While Bomberman Hero was distantly different to Bomberman 64, being developed as a separate project entirely, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack is a direct sequel. What’s surprising, then, is that this possibly has less in common with Bomberman 64 than Bomberman Hero, making it much more like the classic Bomberman Gameplay.

One key thing that helps bring back the feeling of the originals is that the bombs once again explode in their distinctive “plus” shape, making it much easier to judge the shape and distance of how they’re exploding. The camera is also stationary (no stuff annoyingly hidden out of view), with a top-down perspective.

As you defeat bosses, you’ll also gain more types of bombs which have different effects. Ice bombs will freeze enemies, while wind bombs can be used to help Bomberman cross paths. These are used for both combat and puzzles.

Joining Bomberman on his journey is Pommy, a small, round creature. He can stun enemies and can be used for puzzles. Unfortunately, unless you have a second controller, he does what he wants, so the few times you need him to stand on switches for puzzles, it’s a massive pain to get him to remain on them long enough.

The puzzles overall aren’t too bad, with some stretching across multiple rooms. What turns them into a massive chore, however, is how enemies respawn as you re-enter rooms, and many doors get locked again until you dispose of them all.

It’s a decent game with some interesting worlds and characters, although I never got to the end of the game due to how the kick works – I had to create a path of ice platforms in lava, but couldn’t get the distance right, any kick would leave a gap. I also hadn’t found a throw power in the level, and really didn’t want to trawl the level (due to respawning enemies), hoping one would spawn somewhere. This ability and part really needed some fine-tuning.

Still, this is a big improvement over the first, and gives Bomberman his identity back.

Fun

This could have been an average platformer with an okay multiplayer, but it’s let down by frustrating gameplay and uninspired level design. Attempts to drag Bomberman into the 64-bit era have hit quite a few stumbling blocks, and perhaps it’s time for Hudson to admit defeat.

Alan Maddrell, N64 Magazine #45. Review Score: 52%

Remake or remaster?

It should still be in a Bomberman collection.

Official ways to get the game.

There’s no official way to get Bomberman 64: The Second Attack