‘Bomberman’ Successor ‘Burnstar’ Available Now

IN PHOTO: A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe in Beijing May 9, 2014. As growing numbers of young people in China immerse themselves in the cyber world, spending hours playing games online, worried parents are increasingly turning to boot camps to crush addiction. Military-style boot camps, designed to wean young people off their addiction to the internet, number as many as 250 in China alone. Picture taken May 9, 2014. Reuters

“Bomberman,” like many other classic game titles before it, has seemingly fallen out of relevancy. After a “dark and gritty” remake called “Bomberman: Act Zero,” that was considered both unnecessary and awful, there hasn’t been any news on any new “Bomberman” games unless it’s a mobile title. Now, a new game called “Burnstar” from Nerve Software has attempted to use the classic “Bomberman” gameplay and modernize it.

The game’s story has the citizens of Fairway Island sick of the presence of “Evil Inc.” and the amount of damage the island has suffered, so it’s up to the player and his or her bombs to save the island by blowing stuff up. As Kotaku pointed out, the mindset of the civilians of Fairway Island is very “Bomberman” like indeed.

While this “Bomberman” successor borrows elements from the classic game, it also does a variety of different things the original games never did. While the well-known mechanics of the “Bomberman” games are in full effect, “Burnstar” ups the ante by adding colored boxes that react differently to bomb explosions, along with enemies who disguise themselves as level scenery.

“Burnstar” is also very reminiscent of some of the current puzzle games out for both PC and Tablet devices. Like in say an “Angry Birds” game or “Cut the Rope,” players must collect a certain amount of stars so that they can progress to the next level. The game also has boss fights and a good number of enemies to combat.

There are four different characters in the game: Burnstar, Ember, Coldsnap and Toxo. Each of these characters has an ability that is unique to them and will probably help them out when going through these levels in the game. Lead character Burnstar has a sprint that makes him run faster than his teammates, Ember has a shield that protects her, Coldsnap can freeze things and Toxo can teleport and can clone himself.

Fans who miss the old-school gameplay of “Bomberman” can download “Burnstar” on Steam right now for $8.99. For more information on the game, check out the official website of the game, where it can also be purchased.

Contact Writer at: n.parungo@ibtimes.com.au