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Super Bomberman 5 (SFC)

Most Super Nintendo owners know about the first two Super Bomberman games on the SNES. But what some don’t know is that the series went up to a whopping five. 3 was released in Europe and Japan while parts 4 and 5 were exclusively released in Japan only. Tonight let’s look at the final Bomberman game on the SNES. It’s the fifth one, and yes, it sure does Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers proud!

They just keep coming and coming... — They just keep coming and coming…

REGULAR MODE

The 1-2 player mode is not shabby, although we all know by now where the meat and potatoes of any Bomberman title is. Nonetheless, here’s a quick look.

You even get stages from the first game — Deja vu, hmm?

There is a time warp-related plot. Therefore, you’ll see stages from the original SNES classic. A nice nod back to the glory days of yesteryear.

Another nice feature, at the end of each stage you’re given 3 exit points. Each one takes you to a completely different level. Sometimes you’ll select the one that takes you to the very next level. Other times you may select a stage that jumps ahead. You never know and it makes the game less linear, for sure.

Oops, no skipping — Aw shucks, no skipping

And as you might notice, some of these stages are pulled right from previous Super Bomberman titles. I told you there was a time warping element to this game. It’s nice to see some of the old stages from the previous games. A nice fan service if nothing else.

But to TRULY complete the game you have to beat all the stages. Your reward is unlocking a bonus character… a golden bomber!

The first boss is rather annoying and hard. Unlike previous titles where you tackle giant machines, here the bosses are much smaller, quicker and more devious. This one drops a stealth bomb that is invisible until you step over it. Even worse, once the bomb is revealed you have only about a second to get out of the way before it detonates. I have to admit, while the boss fights are more challenging than ever before, I do miss the massive monstrosities of years past.

With that said, let’s get to what makes any Bomberman title shine.

BATTLE ZONE ONE

The essential “plain” stage. A must have for any Bomberman game. A place where no gimmicks reside and no excuses can be forged. A pure and classic battlefield.

BATTLE ZONE TWO

One of my favorite gimmicks, the conveyor belt sends bombs (and bombers) down the line accordingly. I really like the look of this stage.

BATTLE ZONE THREE

My all-time favorite gimmick: the tunnel or roof stage. Here we have lovely treetops to obscure the playing field. These Bomberman games have never been about impressive visuals, but I do think it’s never looked better. A given, considering it’s the fifth and final game on the system.

BATTLE ZONE FOUR

Not my favorite kind, as it’s a little too gimmicky for my tastes. The field is mostly dark except for a bouncing spotlight. Definitely grounds for excuses galore…

BATTLE ZONE FIVE

The speed stage where players move REALLY fast. Not one of my favorites, but it’s a change of pace field, pardon the pun, for sure.

BATTLE ZONE SIX

I like this one a lot. It appeared in Super Bomberman 3 and must have been so popular because it’s back. This stage has a few interesting gimmicks. Bombs that explode under the makeshift igloos will send the top sky high. Not to mention there is slight stealth bombing capacity here. Not as severe as in battle zone three, but the potential is there (which is nice). Secondly, there are portions of the field where the ice cracks, leaving a hole in its wake. You of course cannot cross these holes. Finally, that big snowball up top rolls once you blow it up. Get the hell out of its way!

BATTLE ZONE SEVEN

It’s the arrow stage. I typically enjoy the arrow gimmick, but have to admit the look of this stage is a bit of a letdown. It just doesn’t look very pleasing to the eye.

BATTLE ZONE EIGHT

A trolley lays in the middle. You can ride it and knock out the blocks in its way. Cool stuff. You also can’t die when riding the trolley, but be careful of the landing spot. You may land right into an explosion, or you might even get stuck between two blocks. Assess the situation properly and decide whether it’s worth a ride or not.

BATTLE ZONE NINE

Those special knobs there will switch occasionally and possibly block you out. Not one of my favorites, but it’s adequate.

BATTLE ZONE TEN

Remember this stage from Super Bomberman 2? It’s back. Everyone is powered up from the get go and there are no blocks. An ultimate battle of the supreme.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTES

The classic hand glove is an awesome power-up. If you can find one early on when there are still a lot of blocks on the screen, you can easily kill off some rivals.

Speaking of killed opponents, not only is there an option to bomb from the outside once you’re killed, but if you manage to kill someone on the field the two of you will switch places. It’s a nice choice to have and adds new intensity to the mad bomber option.

When the timer expires, blocks drop to the very bitter end. No longer do they close off just a portion of the field, now they drop until they’ve claimed every last life possible. This often becomes a war of attrition. If you have an animal friend and your opponent does not, this works highly in your favor. I like that animal friend there as it can jump over flames. The poor green guy stands no chance!

If you haven’t noticed by now, up to five bombers can play in this game. Starting with Super Bomberman 3, players went from 4 to 5. It’s nice in case you have four friends visiting rather than three.

That is a hovering homing bomb. Which means it isn’t affected by the conveyor belt. How many times have you said to yourself it would be nice if my bombs didn’t move along the conveyor belt? Now, with this special bomb, you can do just that. Also, it has a built-in homing device. If an opponent goes near it, it will follow that person for a bit before detonating. It’s quite effective.

They truly are. They blow PAST blocks. So watch out or else…

In the trolley battle zone, watch out that you don’t trap yourself between two blocks. You’ll be a sitting duck if so!

A password screen is present. There are several codes that affects the game. For example, the codes 4622, 0413 and 0926 change the layouts of the levels. Observe.

Pretty dang cool, huh? It should be noted that Super Bomberman 3 and Super Bomberman 4 also had passwords to unlock varying layouts of their battle zones as well. Therefore it’s not like Super Bomberman 5 was the first to do so, but that doesn’t make it any less useful. Talk about expanding longevity when the replay value was already high to begin with!

This controller executes a special cheat!

Speaking of awesome, if you own Hudson’s Super Joy Card controller pad, you can use it to activate three hidden bonus battle zones! Now how sick is that? To do so, move the blue X button over and on the title screen hold X for about 6 seconds. A sound will confirm on success. These are the same stages found on the gold cartridge — a limited edition release of Super Bomberman 5. You can find gold cartridge editions on eBay for over hundreds and hundreds of dollars. So to play the extra bonus stages you can either plop down a couple Benjamins or pay about $20 for Hudson’s Super Joy Card. Yeah, I know which option I went for. Not to mention the Super Joy Card is an awesome controller.

Either that or plop $400 for this — Either that or drop $400 for this…

Let’s take a quick look at the three bonus battle zones.

BATTLE ZONE ELEVEN

There are 18 loops surrounding the stage. Go to one and you’ll be redirected randomly to any of the other 17.

BATTLE ZONE TWELVE

Combines a conveyor belt along with tunnels. Gotta love it.

BATTLE ZONE THIRTEEN

Combines a trolley with warp holes. Ride the trolley and appear randomly at another warp hole. Interesting gimmick mash-up!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

I love the Bomberman games. You really can’t go wrong with any of the five on the Super Nintendo. I still prefer the original out of all of them, but between parts 3, 4 and 5, I have to give the slight nod to Super Bomberman 5. I like the fact that it combines certain stages from the four previous titles. It isn’t quite a “remix” but at times it does feel like one. As if they took the best from the previous games and added in some new things for the fifth outing on SNES. So if you had to get only one Super Bomberman title that never came out in the US, make it the fifth one. Although, why not get 3 and 4 too if you can. It might be overkill, but for me at least you can never have too much Bomberman.

Spark World (SFC)

Look, it's Bombercar — Look, it’s *Bombercar*

When I was searching for information on Spark World on the internet back in 2006, it (pardon the pun) shocked me there was nothing. Sure the game’s highly unoriginal, but it’s pretty good regardless, so I thought I’d find SOMETHING on it. I wasn’t expecting to find a full blown write up, but at least a blurb in a “Recommend me some good Super Famicom games” topic. There was nothing to be found. It’s sadly another case of an obscurity left lurking in the shadows. That’s a shame, so tonight let’s shine the spotlight on this little gem.

If Battle Cross was like Super Mario Kart meets Super Bomberman, with emphasis on the former, then Spark World is the same — only with the emphasis placed on the latter.

The story goes as follows:

In a distant world where intelligent cars rule, a shady casino operator who is actually a drug dealer casts his shadow over the alleys and streets. Two young cop cars, Beat and Barts, decide to take matters into their own hands (so to speak) when they learn that the police department is riddled with corruption by the syndicate boss. The intrepid pair must set off to points around the globe and blow up enemies by detonating fuel barrels. If you’re not in the mood to save the world you can always play against 3 friends (or computer controlled opponents in the battle mode).

The story mode allows you to select any one of nine stages. Each stage has three zones with the fourth being the boss. 4-character passwords are given after each stage.

A look at some of the levels from the 1-player mode:

Train boss! — The Terror Train is boss #1

The classic themes are represented: jungle, river, ice, desert, etc. Each theme, as you can guess, is guarded by a boss.

The meat of the game, like Bomberman, is the battle mode with 12 selectable stages. Any combination of 2-4 players can play, and CPU AI is selectable from 1-9. You can set CPU 1 AI level nine, CPU 2 AI five and CPU 3 AI one if you so choose. Very user friendly.

And of course, by blowing blocks sky high, you reveal items that can either help or hinder. Longer sparks, more bombs dropped at a time, jelly bombs (I told you this game was highly unoriginal…), a boxing glove (though instead of punching bombs you punch the opponents — sweet), and so forth.

? marks are a HUGE gamble. If you get the bad side of it, a grim reaper appears over your head with a 30 second countdown. When it reaches 0, whoever has the icon dies. Luckily, you can transfer it to anyone you touch, and it can be passed back and forth until the timer reaches 0. It’s a riot making the switch to someone with 1 second to go! *evil laughter*

There are no dinosaurs or animals here, but each player can sustain two hits.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the battle zones.

BATTLE ZONE ONE

Basic plain classic stage where pure skills reign supreme.

BATTLE ZONE TWO

At first glance one might assume the arrows indicate where bombs go, but rather than completely ripping off Bomberman, the arrows actually indicate where YOU can go. Similar to the boxing glove, it’s this slight gimmick twist that goes a long way.

BATTLE ZONE THREE

Red button = no pass. Blue = OK. The colors switch occasionally and shrewd timing is the key to surviving and creating traps.

BATTLE ZONE FOUR

I thought my SNES broke when I first played this zone. You’re moved automatically! Challenging zone indeed.

BATTLE ZONE FIVE

When the sides are bombed, the doors on the floor open up. Get called up to the big house if you fall through!

BATTLE ZONE SIX

Ahh, the classic stage with 4 exit points. I love the look here. Unfortunately, the sparks will NOT go through the exit points, unlike Bomberman. Shame, but oh well.

BATTLE ZONE SEVEN

I love this stage’s design and gimmick. Once the boulder is free it’ll roll around the stage. Sparks influence its direction. Don’t let it crush you! There’s nothing better than blasting the giant rock right through your friend!

BATTLE ZONE EIGHT

Ahhh, the classic conveyor belt stage. I also love the look here.

Note: battle zones 9-12 (not pictured) all have crazy gimmicks (i.e. gun placed in the middle, mega bombs, etc.) but they all use the same stage design.

VICTRY!

Somebody got fired... — Somebody got fired…

You can set match victory to 1-5 matches much like Bomberman. The victory screen is a hoot… what the hell is victry? Whoops!

KNOW THY ENEMY

Yellow car screwed for round 2 — Yellow is so screwed for round 2

While Spark World is a rip-off through and through, it does have a sweet feature that draws the battle lines in the sand quite emphatically. At the end of a round the game lets you know who your “rival” is. That way you know exactly who to target specifically the following round. It gets wild and loony when one car kills all 3 of his or her opponents. You can form a temporary brotherhood and go after that rival the following round. Makes for some good times for sure.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Damn, blue. You killin' it, son! — Damn, blue. You killin’ it, son!

So yeah, Spark World is a blatant Super Bomberman clone. But bloody hell if it ain’t a blast (sorry). There’s enough of a difference to make it more than a decent alternative. For example, I love that you can sustain two hits. It makes the battles last longer and gives you a chance at redemption rather than a one and done. Sure you can ride animals in the Bomberman titles but honestly I never liked them too much. Felt a little too gimmicky to me, personally. I also like that the boxing glove allows you to punch your opponents rather than punch fuel barrels. I mean, c’mon, does it really get any better than that?! Also, the arrows in battle zone two indicate where YOU can move, rather than your fuel barrels. It’s these slightly unique twists that add up to a slightly refreshing take. But my favorite thing might be that rival screen. Sure, you usually know full well who killed you, but that shot emphatically draws the battle line in the sand for the following round.

Of course it’s not better than the Super Bomberman titles but as far as clones go, this is an admirable and very solid effort. If you love these party games, definitely pick up Spark World. When the sparks get long the battles get really intense. It’s neat also how the spark color indicates who dropped the bomb(s). It’s just a fun game that I’m still playing even 10+ years later after buying it in 2006. Yet another unheralded semi-gem from the fascinating world of Super Famicom!

Sanrio World Smash Ball! (SFC)

More fun than it has any right to be... — Surprisingly more fun than one might first think

Sanrio World Smash Ball! is not only amazingly competent, it’s amazingly addicting and fun. You might say it’s a smash, or a ball. Sorry. Back in the early-mid ’90s many popular franchises outside of video games had its own game at some point. These often resulted in forgettable platformers. Sanrio Smash not only attempted something with a hint of originality, but it succeeded at delivering a quality product, which cannot be said for many licensed video games of the time.

A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

May 19, 2005, is a day I’ll never forget. It was on this day that my friend and I caught the premier of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. It was a pretty good return to form — it didn’t touch the greatness of the original trilogy but was a far cry from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

But I recall that day fondly for another reason as well. It was the day I was unofficially hired by Sanrio.

I had an hour to kill before showtime, so I decided to scour the mall. It was quickly approaching the end of my Spring 2005 semester. I was 22 and looking for a summer job. Walking by Sanrio on this particular day I couldn’t help but notice a sign posted on the window.

HELP WANTED.

And then for the first time in my life, I voluntarily walked into a Sanrio store. There was a cute young girl at the counter, probably 19 or 20 years old.

“I’d like an application.”

She looked at me like I was joking. When she realized I wasn’t, she gave me one.

I went outside and filled out the application on a bench. 5 minutes later, I placed the application on the counter. She looked up to see it was me again. Cat got her tongue for a second. Finally, she said:

“There hasn’t been a male employee here in five years…”

I grinned, and then in a surreptitiously confident manner, uttered the words that I knew won me the job then and there.

“I guess the odds are against me then.”

The reaction on her face was priceless. I walked out on that note, leaving her hanging.

Two days later they called me in for an interview. I nailed it and was hired on the spot. My first shift, the mall was packed like a sardine can, and they assigned me to take care of the Wheel Game where I ask customers to pay two dollars to spin for a mystery prize. 3 (most common and cheapest prizes), 2, 1 and Grand Prize were marked on the wheel, so everyone wins something.

Every Saturday I stood there and was the "wheel man" — Every Saturday I stood there and was the “wheel man”

Before I went to it one of my coworkers came over and told me to limit the Grand Prize winners. “But if they land on it, how can I change that?” I asked. Then she showed me a little knob on the back of the contraption. When twisted, you could get JUST enough on it to move the arrow indicator one space forward.

That afternoon a couple kids did land on the Grand Prize, and I never once manipulated the knob. This one’s for the little guys — LITERALLY!

For the next 7 months I was a salesclerk there. On the weekends I took charge of the Wheel Game because the boss said I made more money on it than the girls ever did, or could. I had the magic touch. Being the only male had it ups and downs, of course. I walked the ladies to their cars whenever I closed. I always answered the phone, because random guys would call and be creeps. Imagine their surprise when I picked up. On the downside, prices were ridiculous and I had to sell overpriced crap I didn’t care for to would-be consumers. After a while, that sort of wears you out. All in all though, it was a memorable experience.

So when I got back into the Super Nintendo roughly a year after working at Sanrio, I discovered there was a Super Famicom game based upon Sanrio. It looked a bit like Windjammers – I was completely sold.

Classic Neo Geo favorite — A cult classic Neo Geo favorite

Sanrio Smash was actually released July 1993 though, while Windjammers came out February 1994. So you can’t call it a Windjammers clone. Instead call it a perfect blend between Pong and Breakout.

Weighing in at a HEFTY and whoppin’ TWO megs, Sanrio Smash is the smallest game on the SNES, tied with Mr. Do! and Space Invaders. Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean, both 48 megs, are 24 times bigger than Sanrio Smash. Thankfully, size doesn’t matter [Yeah, is that what she said? -Ed.]. As you can see, the visuals are serviceable enough.

It’s a simple and fun 2 player game. I know the cutesy nature may turn off some but don’t let that fool you. Sanrio Smash is an addictive and competitive game with many different level layouts. There are also power-ups inside blocks. For example one will instantly eliminate all the blocks protecting the opposition’s goal line, making him ripe for the pickings.

Some stages have X marks, which serve as a restriction line. There are some stages though that allow you the ability to go where you please.

As you progress the design gets crazier. Here’s one of my favorites void of those annoying X marks. The seesaw continuously rotates, affecting both players’ strategy on the fly.

Aside from your standard left and right swats there’s a super shot. By holding a button you’ll charge up a power bar. When full, pressing X enables your power shot, sending the disc flying straight ahead at 250 miles per hour. Your guy will swing his arms twice in a circular motion, so it’s possible to hit the disc twice in succession if it bounces off a block and comes right back to you. The bar will only fill up when you’re standing still and holding a button. It can be re-filled as many times as you wish.

Using my super shot, the first hit connects and breaks a block. It immediately ricochets back to me before my super shot animation expires, allowing for a second hit. And this time around, my opponent has no answer.

Some of the stage designs are very unique. There’s a 1-player mode, password option and 2-player mode. In 2-player mode you have 20 stages to pick from, and 4 Sanrio characters. Some of the stage gimmicks are pretty cool, like this pinball-inspired layout.

As the disc is making its rounds, you’d be wise to power up… watch.

Now powered up, my possessed looking frog friend is free to advance upward, ready to unleash hell on that poor boy.

With the boy cornered and a chink in his armor, one power shot is all that’s left…

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Sanrio Smash is loads of fun, and a great modern update on Pong. There aren’t too many games like this on the SNES, which makes it noteworthy. When you factor in that it’s really good too, you have a nice little gem well worth having in your library. Note: the game has no music during gameplay (hey, it’s 2 megs after all). It’s just the sound of the disc being hit back and forth. Just pop in your favorite CD — problem solved!

I’ve yet to meet anyone who has played this and didn’t like it. In other words, it has quite a few fans and I suspect you’ll enjoy it too, if you can look past its license. It’d be a shame to dismiss this game based solely on that.

On a final note, if you like this, I also recommend checking out Pop’n Smash. It’s very similar and a decent companion piece to Sanrio Smash. It’s clearly a clone as it came out April 1994 (nine months after Sanrio Smash). It doesn’t play as well, but I really enjoyed that one, too. Can’t go wrong with either or better yet, both!

Super Play dropping some TRUTH! — Super Play Magazine dropping some TRUTH! Yeah, I said it…

Pop’n Smash (SFC)

A tennis title with dogs? Err... — A tennis title with dogs? Err…

Well, it’s not quite tennis, but it’s close. Pop’n Smash can best be described as a cross between Pong and Breakout. Or, since it came out 9 months later, it might be easiest to call it a Sanrio World Smash Ball! clone. But a darn fine one it is.

Heisei Inu Monogatari Bow: Pop’n Smash, to give it its full name, is based on canine Bow (who resembles Spuds MacKenzie), star of a popular manga and anime series. Spuds was famous for her Super Bowl ’87 commercial, by the way.

Ah, Bow and Spuds has more than a passing resemblance. Socks the Cat? Give me Spuds MacKenzie, damnit!

It controls and plays very much like Sanrio Smash, right down to the charging bar power shot (which can also hit the ball twice in succession under the right circumstances). Talk about shameless!

TOOL TIME

So, what’s different? This game has more options. In Sanrio 2-player mode you have a choice of four characters and 20 stages. Here you have six characters and 30 stages. There are even 9 different tools to choose, ranging from mallets to baseball bats to brooms to even, a branch! I haven’t been able to discern if these various tools have pros and cons or if they’re just cosmetic, but nonetheless variety is the spice of life.

The 1-player version is limited to a choice of 4 tools (as seen above). Here, Bow opts for the twig over the tennis racket… I mean, wouldn’t you too? A no-brainer!

(SANRIO) SMASH VS. (POP’N) SMASH

Even the power-ups here are similar to those found in Sanrio Smash. One eliminates all blocks protecting the opposition’s goal line. Another instantly gives you full power. But there’s at least one different icon: the bomb. You’re frozen in place for a good 4, 5 seconds if it touches you, leaving you mighty vulnerable and unable to protect your goal line. Pretty cool.

You can also dive to make amazing last second saves and stops. Slide north, south, east or west by pressing Y and the appropriate direction. Good stuff I say. Sanrio Smash didn’t have this.

Go through each character in 1-player mode, with the VS. screen showing the password on bottom much like Sanrio. Hmmmm.

X MARKS THE SPOT

Another big difference: more freedom to roam. Many stages are void of restrictive X marks, unlike Sanrio. There are some stages with restriction points, but most allow you to go anywhere. I only wish you could beat up the opponent as well — what great fun that would be! Sort of a Pong and beat ‘em up crossover, but alas, I’m digressing. C’mon, admit it, it would be sick if you could smack each other over the head with mallets and tennis rackets.

Sanrio World Smash Ball! has restrictive X marks. They prevent you from crossing over to your opponent’s side of the field. But Pop’n Smash allows for more of a wild free-for-all, which is a refreshing little change.

There’s also a “catch-as-many-butterflies-as-you-can-in-forty-seconds” mini game in the 1-player mode. It’s a nice break from the norm.

Sayaka displays the power shot. Unfortunately for her, it is most ill-timed. The ball will ricochet off the barrier and into her own goal line. D’oh!

Certain objects are breakable, like those pots up there. I like all these environmental objects and items that you can interact with.

Sayaka’s helpless expression as the ball sails just past her reach is too cute.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Pop’n Smash is a fun 2-player game and one of the many enjoyable Super Famicom-exclusive games that few folks ever talk about. Since it is a Sanrio Smash clone, it begs the question: which is better? Well, opinions will vary but here’s mine. I really enjoy the little touches in Pop’n Smash. The additional options it has over Sanrio Smash — one might assume gives it perhaps a stronger lifespan and thus the overall edge. But Sanrio Smash plays better. I can’t put my finger on it, but it just feels a little bit more polished than Pop’n Smash. So at the end of the day, I have to give the slight nod to Sanrio Smash, but it’s super close.

Both are really good though, and both are certainly worth having in your SNES collection. Although they’re similar, there’s just enough difference to warrant getting both. Both are great fun with a friend, and vastly underrated and unique titles.

Pop’n Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures (SFC)

It's the Pop'n Twinbee cast... in a platformer?! — It’s the *Pop’n Twinbee* cast… in a platformer?! Sure, why the hell not

Pop’n Twinbee is a SHMUP on the Super Famicom, but Konami originated the series in the arcade way back in 1985 (Twinbee). Pop’n Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures is an action platformer that feels like a trip on acid. It’s colorful, wild and a bit ridiculous. It’s also a hell lot of fun.

Select from TwinBee, WinBee or GwinBee. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses. There is a punch and jump meter, and the length of each one varies from character to character.

TwinBee attacks with a mallet, but only after you’ve collected the proper bell. His punch and jump meters are evenly balanced.

WinBee attacks with a lasso after procuring the proper bell. Her punch meter is long but her jump meter is super short, making her the ideal character for those who like to rack up frequent flyer miles.

GwinBee throws those rattles once you’ve nabbed the proper bell. He’s the opposite of WinBee — his jump meter is awfully long but his punch meter is extremely short.

So, what happens when the punch meter is fully charged? Well, this!

It can be shot in any one of eight directions. This mega shot allows you to break certain sections of the landscape that otherwise impedes your progress.

What about the jump meter… what happens when it’s fully charged? Well, this!

It zips you across the screen in your direction of choice (like the mega shot you can aim it in any one of eight directions). It also breaks barriers as such.

Gotta collect 'em all! — Gotta collect ‘em all!

Killing enemies and collecting the various colored bells is the name of the game. Each color grants you a different skill or power-up. Unfortunately whenever you take damage you lose all your bells, but just kill more enemies to recollect them.

Each of the three characters can shoot a gun when a blue bell is collected. This gives all of the characters a long range shot that can be fired at any time at will. Yes, they can fire the mega shot too but obviously there is a charge time for that. On the downside, the gun cannot break barriers. It also can only be shot straight ahead. It’s nice that the game gives you choices but each choice has its own pros and cons. I love it when games do that. Makes it feel very versatile!

You can do some crazy flying in this game, including soaring into the outer reaches of space as the game starts to highlight your kilometers in the air after a certain height. It gets pretty ridiculous!

You can also float in mid-air as you recharge your jump meter. Or you can cancel the float and descend as normal. Again, options and choices. This game excels at giving you that.

pop-n-twinbee-rainbow-bell-adventure-g-f1_00013 — Higher…

... and even higher — … and soaring even higher

Fly all over the place — you never know when you might crash through some breakable walls to discover “hidden” goodies!

Yeah, the mega shot and the gun is fun to use, but sometimes you just can’t beat smashing a bad guy over the head with a good old fashioned mallet. Good times.

To top off this fun little game, you have a password system to save your progress. There are also two 2-player modes. The first is a co-op mode that gets a little crazy. That’s because it’s easy to leave your partner behind when one of you decides to take flight. It’s nice to see Konami included this 2-player mode but truth be told it’s not the best co-op game in the world as it’s far too easy to get caught off-screen unless you and your friend are determined to stick together. The second mode is a battle mode. This is a split screen 3 minute war where both players are pitted against one another in a duel to the death. It’s an interesting option for sure as I can’t think of many SNES 2-player games that feature such a barbaric option. If you can think of another one, sound off in the comments. Hell, it’s possible this might in fact be the only one of its kind!

A shame this never came out to American shores — A shame this never came out to the good ol’ US of A

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Pop’n Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures is a fun and delightful action platformer. It’s easily one of Konami’s best SNES games never to hit the US. There was a PAL European release, however. The game has some quirky and entertaining gimmicks backing it, making it a unique experience in a world bloated with way too many hop and bop affairs. The visuals are so sugary sweet that you just might get a cavity just by looking at it. The sound is typical Konami goodness. And the gameplay is different, challenging enough and definitely loads of fun. You can’t go wrong with Rainbow Bell Adventures. Konami could do almost no wrong back in the mid ’90s, and this is simply another shining example of such.

Magical Pop’n (SFC)

If Zelda were made into a platformer... — If *Zelda* were made into a platformer…

Back in 2006, when I repurchased a Super Nintendo and began my SNES resurrection, there were three Super Famicom platformers I was insanely curious about. I referred to them as the Big Three. It was DoReMi Fantasy, Majyuuou (AKA King of Demons) and Magical Pop’n. I was blessed enough to find a loose cartridge copy for just $25 (September 18, 2006). The game as you can imagine currently commands an arm and a leg. Timing is everything, eh?

Magical Pop’n is a platformer with traits that are more or less reminiscent of timeless classics like Metroid, Zelda, Castlevania, Mega Man, etc. Your main weapon is a sword. Sub weapons, each requiring a certain amount of stars per use, are available as well.

Here’s a look at the game’s first two levels.

Sensing something foul in Denmark, your quest begins atop this roof on a dark, rainy night.

A stroke of lightning reveals in the distance endless and ominous-looking hills.

Escape the frightful weather by way of chimney. Unfortunately for you, danger aplenty still lurks.

A healthy boost sends you sky high to the next floor.

As you navigate the mansion you uncover creepy dungeons.

Your first mid-boss encounter comes with this occult heathen.

After the mid-boss tangle, this dirty little goblin attempts to impede your expedition.

Level two takes place in the woods… on the surface, at least…

Where have I seen those before... — Wait, I’ve seen you before…

Our heroine enters a dank cave filled with critters of all shapes and sizes.

To meet the mid-boss of the cave and claim your next sub weapon, you must cross this bit.

That's one big mid-boss — That’s one big mid-boss

Be careful when it spazzs out — Be careful when it freaks out

Now you may claim your Bionic Commando-like extension grappler. Therein lies the beauty of Magical Pop’n. Each new sub weapon allows our female protagonist added firepower in her quest.

The grappler can be used an unlimited amount of times as it eats up zero stars, but it’s strictly used for swinging purposes. It certainly adds a hint of Bionic Commando to the proceedings, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Fun, and tough — Not quite magical, but close

Magical Pop’n isn’t quite the 9+ out of 10 game I was hoping for, but it’s still very good. It presents a fairly decent challenge to boot. The game features six stages. Unfortunately there is no save/password system. Fortunately there is a debug menu cheat code that negates this. Pause the game and press Up, Down, X, Y, Left, Right, A, B, Up, Up. Unpause the game and it will activate the debug menu where you can tinker with lives, stars, the almighty God mode and a very handy level select. Gotta love codes like such! They go a long way in enhancing my enjoyment of a game as well as increase longevity.

Of the Big Three, DoReMi Fantasy is light years ahead, but I’d rank Magical Pop’n a respectable second place and Majyuuou a very close third. Having said that, Magical Pop’n is a fine platformer that conjures memories of classic franchises. It never reaches the level of greatness as those classic games, but coming from an obscure developer who only has four titles to their name (Polestar), this is an admirable effort. It probably isn’t worth the insane amount it goes for, but it’s certainly a noteworthy and memorable Super Famicom-exclusive title. Just don’t expect it to be the best thing since sliced bread.

Ghost Chaser Densei (SFC)

Flips, fists and fun — The best SNES beat ‘em up that never left Japan

The beat ‘em up genre is one of my all-time favorites. There’s something pure and satisfying about walking along, smashing bad guys and looking really macho while doing it. The SNES received its fair share of solid beat ‘em ups. To name just a few, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time, King of Dragons and Final Fight 3. But the best Super Famicom brawler to never leave Japan is hands down Ghost Chaser Densei. If you enjoy the genre and own a Super Nintendo, there’s really no excuse not to have this in your collection.

It all began when I saw EGM previewing it — It all began when I saw EGM’s preview back in the day

On a side note, it’s funny — the preview mentions ghosts and spirits and the title has “ghost” in it, yet the game is seriously lacking any sort of ghoulish atmosphere. No biggie, but worth mentioning. I would have liked to seen a more macabre setting or tone.

Select from 1 of 3 characters — the well-balanced male, the strong robot or the quick token female. In most of these games I prefer the strong dude, but the main guy here is actually quite a hoot. What makes Ghost Chaser Densei different is the power meter system. Below your energy bar is another bar that depletes any time you perform a special move. But your health meter is not compromised in exchange! I wish more games from this genre would use this feature.

The power meter slowly regenerates, but if you stand still you strike this pose here and the power meter recharges at quite an alarming rate. So, if you ever wished that a beat ‘em up would allow you to do 360° spinning specials without penalizing your health, you will LOVE Ghost Chaser Densei. Some may call this system cheap, I call it lots of fun! Plus, there are MULTIPLE special moves at your disposal, giving this game far more range than others from the genre.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Here’s his running special… a deadly chain attack!

It culminates in this lovely and devastating uppercut swing!

In a grapple? With Mr. Roboto you can either do a regular jumping pile driver or hit “R” for his special move — it really shocks the competition.

In a tight pinch? Merely hit “R” for the swing-around special! As long as your special meter has some juice, you’re good to go! Your health won’t be reduced.

The main character is the best choice. Knee ‘em twice, flip over and german suplex their ass! Streets of Rage you say? Hey, I never said the game was ORIGINAL — just loads of fun!

It has the potential to connect multiple times, charring the victims to a crisp!

How many beat ‘em ups do you know that has blocking? This game’s got the lot!

THE BAD GUYS

Some roll out in eggs before hatching. One breed emits electricity. Fairly tough bastards they are. Hmmm, I’m starting to detect a real serious Street Fighter II vibe now…

These tough blokes are, as you might guess, the Andore of Ghost Chaser Densei.

The sweeping Hurricane Kick shows 'em who's boss — The sweeping hurricane kick shows who’s boss

War knights are nimble and hardened warriors trained to maim. Nothing that the flame kick can’t take care of, though!

Some enemy entrances are memorable, like the eggs and this fella here.

And of course, you have your low tier chaps and the ol’ token female.

Nothing beats a good ol’ knife to the shin.

Bonus round. Don't nail the civilians! — Bonus round. Don’t nail the civilians!

THE BOSSES

The good news? The first boss isn’t much difficult at all. The bad news? It becomes a regular enemy after stage one. Rats.

Hell of a trident ya got there — Nice trident ya got there

Uh, let's move on... — Uhhh, let’s move on…

Now there's two of them. Great — Now there’s two of them. Just great…

There's a small bit of Japanese but no biggie — There is a small bit of Japanese but no biggie

Hey, this *was* the mid '90s after all — Hey, this *was* the mid ’90s after all

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Nothing like cleaning a city of its thugs and goons

Ghost Chaser Densei is a top-notch beat ‘em up. Sure, it’s quite derivative in many ways: enemies, stages, the heroes, etc. But there are touches that help make it stand out. This includes the separate special move meter, the ability to block, and yes, even tag team special moves! Hell, when you’re knocked down, you even kip-up and take out whoever is in your way! Now that’s cool. It’s a shame that this game is still somewhat obscure within the SNES community. The move set is larger than the average beat ‘em up which makes it a blast to play. Definitely worth buying! After all, sometimes you’re just in the mood for a brawler from the halcyon days.

Mickey & Donald: Magical Adventure 3 (SFC)

If you liked Magical Quest... — Capcom ends the trilogy with a bang

Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse received much fanfare for its smooth gameplay, beautiful graphics and polished feel during the Super Nintendo’s infancy. It was yet another Capcom smash. In ’94 the sequel The Great Circus Mystery added a 2-player mode with Minnie. The next year gamers in Japan were graced by the last in the trilogy — MICKEY & DONALD: MAGICAL ADVENTURE 3.

Today we examine the game that sadly never was in the US (though Capcom ported the trilogy to GBA in 2005).

If you liked the first two, this will be no different. You still get suits with different abilities as you advance through the game, it still employs the snatch-a-block-out-of-the-air-and-toss-it-at-the-baddie system, and it’s still all quite easy. A password system is included to make your life even easier. Animation, as always, is top-notch.

You won’t find anything new here, but perhaps that’s just as well.

Lights emanating from book: usually a bad thing — Never trust a book that lights up

The intro shows Mickey visiting Donald. Huey, Dewey and Louie, being bored, venture upstairs to the attic. There they find an ancient book, and, well, curiosity killed the cat, er, duck?

[What am I paying you again? Oh, that’s right. Nothing -Ed.]

Oh for Pete's sake... — Oh for Pete’s sake…

And so you’re off with the choice of Mickey or Donald in the 1 player game, or 2 player game if you have a friend on hand. Mickey and Donald have different suits which is a plus. There are 7 stages, with multiple levels in each. Here’s a quick peek:

STAGE ONE

Looks-wise, not much has changed from the original in 1993… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, ne?

The two blocks up top can be pulled an unlimited number of times.

Use your knight suit to eliminate the first boss, which shows off the system’s Mode 7.

STAGE TWO

Donald displays the power of this particular garment.

The poor chap hasn’t grown into it quite yet!

STAGE THREE

Mid-boss is “dying” to meet you. Sorry.

STAGE FOUR

This costume packs a mean wallop!

STAGE FIVE

The wavy blocks are a nice touch. The bubbles allow Mickey to catch his breath… so don’t stray far away from one!

STAGE SIX

I guess it’s a platforming rule to have at least one ice / snow level eh?

Sheesh, talk about getting cold feet! — Boy, talk about getting cold feet!

And you wonder why he carries such a big hammer…

STAGE SEVEN

This is just the opening, and already things are heating up!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you enjoyed Magical Quest, then you’ll like this one, too. The sequel, The Great Circus Mystery, was a tad disappointing, but this game delivers the goods. I like that Mickey and Donald have different suits with different powers. The visuals are lush and gorgeous. Typical Capcom quality soundtrack. And of course, the gameplay is super polished and fun, especially with a friend at the helm. It’s a shame this game never came out to American shores, but it’s understandable considering it came out in Japan December 1995 (a time where the 32-bit era was beginning its dominance of the market and 16-bit machines were quickly fading away). Thankfully, there isn’t much Japanese text to worry about here, and it’s completely playable without an ounce of Japanese knowledge. I still prefer Magical Quest but this is the sequel The Great Circus Mystery should have been.

In the simplest layman terms, it’s Mickey. It’s Capcom. It’s Mickey BY Capcom. It’s damn good.

Super Bomberman Panic Bomber World (SFC)

Bomberman meets Puyo Puyo — *Bomberman* meets *Puyo Puyo*

The Bomberman franchise is one of the most beloved series of all time. Especially when you’re talking about multiplayer gaming series. Almost everyone knows about those games. But what not many may be aware of is this puzzle rendition of the franchise. And I’m happy to say it’s pretty damn good. Hell, it even features a 4-player mode because, BOMBERMAN!

3 pieces drop at a time. The goal is to match 3 in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal).

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 once you’ve filled up your power bar, you receive the almighty 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 Thing.

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:

The green guys wipe out... — The green guys wipe out…

.... And the whites follow suit — … And the whites follow suit

To create huge chain reactions you have to set yourself up. Here’s a 3-hit combo. Notice I’ve stocked up on red and green. Not to mention some white…

Green connects horizontally... — Green connects horizontally…

Not only do the greens connect horizontally but diagonally as well for a sweet 6 piece combo. It drops the stack of 3 reds…

Look at all the reds... — Look at all the reds…

Let’s see — 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!

But of course, being a Bomberman game, what good would it be without a 4-player mode?

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, puzzle style.

And like any classic Bomberman 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 1 Player side. (The most I’ve done so far was 5).

Drop the green on green... — Drop the green on green…

... they fade, dropping the blue piece... — … it drops the blue piece…

... which diagonally connects... — … which diagonally connects…

... dropping a stack with a green... — … dropping a stack with a green…

... to complete the 3-hit chain — … to complete the 3-hit chain

Of course, when you chain together combos you can cause much grief to your rival opponent(s).

In the 1 player mode after beating your opponents you get a password.

Speaking of the passwords, there are some cheat codes to alter the visuals.

Why? Why not. Little touches like these are always welcomed in my book.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Super Bomberman Panic Bomber World is a fun puzzle game that is more than a cheap cash-in. It’s more than a lame gimmick to milk a popular franchise name. It’s a game I would happily pull off my shelf to play, and in fact, I often do. It takes the classic formula and spins it well within the world of a puzzle game. True, there’s nothing ground breaking here, but it’s solid through and through. Even the classic Bomberman tune is replicated nicely here, and it fits very well with the puzzle madness.

By far the standout feature here is the 4-player mode. The only other 4-player puzzle game on the SNES that I can think of is Super Tetris 3. It’s definitely a novelty that’s worth experiencing at least once. Perhaps it won’t ever supplant your regular Bomberman 4-player battles, but it’s definitely an entertaining and competitive good time. Panic Bomber – you alright!

Super Genjin 2 (SFC)

"It-sa me, Bonk!" Er, wait a second... — *“It-sa me, Bonk!”* Er, wait a second…

My brother and I owned an 8-bit Nintendo and Sega Genesis growing up. As such, we got to enjoy such mascot platformers as Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog. Well, I remember seeing Bonk’s Adventure on the Turbo Grafx 16 (or PC Engine if you will) and wanting to badly play it, but alas, the system back in those days was something of a semi-mythical beast. You rarely ever saw it in stores other than once in a blue moon, and you hardly knew anyone who had it. It was, on a smaller scale, somewhat similar to the Neo Geo. As such, I figured I would never get to play a Bonk game ever, with emulation not being a thing back then.

Bonk's Adventure (1989) — *Bonk’s Adventure* (1989)

Bonk's Revenge (1991) — *Bonk’s Revenge* (1991)

But lo and behold, in the early ’90s my bro and I were graced with a Super Nintendo. Gaming had evolved for us, but still in the back of my mind I never forgot my bald little caveman. After all, you can’t talk about evolution without starting at the beginning. I have always had a bit of a fetish for the caveman sub-genre, anyway, and Bonk was probably the reason why. Anyway, fast forward to 1994 and what do I see in GameFan Magazine? Super Bonk coming out for the Super Nintendo? What madness is this?! It blew my mind that a Turbo Grafx 16 mascot was jumping ship to Nintendo’s 16-bit machine.

Long story short, I finally played Super Bonk earlier this year (2016) after being curious about it for roughly 22 years since seeing it featured in the pages of GameFan Magazine. It, quite frankly, fell short of my expectations. Still a decent platformer, mind, but nothing like I had hoped. Alas, there was the Super Famicom exclusive sequel, Super Genjin 2, still waiting for me to finally play. I had heard in years past that it was a much better game. I’m happy to say I completely concur.

But then -- TANK BONK?! — But then — TANK BONK?!

Right away you can see they have captured the zany, goofy spirit of the Bonk games with this intro alone. It only gets weirder from this point on. Super Bonk was plenty quirky enough for an American SNES game, but Super Genjin 2 being only released in Japan, it didn’t hold back on the weirdness!

There is an in-game map, but unlike Super Mario World, you can’t backtrack.

Like he’s always done, Bonk demolishes his enemies by smashing them with his noggin. He can either do this standing or jumping. You get hurt if you simply jump on enemies, which does make it slightly tougher. Speaking of which, don’t expect precise control like in the Mario games. Although Bonk controls a little better here than he does in his first Super Nintendo outing, I wouldn’t call moving him around “super crisp.” It just takes some getting used to.

Just like previous Bonk games, there are icons scattered throughout that when collected will transform Bonk accordingly. Here is one such example, which allows the little guy to leave a trail of flames in his wake. Unfortunately, take one hit and it’s back to regular Bonk.

The game, visually, is stunningly impressive. Released in mid 1995, it’s got a simple but striking look all the same. It’s a major graphical improvement to the first SNES game. There are lots of different locales which add to the fun of the game. From graveyards to forests to even the wild west, each new level presents a slightly new look.

By timing your noggin smasher properly, Bonk can bounce off the surface of water, making for some neat transitions. More importantly, it makes you look like a really skilled player. Guaranteed to impress your special lady friend. Or guy friend. Or simply, yourself [You like playing with yourself, huh -Ed.]

Ah, the advantage of having a hard head. Also, Bonk can bounce off walls to bring himself back up to the surface. The timing of this technique is much more forgiving than it was in Super Metroid. But not quite as easy as Ninja Gaiden. Somewhere in the middle, then.

Never know what's inside... — Never know what’s inside…

That's it? I was expecting more — That’s it? I was expecting more

Don't let it cut too many pieces — Don’t let it cut too many pieces

Enemies get tougher later on — Later enemies get a lot tougher

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Wait, why are we on SNES? — Much improved over *Super Bonk*

Super Genjin 2 is everything a sequel should be. Bigger and better. Although speaking of bigger, the sprites here are actually smaller than the sprites in Super Bonk, which is a GOOD thing. The sprites for Super Bonk were so big that it made playing the game not nearly as fun as it could have been. I like the smaller sprites here. The game features a password system after each world you conquer. It’s not a long game by any means but I always appreciate a nice, clean password system. That’s another thing that Super Bonk lacked.

The power ups are fun and range from turning Bonk into a worm to a thief that can throw the smiley faces as projectiles. The visuals are much improved over the first SNES game and there isn’t much Japanese text to contend with, although there is an English translation for those who want to experience it in full. The game is full of weirdness and is a delight to explore. It’s definitely one of the system’s better platformers, particularly when talking about those that came out exclusively for the Super Famicom. This is everything Super Bonk should have been in the first place. The controls do take some getting used to, but for a gaming experience that is truly bonkers, look no further than Super Genjin 2.