I can’t even remember how many years now that the Bomberman series has been in a weird place. There have been a bunch of games of varying quality and for well over a decade the good ones have been far and few between. Even way back at the launch of the Switch, Super Bomberman R was released. And it’s been some time since then, at least 6 years ago! Following a now-offline Super Bomberman R Online, it has been deemed time for a sequel; Super Bomberman R2.

While chances are high you’re here to just jump into the usual Bomberman battles, some have also come for the allegedly improved Story mode.

The eight Bomberman brothers are trying to save Planet Bomber from a new threat. This adventure takes the team across multiple planets and will require the help of the little creatures known as Ellons. Ellons are little creatures you’ll encounter across the story, they are needed to activate machines and power warp devices. You’ll need to keep these Ellons around as you collect them throughout the open world, as hard as the game can make it for you. 

The biggest threat to yourself and the Ellons is you. The more powerful you become, the more likely you are to get caught in your own explosions. While it’s easy enough for you to avoid the ever-increasing size of the bomb's blast radius, the Ellons just tag along behind you and they’re not impervious to friendly fire. 

The Story mode is set across multiple ‘open worlds’ where the world is still in the usual isometric view, only without much to do in it. For who knows what reason, it was decided that the worlds should feel quite empty. Outside of a smattering of enemies there’s the usual Bomberman blocks to blow up for no reason other than to collect upgrades for the underwhelming level-up system. 

Early on you’re introduced to the new Bomberman HQ. The HQ is the Story mode way of teaching you how to play the Castle mode. If you’re not interested in a tower defence-esque mode where you need to defend against attackers, then this diversion is even more tedious. 

The Story mode is such a disappointment, it manages to remove what makes Bomberman games fun. The only thing I enjoyed throughout was the energetic cutscenes between the Bomberman brothers. These cartoony cutscenes are silly, but have more energy than the actual worlds.

Now on to the main attraction! Battle is the main mode you’ll likely find yourself playing, it’s classic Bomberman or at least Bomberman from the more recent games. There’s not much to say about this mode, you’ll know what to expect, and it’s reliable.

Castle is the only new mode, and the Story mode introduces you to the concept. Essentially it boils down to a tower defence mode, where you are either trying to defend from enemies or storm the castle yourself. The attacking side needs to get keys and unlock treasure chests in the base. 

In the story mode, it is shown to you as your HQ and establishing defences through placing obstacles. The Castle mode felt out of place for a Bomberman game and building up defences will really depend on how much you enjoy level building/editing in games. 

Returning from Super Bomberman R Online is Battle 64, which is essentially a battle Royale mode. In this mode, groups of players are divided into multiple stages all linked together. Initially, you’re duking it out with three other players until the timer counts down and there’s a movement period where you can flee that stage. You’ll want to keep on the move too, for taking down other players, but also stages are removed as time goes on. It’s fun enough if you’re wanting for something different than the usual Battle mode.

Along with the Bomberman brothers, there are the previous Konami characters here too, some from Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid and other long-time titles such as Goemon and Gradius. If you want them here you’re going to have to earn the coins to unlock them. Given that so many of the characters that they made available previously (across the first game and the online follow-up) need to be unlocked all over kinda sucks. There are all kinds of customisation options for your Bomberman of choice, once again if you have the coin. Ultimately it will all come down to how much R2 you plan on playing.

It’s disappointing to see such little new game in this sequel. Whilst Konami pulled the plug on R Online, it’s beginning to feel like it was only so they could sell another full game with the same content. The problem is that the original Super Bomberman R wasn’t exactly peak Bomberman either. 

For whatever reason they still haven’t managed to get Bomberman R 2 running in a decent state on the Switch. Whether it’s the frame rate, resolution, and the game overall feeling like the Switch was the afterthought. Hopefully, they can patch it up, but for a sequel that offers so much reused content it shouldn’t be like this.

Super Bomberman R 2 doesn’t feel quite there for a sequel. Sure there are new modes such as Castle and the expanded story mode. Battle 64 was just pulled from Super Bomberman R Online, but now it’s not free to play. The story mode is devoid of fun and couldn’t feel much less suited for a Bomberman game. If you want standard Bomberman battles, those are here too, but then the first game already had that. It’s a shame Konami won’t at least offer us a collection of the early Bomberman games, maybe even Wario Blast for a treat.