You probably remember Bomberman.
But what about Eric And The Floaters, the very earliest entry in the series…?
When the Famicom launched in 1983, Hudson became the first third-party developer for Nintendos debut console.
Bombermans long-running success is such that almost everyone whos played it will have their own favourite.
Some might favour the various iterations which appeared on the PC Engine.
Others may have played it on the SNES, or the superb incarnation for the Sega Saturn.
Although rudimentary from a visual standpoint, the key elements of the futureBombermangames are present and correct.
Youre presented with a simple maze of blocks.
The balloon enemies are uninvolving blobs, and little match for the cartoon-like characters in subsequent editions.
Alternatively, a poorly-placed bomb could also see clumsier players destroyed by their own explosions.
The army of robot guards in that game are clearly the same sprites as those inBomberman.
The hidden connection betweenLode RunnerandBombermandidnt end there, either.
Bomber Man becomes Runner.
See you again inLode Runner.
AsBombermanbecame a hit series in its own right, theLode Runnerconnection was quietly dropped.
Indeed, attempts to tinker with the format inevitably failed.
It seems that we have them to thank for the ideas that would later makeBombermansuch an addictive classic.
