Bomberman Fantasy Race

Bomberman Fantasy Race was released for Sony’s Playstation on August 6, 1998 in Japan, July 2000 in Europe, and March 31, 1999 in North America. The game was developed by GraphicResearch Inc. while Atlus released the game in North America, while Bomberman Fantasy Race was released by Virgin Interactive in Europe. The game is a spin-off of the Bomberman Series, and I personally haven’t met many people who have actually heard of this game. Around the late 90’s, the Mario Kart series had been getting a lot of fame and praise which made Nintendo’s competitors start popping out racing games like crazy. Series that had nothing to do with cars in the first place suddenly had a racing game with their name on it such as the Jak series, the Crash Bandicoot series, Lego Racers, and the Bomberman series.

Bomberman Fantasy Race was honestly one of my favorite games a kid, so you can imagine my excitement when I got a hold of this forgotten racer. I never got very far in the game as a child since I didn’t really know what I was doing, which honestly worried me when I picked it back up as an adult. Usually games that I could never beat as a kid ended up being disasters  when I played them years later (take the Rugrats games for example, oh god). So I was hoping that my naive childhood self hadn’t tricked me into thinking this game was good when it may not actually be all that great.

 

When you start up the game, before you even get to the start menu, the game brings you to a screen where you can either load your data or make a new file. I decided to go with a fresh start for the sake of the review, where then the game let me pick a character to permanently play as and a name to create using 5 letters. I went with the main character Bomberman himself, entered my name, and started my fresh file. Now, if you wait at the start screen and don’t press any buttons, the game will bring you to the only tutorial in the game. You have to figure out the rest of the controls yourself, or go to the options and configure your buttons to be the way that’s the most comfortable for you to play with. I found this a little confusing, especially when I started my first race and didn’t really have any idea as to what I was doing. Nearly every button has a use too, so take a race to figure out what the controls are or read up on it in the manual.

Here you have our main screen that consists of several different options, such as:

• 1 Player: Unlocking Stages and earning money for your character by yourself in races.
• VS Mode: The multiplayer mode of the game that you can play with family or friends in.
• Options: Typically settings for the game.
• Time Attack: Practice on different tracks and race against your own shadow while trying to beat your own timed laps. Great for practice!
• Stable: Buy different Louie’s and Tirra’s here to race with!
• Bank: Keep your money safe and sound here while you save up for your favorite race track, Tirra or Louie!

 

Louie’s and Tirra’s are what you ride to the finish line in Bomberman Fantasy Race! That’s right, instead of cars, the player uses one of two different animals to make their way to victory. The game starts you off with one of each species, making you save money you earn from races to buy the rest that are available. Louie’s are rabbit type creatures that are very light and easy to jump around with, while Tirra’s are faster but harder to control when it comes to turns and jumps. Each have great traits that make them equally good to pick from, so go with your gut and pick the right creature for your racer!

 

Starting up 1 player mode brought me to the screens above, where I chose which creature I wanted to ride, and was given the option to spend money on some items I can start with in the race. I could save my money and use random items available for me to grab throughout the races coarse, or start with the advantage of having two pre-bought items.  It’s not exactly clear what each item does, but they are guaranteed to help you in some way, so experiment with them!

 

Next is stage select. This stage select is different than other racing games I’ve seen, that’s for sure. Each course costs a certain amount of money to unlock. You use money you’ve won from other courses to do so, and the more expensive the course is to unlock the more winnings you’ll get for placing first. The harder the courses get, the more difficult they are to read. For example, it may be hard to tell when a sharp turn is coming up, or what parts have a jump pad you can use to speed ahead everyone else. Practice makes perfect on these courses, so don’t be afraid to run through them a few times to perfect them! Once you’ve gotten first place on a stage, a star will show up on where the stage is on the map letting you know you’ve completed it. You can still replay the stage, it’s just a friendly reminder that you came out on top. The stages are Bomber Coast Lake, Oyna Mountain, Bakuzan Ski Course, Star Express, Waca Isl Beach Side, and Bomber Circuit. The game gives you Bomber Circuit for free, giving you the opportunity to earn money right away.

 

Unfortunately, since I don’t have a camera to record the race itself and taking pictures while playing is extremely hard, I couldn’t give any photos of the race itself. Even so, there are still things to say about the race. One, the computers DON’T CHEAT! They’re at a decent level where they’re challenging to beat, but it’s not impossible to do so! Because the game is a Bomberman game, bombs are involved. Even if you don’t pick up any items off the track itself, you always have bombs on hand to use. You can throw them at your enemies to slow them down, or you can get the timing just right and drop a bomb directly in front of you, giving yourself a small speed boost! You also use the D-Pad to move in this game, not the analog stick, so make sure to take breaks between races or else you’ll end up like me and get a hand cramp. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s not too uncomfortable to play with. If you get in first place in a race, you’re given a bonus round to yourself after the race is done. In the bonus round, you do a single lap around the course and collect as many coins as you can. The amount of coins you grab are the amount you keep, and you also get a time bonus that gives you more coins the faster you complete the bonus round.

Overall, Bomberman Fantasy Race has yet to disappoint me. This game has a very simple goal of becoming the best racer around, while unlocking different stages and creatures to ride. It gives a great feeling of accomplishment and is for players of all ages. The game does lag a slight bit at times, but I really believe it’s from the game pushing what the Playstation could do and what’s capable of. If you have $10 to spare and want to try out a great racer for a rainy day, or get this as a gift for a younger family member, you can order Bomberman Fantasy Race on Amazon, or download it in the PS3’s online store.

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