When it comes to navigating big explosions, Bomberman is the guy you call. It’s in the name; it’s literally the one job he has. The one person you wouldn’t think to call for the job is Toad, but sadly Bowser has other ideas in this new Bomberman ROM hack from Googie called ‘Toad Bomber’.
The premise is very simple – Bomberman is out and Toad is in, with the levels taking on a distinct Mushroom Kingdom flavour. Instead of the classic brick blocks I remember from playing Bomberman with friends on the Sega Mega Drive back in the day, the maze levels are now made up of Mario-style blocks and Toad-themed blocks that, to my nostalgic eye, look like the Yoshi egg blocks from Yoshi’s Story.
The story of this ROM hack is simple – Bowser has thrown Toad into a maze because he’s bored. It’s the kind of thing Bowser does, especially when he’s feeling sorry for himself after Peach rejecting him for the thousandth time. Toad must free himself from the maze and dispatch all of Bowser’s goons in the process if he has a hope of making it back home.
It’s a simple little ROM hack but one that Nintendo fans are sure to love. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a recreation of a Hudson soft classic featuring Toad and Shy Guys? This would definitely have spiced the console wars up a little bit more if it had released on the Mega Drive back in the day!
