Bomberman Blitz Review - Screenshot 1 of 2

Pretty much every platform in this gaming generation has had a downloadable Bomberman title. The DSi hadn't yet, so Hudson must've figured "Why the heck not?" and made yet another one.

As with all other downloadable (non-Virtual Console) Bomberman titles, this is strictly a multiplayer affair — there is no adventure mode, so the only thing you can play is the franchise's famous battle mode. The concept is still the same as ever: you're thrown into an arena with up to seven others and the objective is to blow up blocks to get upgrades for yourself and your bombs and blast your opponents.

Single player allows you to play with up to seven bots (of which you can set the skill level), while local multiplayer and Nintendo WiFi Connection allow you to play against other people. Disappointingly, the game's touted 8-player support is only available for local multiplayer — WiFi Connection games are limited to 4-player battles. To top that off, there is no Download Play game sharing support so all players need to download the game themselves. There's also a tutorial mode for beginners, but really, what more do you need to know than "plant bombs and blow others up?"

After Bomberman Blast, Live and Ultra (for WiiWare, XBLA and PSN, respectively), Blitz noticeably goes back to the basics — there are no alternate battle modes (such as Blast's "Countdown," "King" and "Air Raid") and only six of the most well-known powerups in the series (extra bombs, extra range, extra speed, spike bombs and the ability to kick and throw bombs) make appearances.

Bomberman Blitz Review - Screenshot 2 of 2

Thankfully, other features have not been cut down at all. There are 10 arenas, each with their own gimmick (such as trapdoors, conveyor belts or an extra high amount of items) and each match is fully customizable with a multitude of settings (match time, the amount of victories required, the ability to toggle "Revenge" mode, and many more). All arenas can also be played in Large and Small sizes; Large ones are spread across the DSi's two screens and allow you to walk between them. This tends to get rather annoying, however, as explosions also carry over to the other screen, meaning you have to keep an eye on both screens the whole time. This sounds easy, but in practice, it's almost impossible, especially with a full eight players running around.

The music is pretty disappointing. Just like in Blast, Hudson Soft has opted to use the rather forgettable music from Bomberman Generation, rather than the classic themes everybody knows and loves. The graphics are all completely 2D and look pretty good, if obviously not truly impressive. Bomberman himself still has his more recent "long-legged" design, which looks a bit weird in 2D, but it's nothing complaint-worthy.

Conclusion

For 500 DSi Points, there's no denying that those wanting a cheap, portable version of Bomberman's battle mode will love this. If you have no desire for portability and already own one of the many other games in the series, though, then it might be best to just forget this one, or wait for Bomberman Blast: Battlefest on WiiWare, which looks set to be everything Blast was and more.