Bomberman Spin-Off Bombergirl Coming To Arcades
By Rob Gordon 12 February 2017
Konami reveals a new anime-style spin-off to Bomberman for the arcades, with Bombergirl replacing the family fun of the original with some slightly more adult content.
Many fans of the Bomberman series of games were excited to see snippets of what seemed to be a brand new Bomberman game in some of the Nintendo Switch trailers. This was eventually revealed by Konami to be Super Bomberman R, but this is far from the only Bomberman-themed game to be in the works from the publisher. In fact, Konami is also working on a spin-off title of sorts called Bombergirl, which is currently being planned for an arcade release.
News about this new Bomberman spin-off was revealed by Konami at the Japan Amusement Expo (as shared by Polygon). This arcade title gives players control over one of four characters: “Shiro, the bomber; Momoko, the blocker; Oren, the high-speed attacker; and Emera, the long-range shooter,” although there are apparently up to 15 characters planned for the title. The characters can level up during a match and then gain special attacks.
KONAMIの新作アーケードゲーム「ボンバーガール」！ビジネスデーのステージでは対戦実況でゲームの魅力をお伝えします！ #JAEPO2017 #ボンバーガール pic.twitter.com/8IXMGqeroF
— KONAMI コナミ公式 (@KONAMI573ch) February 10, 2017
So far, so good for the game. However, there is one part of this spin-off that very much takes a left turn away from its roots as a Bomberman title. At the end of each of the 4v4 matches, losing players do not just see a game over screen. Instead, the clothes of the Bombergirl character chosen will shred, giving the title a little more of an adult vibe than other games from the franchise.
Just how long-time Bomberman fans will react to this news remains to be seen, but no doubt many will be relieved that further Bomberman games are in the mind of Konami at all. The once-beloved character has seen a drop-off in releases over recent years, with the pain of the heavily criticized Bomberman: Act Zero still stuck in the memory of many. Of course, whether a game about multiplayer explosive-themed fun was the best choice to get an adult anime-themed spin-off is a question that only time will tell.
Konami has often thrown curveballs when it comes to spin-offs of its most popular franchises. The likes of Silent Hill and Castlevania have been on the receiving end of themed pachinko machines, with the Metal Gear Solid 3 pachinko machine in particular drawing lots of hate from fans of the series. In comparison to these pachinko releases, Bombergirl seems relatively tame as far as bizarre spin-offs go.
Whether Bombergirl makes it out of arcades, or even sees a release outside of Japan, will no doubt rest on its success upon release. Should the game be successful, then perhaps Konami would consider branching out even further with the Bomberman brand. However, it’s unlikely that Bomberman will ever get its own gritty Netflix series like Castlevania – for better or worse.
