved September 2, 2023.</ref> It was demonstrated at Summer {{wp|Consumer Electronics Show|CES}} 94 as ''Bomberman'', and reportedly involved the title character stopping a new enemy named Mad Bomber from causing destruction in a location called Big City.<ref>''Club Nintendo'' (Chile) Año 3 No. 10, [https://archive.org/details/ClubNintendo26Ano03N10Chile/page/n21/mode/2up page 20.]</ref>
 
While ''Bomberman GB'' was getting ready for a Western release, [[Nintendo]] approached [[Hudson Soft|Hudson]] about doing a [[Mario]] collaboration.<ref name=ohbuko>nori_bomber (August 18, 2023). [https://twitter.com/nori_bomber/status/1692744409488765431 Tweet by Norio Ohkubo]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved September 2, 2023.</ref> Concerns about [[Bomberman]]'s overseas popularity prompted the idea to replace the main character.<ref>nori_bomber (March 21, 2023). [https://twitter.com/nori_bomber/status/1638034407692058624 Tweet by Norio Ohkubo]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved September 2, 2023.</ref> Mario was considered as the protagonist at first, but there were concerns that having him use [[bomb]]s to defeat his enemies would be out-of-character and off-brand.<ref name=nori>nori_bomber (February 27, 2021). [https://twitter.com/nori_bomber/status/1365848274960146432 Tweets by Norio Ohkubo]. ''Twitter''. Retrieved February 28, 2021 ([https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1365874820395589638 English translation by PushDustIn]).</ref> The development team suggested [[Wario]], who had his own games on the market, and since it was insisted to keep Bomberman, the game became a crossover.<ref name=ohbuko/> Even though Wario was a new character at the time, Nintendo sent the developers a list of approved and forbidden actions for the characters, which designer Norio Ohkubo likened to the approval process for using {{wp|Disney}} characters in term of strictness.<ref name=nori/>


==References in later games==
==References in later games==
''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' is not directly referenced in later games, but it began a trend in Nintendo spin-offs that associates Wario with [[Bomb (object)|bombs]]. Technically, bombs having any relevance to Wario first appeared in ''[[Wario's Woods]]'', but in this game, they are solely used against him. Beginning in ''[[Mario Party]]'', Wario has an association with [[Bob-omb]]s as his home stage, [[Wario's Battle Canyon]], features the landscape of a canyon wrought with explosions from a war between Bob-ombs and [[Bob-omb Buddy|Bob-omb Buddies]], which Wario appears to be manipulating out of greed. In ''[[Mario Party 3]]'', Wario's association with [[Bob-omb]]s continues, as one is his default partner in the game's duel mode. In ''[[Mario Tennis]]'', Bob-ombs line the walls in Wario's home stage, [[Wario Court]], as well as his joint venture with Waluigi, [[Wario & Waluigi Court]]. In ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', Wario's special item is the Bob-omb. In ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', Wario is one of the two characters who has a Bob-omb themed minigame in the [[Rec Room]]. In ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]'', Wario's home stage [[Wario Factory (Mario Hoops 3-on-3)|Wario Factory]] has several Bob-ombs (ones larger than the Bob-omb one gets as an item) that appear as stage-exclusive hazards for the players. In ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', Wario hits a bomb in addition to a baseball as his special move. In the ''[[Club Nintendo (magazine)|Club Nintendo]]'' comics, Wario is the owner of a bomb shop. Lastly, the timer and logo for the minigames in the ''[[WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' games is a bomb called the [[Bomb (WarioWare series)|Bomb]], with Wario's mustache on it.
''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'' is not directly referenced in later games, but it began a trend in [[Nintendo]] spin-offs that associates [[Wario]] with [[bomb]]s. Technically, bombs having any relevance to Wario first appeared in ''[[Wario's Woods]]'', but in this game, they are solely used against him. Beginning in ''[[Mario Party]]'', Wario has an association with [[Bob-omb]]s as his home stage, [[Wario's Battle Canyon]], features the landscape of a canyon wrought with explosions from a war between Bob-ombs and [[Bob-omb Buddy|Bob-omb Buddies]], which Wario appears to be manipulating out of greed. In ''[[Mario Party 3]]'', Wario's association with Bob-ombs continues, as one is his default partner in the game's duel mode. In ''[[Mario Tennis]]'', Bob-ombs line the walls in Wario's home stage, [[Wario Court]], as well as his joint venture with [[Waluigi]], [[Wario & Waluigi Court]]. In ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', Wario's special item is the Bob-omb. In ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', Wario is one of the two characters who has a Bob-omb themed minigame in the [[Rec Room]]. In ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]'', Wario's home stage [[Wario Factory (Mario Hoops 3-on-3)|Wario Factory]] has several Bob-ombs (ones larger than the Bob-omb one gets as an item) that appear as stage-exclusive hazards for the players. In ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', Wario hits a bomb in addition to a baseball as his special move. In the ''[[Club Nintendo (magazine)|Club Nintendo]]'' comics, Wario is the owner of a bomb shop. Lastly, the timer and logo for the minigames in the ''[[WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' games is a [[bomb (WarioWare series)|bomb]] with Wario's mustache on it.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
===Artwork===
;''Bomberman GB''
<gallery>
<gallery>
BombermanWB.png|[[Madbomber]]
Black Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Madbomber|Bombermen]]
Mad Bomber Wario Blast.png|[[Mad-Bomber]]
Moto Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Bomberman]] riding [[Moto]]
Normal Item Bomberman GB.jpg|Bomberman using [[Normal Item]]s
Special Item Bomberman GB.jpg|Bomberman using [[Special Item (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Special Item]]s
Cup King Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Cup King]]
Top Man Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Top Man]]
T Bear Bomberman GB.jpg|[[T-Bear]]
P Flower Bomberman GB.jpg|[[P-Flower]]
Thunder Cloud Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Thunder Cloud (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Thunder Cloud]]
Pukupuku Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Pukupuku (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Pukupuku]]
Gururin Knight Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Gururin Knight]]
Death Bomber Bomberman GB.jpg|[[Mad-Bomber]]
</gallery>
;''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!''
<gallery>
Kicks Wario Blast.png|[[Kicks]]
Dashin Wario Blast.png|[[Dashin]]
The Trouncer Wario Blast.png|[[The Trouncer]]
Liner Wario Blast.png|[[Liner]]
Moto Wario Blast.png|[[Moto]]
</gallery>
</gallery>


===Sprites===
===Sprites===
;''Bomberman GB'' / ''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!''
<gallery>
Teacup'n.png|[[Cup King]]
Komabē.PNG|[[Top Man]]
Fūwan.PNG|[[T-Bear]]
Mad Flower.PNG|[[P-Flower]]
Inapikarin.PNG|[[Thunder Cloud (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Thunder Cloud]]
Pukupuku.PNG|[[Pukupuku (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Pukupuku]]
Gururin Knight.PNG|[[Gururin Knight]]
DeathBomber.png|[[Mad-Bomber]]
WarioBlastMadBombers.png|[[Madbomber|Bombermen]]
Explosion Expander Wario Blast.png|[[Explosion Expander]]
Extra Bomb Wario Blast.png|[[Extra Bomb]]
Skull Wario Blast.png|[[Skull (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Skull]]
</gallery>
;''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!''
<gallery>
<gallery>
Teacup'n.png
WBFBWarioSprite.png|[[Wario]]
Komabē.PNG
WBFBWarioStartRoundSprite.png|Wario
Fūwan.PNG
WBFBWarioPlayerSelectSprite.png|Wario
Mad Flower.PNG
WBFBWarioBossRoundSprite.png|Wario
Inapikarin.PNG
WBFBWarioRoundCountSprite.png|Wario
Pukupuku.PNG
Gururin Knight.PNG
DeathBomber.png
WBFBWarioSprite.png
WBFBWarioStartRoundSprite.png
WarioBlastMadBombers.png
</gallery>
</gallery>


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<gallery>
<gallery>
WBFB Title Screen.png|Title screen
WBFB Title Screen.png|Title screen
WBFB The Battle Game Mode.gif|The "The Battle" game mode
WBFB The Battle Game Mode.gif|"[[The Battle]]" game mode
Planetbomber.png
Normal Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Normal Zone]]
Warp Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Warp Zone (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!)|Warp Zone]]
Arrow Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Arrow Zone]]
Fire Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Fire Zone]]
Coma Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Coma Zone]]
Ice Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Ice Zone]]
Burn Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Burn Zone]]
Power Zone Wario Blast.png|[[Power Zone]]
Wario Blast Featuring Bomberman Game Over.png|[[Game Over]] ([[Wario]])
</gallery>
</gallery>


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</gallery>
</gallery>


==Media==
==Names in other languages==
{{more media|section=yes}}
 
==Name in other languages==
{{foreign names
{{foreign names
|Jap=ボンバーマンGB
|Jap=ボンバーマン{{ruby|GB|ジービー}}
|JapR=Bonbāman Gēmu Bōi
|JapR=Bonbāman Jībī
|JapM=Bomberman GB
|JapM=Bomberman GB; "GB" can stand for "Game Boy" or "Great Battle"<ref name=bomber/>
|Spa=
|SpaM=
|SpaA=
|SpaAM=
|SpaE=
|SpaEM=
|Fra=
|FraM=
|FraA=
|FraAM=
|FraE=
|FraEM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|Ger=
|GerM=
|Ita=
|ItaM=
|Por=
|PorM=
|Rus=
|RusR=
|RusM=
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|Chi=
|ChiR=
|ChiM=
|Rom=
|RomM=
}}
}}


Line 133: Line 142:


{{WBFB}}
{{WBFB}}
{{WarioGames}}
{{Wario games}}
{{GB}}
{{GB}}
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]

Latest revision as of 19:34, March 25, 2024

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Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!
The game cover of Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!
North American box art
Developer Hudson Soft
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Game Boy
Release date Japan August 10, 1994
USA November 1994[1] or December 1994[2]
Europe June 29, 1995
Australia June 29, 1995
Genre Action
Rating(s)
ESRB:K-A - Kids to Adults
Mode(s) Single player, 1-4 players simultaneous (Super Game Boy only)
Media
Game Boy:
Game Pak
Input
Game Boy:

Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! is a crossover game between the Wario franchise and Hudson Soft's Bomberman series that was released in 1994 and 1995 in North America and Europe, respectively. The game is a reskinned version of Bomberman GB, which was released in Japan in August 1994. The Wario series theme was exclusively added to Western releases. Aside from Wario's presence, the game is mostly unchanged and plays like other Bomberman titles. The Bomberman GB released in the West is actually the Japanese Bomberman GB 2.

The player takes the role of either Wario or Bomberman and fights against up to three copies of the other character. Wario's goal is to rob Bomberland, while Bomberman's is to protect it. In every round, the player has to defeat the enemies by strategically placing bombs, while the enemies are able to do the same.

Story[edit]

Title screen, as played on Super Game Boy.

Story from the instruction booklet[3]

WARIO INVADES THE LAND OF THE MADBOMBERS!

Wario, in his constant search for new lands to conquer and trea-
sures to gain, has found the extra-dimensional portal
that links his world with the one that Bomberman
inhabits. Thinking that the Madbombers will make a
nice addition to his legions of mindless minions (as
well as a new source of funds for his nefarious
schemes), Wario steps through the gate... and soon
finds that the Madbombers are not quite the dim-wit-
ted flunkies he originally thought them to be!
The ending cutscene

After completing the game, regardless of which character the player chose, Bomberman rides a motorcycle across a canyon. Wario appears, also on a motorcycle, and the two chase each other back and forth indefinitely until the player resets the game.

Gameplay[edit]

WarioBlast.png

The player can choose to play as either Wario or Bomberman, but this does not change any aspects of gameplay, other than reversing the passwords for each level. There are eight rounds in total, including three regular levels and one boss level per round.

The game shares its objective with other Bomberman games. The player has to blow up between one to three opponent(s) via the use of bombs to advance, while they try to do the same to the player. The entire game is played from a top-down perspective. The player maneuvers around a grid-like playing field, setting off bombs to blow up unsuspecting enemies, and destroy blocks to clear the way and to reveal occasional Normal Items. The player wins by defeating the enemy Madbombers (which take on the appearance of the character not chosen). Every level is played with a best-of-3 rule. If the player wins two times, they gain access to the next level. Failure to do so results in a Game Over.

When playing the game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with a Super Game Boy, an additional multiplayer mode for up to four players is available, known as the Battle Mode.[4] In this mode, two or more players are able to play against each other, with up to four players being supported using the Super Multitap.

The game also contains a secret game mode called "The Battle" (not to be confused with the Battle Mode), available by entering the password 5656 on the title screen to play as Bomberman, or 6565 to play as Wario. In this mode, the player starts with all power-ups, and the goal is to defeat endless waves of opponents to obtain a high score.

Bosses[edit]

At the end of each round, the player faces a boss that requires a strategy. The first five bosses drop a Special Item upon defeat.

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! staff

Development[edit]

Bomberman GB was originally known as Bomber Boy 2 during development.[5] It was demonstrated at Summer CES 94 as Bomberman, and reportedly involved the title character stopping a new enemy named Mad Bomber from causing destruction in a location called Big City.[6]

While Bomberman GB was getting ready for a Western release, Nintendo approached Hudson about doing a Mario collaboration.[7] Concerns about Bomberman's overseas popularity prompted the idea to replace the main character.[8] Mario was considered as the protagonist at first, but there were concerns that having him use bombs to defeat his enemies would be out-of-character and off-brand.[9] The development team suggested Wario, who had his own games on the market, and since it was insisted to keep Bomberman, the game became a crossover.[7] Even though Wario was a new character at the time, Nintendo sent the developers a list of approved and forbidden actions for the characters, which designer Norio Ohkubo likened to the approval process for using Disney characters in term of strictness.[9]

References in later games[edit]

Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! is not directly referenced in later games, but it began a trend in Nintendo spin-offs that associates Wario with bombs. Technically, bombs having any relevance to Wario first appeared in Wario's Woods, but in this game, they are solely used against him. Beginning in Mario Party, Wario has an association with Bob-ombs as his home stage, Wario's Battle Canyon, features the landscape of a canyon wrought with explosions from a war between Bob-ombs and Bob-omb Buddies, which Wario appears to be manipulating out of greed. In Mario Party 3, Wario's association with Bob-ombs continues, as one is his default partner in the game's duel mode. In Mario Tennis, Bob-ombs line the walls in Wario's home stage, Wario Court, as well as his joint venture with Waluigi, Wario & Waluigi Court. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Wario's special item is the Bob-omb. In Super Mario 64 DS, Wario is one of the two characters who has a Bob-omb themed minigame in the Rec Room. In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Wario's home stage Wario Factory has several Bob-ombs (ones larger than the Bob-omb one gets as an item) that appear as stage-exclusive hazards for the players. In Mario Super Sluggers, Wario hits a bomb in addition to a baseball as his special move. In the Club Nintendo comics, Wario is the owner of a bomb shop. Lastly, the timer and logo for the minigames in the WarioWare games is a bomb with Wario's mustache on it.

Gallery[edit]

Artwork[edit]

Bomberman GB
Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!

Sprites[edit]

Bomberman GB / Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!
Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!

Screenshots[edit]

Miscellaneous[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ボンバーマンGBジービー
Bonbāman Jībī
Bomberman GB; "GB" can stand for "Game Boy" or "Great Battle"[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nintendo Game Boy (original) Games release chart. Archived October 3, 2008.
  2. ^ Nintendo Power Volume 67, page 106. Bomberman Shrine scan.
  3. ^ Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! North American instruction booklet, page 4.
  4. ^ "Of course, what would a Bomberman game be without a Battle Mode?"Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! North American instruction booklet, pages 4 and 5.
  5. ^ a b nori_bomber (November 20, 2021). Tweet by Norio Ohkubo. Twitter. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Club Nintendo (Chile) Año 3 No. 10, page 20.
  7. ^ a b nori_bomber (August 18, 2023). Tweet by Norio Ohkubo. Twitter. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  8. ^ nori_bomber (March 21, 2023). Tweet by Norio Ohkubo. Twitter. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b nori_bomber (February 27, 2021). Tweets by Norio Ohkubo. Twitter. Retrieved February 28, 2021 (English translation by PushDustIn).