It’s been an exciting week for Bomberman fans, following the announcement of the series returning to Nintendo Switch this year with the former Stadia-exclusive Super Bomberman R Online, which pits 64 players against each other in an explosive battle royale. Unfortunately, it seems things didn’t pan out as positively for the mascot’s board game venture.
In 2019, IDW Games obtained the license for Super Bomberman R, which it used to work on a Bomberman board game. The game was set to launch in 2020, but according to a recent tweet by Sean McDonald at Tower Games, the project was cancelled.
Sad as the news may be, McDonald was at least kind enough to publicly share the prototype and run through the rules and features.
Behold, the rough prototype for the officially licensed Bomberman board game that was cancelled. Figured I’d at least show everyone. #bomberman #boardgames #konami #idw #videogames #boardgamenews pic.twitter.com/vAfM7QMJou
— Sean (@TowerGuardGames) March 19, 2021
According to McDonald, the “arena is modular and closes in on players after a certain amount of turns,” and players navigate it “like a rook in chess.” Along the path they move each turn, players can lay as many bombs as they’re carrying. Other features include “teleporters and cracks in the ground that become holes when blasted,” and players can also design their own arena.
There are two types of items: cards, which are readily available but one-time use (including “Bomb Kick, Bomb Punch, Power Glove, Wall/Bomb Pass, and Remote Detonate”); and tokens, which are permanent upgrades (including “Bomb Up, Fire Up and Speed Up”). When players have gone through the full deck of cards, the final card will initiate Sudden Death, causing the arena to shrink for a climactic finish. For more information, McDonald offers even more detail of the game in his lengthy tweet thread.
While the physical board game won’t see the light of day, McDonald responded positively when asked if there was any chance it could be converted into PC title Tabletop Simulator, so with any luck, fans may be able to experience the game virtually.
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
