Bomberman has always been one of those series that quietly defined multiplayer in the 16-bit era. Long before online lobbies, battle passes, or even analogue sticks, it was Bomberman that taught us the joy of local chaos: four players, one screen, and friendships tested by a single misplaced bomb.
So the announcement of Super Bomberman Collection — revealed during February’s Nintendo Direct and now confirmed for physical release by Red Art Games and Konami — feels like a proper nod to that legacy, rather than just another digital compilation quietly dropped on a storefront.
What’s in the Super Bomberman Collection?
Due out this August on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, Super Bomberman Collection bundles seven games spanning the Super Nintendo and Famicom eras. But the headline feature isn’t just the quantity — it’s the fact that Super Bomberman 4 and Super Bomberman 5 are finally playable in English for the first time.
For anyone who grew up with the PAL or US SNES libraries, those two games were long-standing curiosities. We knew they existed, we’d seen screenshots in import magazines, but they remained frustratingly out of reach unless you were willing to navigate Japanese menus or import hardware. This collection finally closes that gap.
The five SNES-era titles — Super Bomberman 1 through 5 — are joined by Bomberman and Bomberman II from the Famicom, giving a neat view of how the series evolved from its simpler beginnings into the more feature-rich, multiplayer-focused games many of us remember. It’s a sensible selection, and one that avoids the usual padding with lesser spin-offs.
How is this collection different to the originals or grabbing the ROM online?
Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Fortunately, Red Art Games’ internal studio has added various reasons to buy this collection, adding a new Boss Rush Mode, letting players time-attack bosses across the games, alongside modern quality-of-life features like save states and rewind. If you’re a Bomberman purist, you can ignore them; the rest of us can quietly appreciate not having to replay entire stages after one bad explosion.
There’s also a gallery mode, music player, and even a virtual unboxing feature, which feels pretty on-brand for a release that’s leaning hard into physical nostalgia. In fact, Red Art Games has gone a step further by scanning the original 1990s animation cels used for the box art and manuals, using them across the physical editions.
Nice!
Inevitable special editions for physical collectors!
Speaking of physical editions, there’s plenty of choice, with a selection of special editions that are par for the course these days.
Alongside a standard release, there are Deluxe and Collector’s Editions, complete with steelcases, posters, enamel pins, and (inevitably) a bomb-shaped stress ball. Slightly more unusual is the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which is exclusive to RedArtGames.com and includes support for GameShare and GameChat. Whether that ends up being essential or merely novel remains to be seen.
For retro fans, though, the real win here is preservation with intent. Bomberman is a series built around shared play, and bringing these games forward — properly localised, properly presented, and available physically — feels like the right way to do it.
You can order the Super Bomberman Collection on Amazon now, for Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
