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"About time Bomberman squared off with Mario....er I mean Wario."

Ah Bomberman. Some hate him. But most like myself love him. What could be more entertaining than having an unlimited amount of bombs and blowing up enemies with them? Throw Wario into the mix and you've got yourself a great way to waste a good 2 or 3 months of your life. It's a simple game but is horribly addictive. Not the easiest game there is either. A good challenge that will keep you busy and happy at the same time. Yet no game is without flaws...

Gameplay 9/10: Like I said before what could be better than getting to blow up all your enemies with an unlimited amount of bombs. Well the only thing I can think of is getting to blow Wario up with an unlimited supply of bombs. You're basically running around in a maze trying to blow up your enemy with a bomb. Doesn't sound to enjoyable? Trust me I was skeptical the first time I picked up this little handheld wonder but I soon grew to love it. You can play as either Wario or Bomberman which adds a little variety to the game. When the level begins you must blow up the rocks or tires or whatever they are depending on the level so you can advance through the maze. Occasionally you might blow up a block and a powerup will be left behind. The bomb powerup allows you to drop more than one bomb at a time. The fire powerup causes the explosion from the bombs to go further. The skull powerup is unfortunately not a powerup and makes you slower and unable to drop bombs. Your enemy can also obtain these powerups which makes things difficult sometimes. After you beat your enemy the first time you must advance to round two in which you must face two enemies. Then you must face three enemies followed by a boss. After defeating a boss you earn an ability and advance on to a new set of stages.

Control 8/10: The controls in this game are a breeze to work. Everything is smooth and easy to handle. Walking around the maze is done with no effort. Dropping bombs is as simple as pie. Although there is one flaw. It's an understandable flaw but none the less it's a flaw. When you walk on to a skull powerup you become slow and sluggish. Now this is obviously the effect of this powerup but the controls are a real pain when in this mode. It's like walking with metal boots or something. Just not a very fun aspect but it's all part of the games challenge. Besides avoiding bombs you have to avoid these skulls so your controls don't get all slow and aggravating. Otherwise the controls are just fine.

Sound 8/10: Surprisingly good for Gameboy. Nothing out of this world though. It's your average Gameboy sound but with a little something more. Just what that more is I really don't know. To me it seems like the sound in this game is better than some others but it's really up to you I guess.

Graphics 7/10: Hmmmm for Gameboy they're not that bad. But let's face it, it's Gameboy. Gameboy graphics just aren't that outstanding. These aren't horribly bad by no means but still aren't horribly good. They're about average I would say. Bomberman looks clearf or the most part but if you ask me he has no legs. Wario's face is a bit distorted. When one or more characters on the screen has been touched by a skull or a character with the skull status everything just looks messed up and wrong. But when things are fine they all look about right. The powerups and blocks all look clear. Bosses always look good, especially after being attacked. Then they just look kind of funny but in a good way. Overall the graphics aren't wonderful yet aren't terrible.

Replayability 9/10: Once you've played through the game for the first time you're going to want to play it again probably. You're going to want to play through with the other character. Maybe you want to beat every level as quickly as possible. Whatever your in to I suppose. This isn't a real in depth game that's gonna be a hassle to play through over and over. It's a just a fun action/puzzle game that's good to keep you busy. This isn't like Final Fantasy 7 or something that you play through once and don't play through again for a while. You could beat it one day and decide to play it again the next. Replayability is a great aspect of this game.

Buy or Rent: Buy if you can find a copy.

In conclusion Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman is a great way to pass the time that every Gameboy owner should at least try out.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/16/01, Updated 12/16/01