Dynablaster

If you would start playing Dynablaster and begin thinking, 'Hey, this is a lot like Bomberman...' - well, you'd be correct. That is because it is Bomberman. Dynablaster is the name given to the European release of the game - god knows why as it's original title isn't much of a mouthful, to begin with, but I digress.

Dynablaster set the standards for many top-down action games and created a new perspective on party games. Not to mention this game is widely regarded as one of the first in the extensive Bomberman series. Let's delve back into this early classic and unravel just why it has been a foundation in future game development.

Dyna Away!

Like most classic games, the premise and objectives are quite simple. You, like Bomberman, must traverse your given screen to clear the maps of enemies - notably in the form of fire blobs. Dropping bombs like deuces all over the place, you will have to avoid getting burned by these little devils or letting the clock run down. Small brick blocks will always stand in your way - so you will strategically have to place your bombs to complete the task at hand.

Dynablaster is a game that's incredibly immersive from the visuals alone. A lot of effort has been put into the coloring with a cartoony art style making it accessible to every player. Not to mention the easy controls that allow you to learn the game very quickly and begin to progress through each stage. Completing each one is as satisfying as the next.

There's a little bit of a humorous backstory that includes the defeat of Dr. Mitsumori and his cronies to save Bomberman's daughter, Lisa - though it's not really relevant to the game. Your focus needs to be ridding of those damned fire blobs - which gets progressively more difficult as the game goes on.

It's a Blast!

Critics mutually agree that simple sometimes is the best answer. There's no mistaken that Dynablaster is one of those games that does the basic very well. The gameplay feels like an amalgamation of the best that arcade games have to offer. It's all wrapped in a neat package of refined mechanics and pretty pixelated visuals - and addictive as arcade games like Donkey Kong Jr.

Though there's not much variation, every stage of Dynablaster sets a tone of urgency to complete your task. With its progressive difficulty - the game never lets up in engagement either. Not to mention they affording multiplayer in this game, where hours of entertainment could be had by bringing a few friends around to have a hack at it.

Pros

• Great, colorful visuals for its time
• Well-refined and simple mechanics
• Sense of urgency makes the game fun

Cons

• Long game with repetitive stages
• Difficulty can get frustrating farther into the game