_ No ads.

_ No need for internet.

_ Ability to save and continue easily.

In the NES/Famicom release, the eponymous character, Bomberman, is a robot that must find his way through a maze while avoiding enemies. Doors leading to further maze rooms are found under rocks, which Bomberman must destroy with bombs. There are items that can help improve Bomberman's bombs, such as the Fire ability, which improves the blast range of his bombs. Bomberman will turn human when he escapes and reaches the surface. Each game has 50 levels in total. The original home computer games are more basic and have some different rules.

Notably, completing the NES and Famicom version reveals that the game is a prequel to Hudson Soft's NES port of Broderbund Software's 1983 game Lode Runner . Upon clearing the final screen, Bomberman is shown turning into Lode Runner's unnamed protagonist. In the Japanese version of the game, the player is explicitly told that Bomberman will 'See [them] in Lode Runner' , while in the international version, they are instead asked if they can recognise the protagonist from another Hudson game.