BOMBER KING
( Robo Warrior )
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ボンバーキング
超シリーズVOL.1
©1987 Hudson Soft
Release: 1987-08-07 (¥5500)
Cartridge HFC-BX
Action/Puzzle game
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Released in America as
ROBO WARRIOR
( NES-RR-USA )
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Released in Europe as
ROBO WARRIOR
( NES-RR-XXX )
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Bomber King (aka Robo Warrior) is an action/puzzle game by
Hudson Soft that can be best described as a conceptual spin-off of
the venerable Bomberman. The prosperous planet Altile
(aka 'Altair') has remained at peace for centuries, but in 2036 AD,
a mysterious and extra-dimensional entity invaded the peaceful world and
turned it into a barren wasteland. The player takes control of Naito
(aka 'Night', 'Z-type Earth Defence' or 'ZED'), an
android sent to stop the invasion and keep aliens from taking over the planet.
Naito must explore eight large areas on Altile, all subdivided
into several zones called 'Periods'. Each period only requires
the player to find a key and an exit door in order to successfully complete
it. However, they are conveniently hidden from view and this is where the
weapon system comes into play. The robot is equipped with bombs and a blaster
gun - although the latter is rather limited and mainly used to take down
enemies, the powerful bombs explode after a short period of time and are
designed to clear parts of the playfield (such as bushes or pillars), thus
revealing hidden items (such as the key). But, of course, there is a catch and
Night instantly receives extensive damage if he gets caught within a
bomb's blast radius. Bombs also come in limited quantities and the player
needs to constantly refill his bomb bag by either killing enemies or by
revealing special icons hidden within the playfield. Additionally, the android
comes with a limited amount of batteries - each battery provides a small
amount of energy which gradually, and inexorably, depletes. Thankfully,
Naito can use or store a myriad of items - Standard items
(such as Bombs, Extra Energy, Score Items or Keys)
are instantly activated, whereas Select Items (such as Energy Tanks,
Missiles, Super Speed, Candles/Lamps, Super Bombs)
must be manually activated in the inventory screen (available by pressing
select). Although the goal of each Period is to locate a key and
the exit door, some levels feature different challenges, item shops, treasure rooms
and a multitude of other secrets.
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Bomber King was first released for the Famicom (version tested here)
and for the Japanese MSX (1988). The game was later released to the North
American market by Jaleco under the title 'Robo Warrior' - this
localized version is slightly easier, thanks to a more balanced health/energy
system (bombs, for instance, inflict less damage). A sequel called
Bomber King Scenario 2 was then released in 1991 for the Gameboy
in Japan - however, Hudson Soft wasn't apparently involved in the game's
development at all, and this sequel was entirely done by SunSoft.
Additionally, SunSoft released the game in the west, but they linked
it to another of their popular release -
Blaster Master.
Bomber King Scenario 2 was thus re-branded in the west as
Blaster Master Boy (in United States) and Blaster Master Jr.
(in Europe).
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Takeaki Kunimoto composed the original music of Bomber King. He also known for
writing the soundtrack for other Hudson Soft classics, such as
Hector '87,
Challenger,
Star Soldier,
Momotaro Densetsu or
Kato-chan & Ken-chan
(Hector '87 main
theme does indeed share a close resemblance with Bomber King's).
Interestingly, the Japanese version of Bomber King includes a Karaoke mode.
After the player visits any of the Item Shops in the game, a new option called Theme Song
appears on the title screen, right below Continue. This new option starts Bomber King's
main theme song and displays Japanese sing-along lyrics! Here is the original text and a rough
translation:
１．緑の大地は はるかな夢
希望の光を その身に受けて
豊かなアルタイルを とり戻すまで
ゆく手をはばむ者は そは何者ぞ
傷ついた 制御コンピュータ
はるかに遠い 夢を抱きつつ
ＧＯ ｆｏｒ ｂｒｅａｋ ｏｕｔ
ＧＯ ｆｏｒ ｂｒｅａｋ ｏｕｔ
ここはコリドー
駆け抜けろ 駆け破れ ナイト
２．輝きなくした この惑星（ほし）に
最後の望みを 灯すため
閉ざしたその扉は 大地の底に
システムプログラムに 起動をかけて
よみがえる 制御コンピュータ
緑が戻る 青きアルタイル
ＧＯ ｆｏｒ ｂｒｅａｋ ｏｕｔ
ＧＯ ｆｏｒ ｂｒｅａｋ ｏｕｔ
ここはコリドー
駆け抜けろ 駆け破れ ナイト
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1. The green Earth is now a distant dream
But there is a glimmer of hope
To help restore Altair to its former beauty
Someone is here to face the enemy
The control computer is down
what a distant dream
GO for break out
GO for break out
This is the corridor
Run through it, Night!
2. The planet has lost all of its brightness
Light the last remnant of hope
A closed door deep inside the Earth
Reboot the system program
Revive the control computer
Restore color to Altair
GO for break out
GO for break out
This is the corridor
Run through it, Night!
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This option was, of course, completely removed from the American and European
versions of the game. The song can be found in the Hudson Premium Audio Collection
music CD released in 2007 (which includes both a sung and instrumental versions). Additionally,
Woodsoft's Super Takahashi compilation CD released in 2003 also included a
remixed version (but without lyrics).
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Bomber King was released as the first episode of an Ultra Series (超シリーズ) - it is not
really clear as to why Hudson Soft decided to create such series though. The second
volume was Faxanadu (released in 1987) and the third, and final one, was
Momotaro Densetsu (1987).
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Teaser text copied from the American version:
You're Zed
Half man, Half Cyborg.
The one-man battalion with a human heart and a computer's brain.
Can you blast your way alone through
27 battle zones to liberate the desperate
people of the planet Atile from the evil
invader Xur?
Xur has sized the weather control
station; it's bitter cold, and the people have
fled underground.
He knows you've landed. No turning back.
You must recover an arsenal of 12
different weapons and 6 powers hidden
on Altile. Mageton bombs, life vests,
hyper missiles, super boots, cross-fires,
super bombs, energy capsules, life pods,
power balls...
Master each to save yourself from a
continuing barrage of 20 deadly enemies.
Wisps, Wanes, Tracers, Strinkers, Skraugs,
the Globula, Gholem, Viripides,
They're mean, they;re ugly and they're
after you.
Flying. Dive bombing. Writhing. Grabbing.
Find the keys, or you're locked in a
battle zone forever.
Find the hidden chalice and be saved
from eternal doom.
Hit the switch. This is war.
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Game Staff (Copied from the end credits) :
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This story is
known as
Legend of Altile
The planet
far from
the Earth
Original Story
Hiroshi Ohta
Produced by
Hudson Soft
M9 Team
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Director
Hiroshi Ohta
Game Designer
Tokuhiro Takemori
Programmer
Toshiyuki Sasagawa
Hiroyuki Okada
Character Designer
T. Yamamoto
Kouji Matsuura
Tomomi Wajima
Mio Kuwabara
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Music Composer
Uhei Inoh
Kinoko Kunimoto
Sound Designer
Toshiaki Takimoto
Development Adviser
Kenji Nakashima
Toshiharu Ura
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Special Thanks for
Motchi
Kinnoji
Lu Iwabuchi
Happy Matsunaga
Thanks For Playing
See You Again!
End
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G
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Japanese Guidebook
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Japanese Adventure Book
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O
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K
E
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Click on picture to enlarge |
S
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Bomber King is a very difficult game, and some levels require the player
to fulfil special conditions which are often virtually impossible to figure out.
So here are some tips to help you out with that.
Inventory Screen
Press select to open the inventory screen and activate items, such as
extra-batteries, candles and lamps.
Energy
The player's energy constantly depletes during gameplay, but there are a
couple of tips that might improve your success rate. Firtly, you can store
and use energy tanks from your inventory. Secondly, the android
regains all his energy at the end of a level, so don't waste an energy tank
before you leave a period.
Item Shops
Each period ends with a store. However, the store's primary
currency are actually Award Medals, items shaped like cans
and hidden throughout the game.
Statue Rooms (most periods)
Some blocks stand out more than others (especially in the uppermost wall),
and can be bombed. They usually give access to small treasure rooms featuring
stone statues. Although most of them contain items, some odd ones seal off the
remaining statues and prevent the player from finding any new items!
Power pools (1-1, 4-1, 8-1)
Small power pools are hidden in the game and double all the items in the player's
inventory. To access them, just bomb one of the surrounding blocks multiple times.
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Looping levels (1-1, 3-1, 5-1, 6-2, 6-3, 7-1)
These levels indefinitely loop and you must first find a chalice to lift this
dastardly curse.
Dark levels (2-2, 4-2, 6-3, 8-2)
These levels are pitch black and you must use the candle or the lamp
from your inventory in order to find your way around. Lamps truly are the
hardest items to find in the game and they can light an entire level indefinitely
(unlike the candle which creates a light circle around the player for a short period of time).
Staircases (most periods)
Various staircases are hidden throughout the game and give access to underground
tunnels packed with items. However, you have to use the candle or the lamps from your
inventory in order to find your way around.
Breakable blocks (most periods)
If the way is blocked, don't forget that some wall blocks are breakable and can
be bombed. Some breakable blocks stand out from the rest, but they don't later
in the game and they often have be bombed multiple times!
Bosses (3-3, 5-3, 6-4, 7-3, 7-5, 8-4, 8-5)
Boss encounters! Don't forget that your energy doesn't drain during boss battles.
Water (4-1, 4-2, 6-1)
You will need the waterproof item (symbolized by a lifebuoy) to
cross the various bodies of water featured in these levels.
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
O
V
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I was rather excited about Bomber King - I'm a huge fan of
Bomberman and I was looking forward to trying out this unlikely
spin off. And the first time I played
Bomber King, I instantly loved the music, the game's overall
setup and the atmosphere (although bombs have a bad habit to kill you
more often than your enemies). The bulk of the game is a combination
of exploration and action that certainly adds a nice twist to the
Bomberman formula. However, after a few minutes, you realize
that there is something inherently wrong with Bomber King...
the first level just loops round & round, your energy eventually
reaches zero and you die. What? After another equally unsuccessful
attempt, you start reading the instruction manual and realize that
things are not as straightforward as you may think... for instance,
in the first stage, you have to find a chalice in order to
prevent the level to loop indefinitely... This feels absurdly random
to me, and this is where the game completely falls apart in my
opinion. Your energy also constantly decreases and you have a finite
amount of bombs, both penalizing exploration initiatives which
are at the core of the gameplay! These flaws are present throughout
the entire game and make the whole experience more frustrating
than fun. Bomber King seems to belong to this group of
Famicom games with impossible to solve puzzles (based more
on luck than anything else) that require the purchase of a
guidebook. An adventure-style Bomberman would have been
great, but in reality Bomber King is just a missed
opportunity and it falls to the same curse that plagued other
games such as Milon's Secret Castle. Such a crying shame...
Bomber King is definitively a love-it or hate-it kind of deal.
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