Super Bomberman R2 Coming to Tokyo Game Show 2022!

 

The 2022 Tokyo Gameshow is coming up and Konami wants the public to try Super Bomberman R2 out!

Announced during Nintendo's latest Direct: Partner Showcase, Konami rose out of the ashes of the now deceased Super Bomberman R Online to unveil their newest project: an outright sequel to 2018's Super Bomberman R. 

For a SUPER quick summary, following Konami's acquisition and eventual absorption of Hudson Soft back in 2017, they pretty much got their hands on all of their IPs, including the beloved Bomberman series. This occurred while the previous IP holder was hard at work on a 3ds title that sought to bring back the adventure formula (i.e, 64, Generation, Jetters), likely resulting in it's unfortunate cancellation. This wouldn't mark the end of the series, however, as the company would rather suddenly announce and release a successor of sorts to the earlier game: Super Bomberman R. This would, more or less, bring the series back into the spotlight and lead to an online variant, Super Bomberman R Online. 

From there on, it was a cavalcade of Japanese-exclusive products, awful marketing internationally, and lots of light controversy over gameplay choices and odd attempts at marketing. Off to the side, an odd team would come together to begin work on an ecchi-based variant, which we now know as Bombergirl. Word on the street has it that this is much better than anything R related (or am I just being biased?)

Anyway, here we are.

The game has a particular focus on building and protecting fortresses, as seen in the single and multiplayer campaigns.

In addition to your typical battle and versus modes, as well as the surprise return of R Online's "Battle64", the big new mode of this game is the "Castle" mode. In this, you, up against 15 other players, have to protect a fortress and the treasure at its core. You're tasked with setting traps and the likes to defend your goodies. To a light extent, you can find bits and pieces of this within the game's original story mode. It seems like the game wants to build up upon already established features instead of outright changing them. 

Going on to the story mode, it's stated that sometime after the events of the first R title that a new enemy pops up in search of an element called the Ellonite. Via their ship, the "Black Moon", they invade planets across the Starry Sky galaxy and loot whatever they can find. Their next target appears to be Planet Bomber, which I'm assuming will prompt the 8 Bomberman Brothers to head out and stop them!

In addition to your typical mazes and boss battles, you'll be met by more open maps where you can solve puzzles. Along the way, you will meet the Ellons- the elementally-based creatures who can help you during your adventure and are probably filling in for the soulless HIGE HIGE Bandits and fake Buggler.

Editorializing here for a second, I couldn't care less about the game in its current state. It looks a lot like what we've already played a few years ago and am really only covering this to keep you all updated. 

Both the feelings of myself and a few others may change in a few weeks- from Thursday, September 15th, to the 18th- with the Tokyo Game Show, where Konami intends to have a playable demo. This will come in both a public and private booth for the guests and press members, perspectively, to try out. According to a tweet posted on the official Japanese Bomberman Twitter account, they'll also have some goodies for folks to get their hands on. 

https://twitter.com/bomberman573/status/1564888532409151488?t=oB27XW-09LzFc_czwX96VA&s=19

Here are the bags in question:

This is all Konami hinting at an announcement for an IP 'loved around the world', too. This, alongside the debut of a new storefront containing a plethora of other titles, has some wondering just what all is in store for Bomberman and friends. 

Expect on the fly coverage of anything Super Bomberman R2 related and more here on the Bomberman Channel website/YouTube channel!