Bomberman Hero (1998). Play online

Summary

I've always been fascinated by how Bomberman Hero flips the series on its head. Instead of the classic top‑down bomb‑dropping, the N64 entry lets you run, jump, and even glide with a life meter tracking your stamina. The game spreads over 14 areas on six planets, each packed with five to seven stages that shuffle you between icy caves, fiery cliffs and watery depths.

Special Power Gears transform the gameplay: the Bomber Copter lets me hover, the Marine takes me beneath the waves, the Jet sends me sprinting through rail‑shooters, and the Slider turns a snowy hill into a boardable slope. Bombs aren’t just explosives—ice bombs freeze foes into platforms, salt bombs are the only way to crack slugs, and remote bombs let me set traps from a distance. Scores matter, too; hitting the stage target earns points that stack into medals, and a gold streak unlocks a hidden bonus room packed with extra lives and gems.

Jun Chikuma’s drum‑and‑bass‑laden soundtrack sets a high‑energy tone that many fans still cite as the series’ most memorable music.

The title even earned the Player’s Choice label after selling over a million copies, despite the absence of a multiplayer mode that critics lamented.

Storyline

Bomberman Hero drops you into the war‑torn world of Primus Star, where the Garaden Empire has seized Princess Millian and stolen a secret data disk. After her robot servant Pibot crash‑lands on Planet Bomber, Bomberman learns of the kidnapping and vows to rescue her. The adventure spans four planets—Planet Bomber, Primus Star, Kanatia Star and Mazone Star—each ending with a showdown against one of the Four Devils of Garaden and a mysterious soldier named Nitros who constantly shadows the hero.

On Mazone Star the princess, revealed to be Natia, the last member of the Big Four, tricks Bomberman into handing over the disks, which she sends to the Garaden base. Nitros then uses them to resurrect Bagular, the Empire’s fallen leader. After freeing the real Princess Millian, Bomberman defeats Bagular as the star self‑destructs, escapes, and returns to Primus Star for a hero’s reward.

If every level is cleared perfectly and all Adok bombs are collected, a secret boss called Evil Bomber appears on Gossick Star, seeking revenge. Defeating him earns Bomberman a final congratulation from Millian and the Black Bombers as they fly home.