At the annual Japan Amusement Expo, Konami unveiled a spinoff for the long-running Bomberman franchise in the form of arcade-only game Bombergirl.
It has been more than 20 years since Konami has released a Bomberman game for the arcades, and with Bombergirl, the franchise is back in the scene with a bang.
Bombergirl Revealed For Arcades
Bombergirl is a co-op arcade game that pits players in four-on-four battles, with Konami describing the Bomberman spinoff as "an enjoyable new title with new game elements that is not only fun to play, it is also fun to watch."
In Bombergirl, players have the franchise's familiar ability of placing bombs to destroy blocks and beat enemies. However, in place of Bomberman himself, players will be using anime girls as their playable characters.
It appears that Konami has 15 characters planned for Bombergirl, but only the first four girls for the game have been revealed so far. The characters are featured in Bombergirl's official website, but it is currently only in Japanese.
The first four characters revealed for Bombergirl are: Shiro, the bomber in a schoolgirl outfit who is capable of placing plenty of bombs on the battlefield; Momoko, the blocker in the cute pink dress who has the ability to create blocks; Oren, the attacker who can move at high speeds; and Emera, the robotic-looking long-range shooter who can attack enemies from a distance.
Each of the four characters has her own skills, and as they gain levels during a match, they will be able to unlock special attacks that include a flaming sword and a laser beam weapon, in addition to powering up the bombs that they place on the battlefield. Teams will be using their bombs and the skills of the characters to destroy the base of their opponents.
Konami said that there will be a button that pops out at the end of each match in the game, though it is unclear what the button means and what it will be used for. Also, at the end of each match, members of the losing team will see their characters displayed with shredded clothing, which is a consolation for players who are into that sort of thing.
The release date of Bombergirl in Japanese arcades has not yet been revealed. It is also unclear when the game will be released in the United States, or whether it will even be released outside of Japan.
Other Konami News
While waiting to find out if Bombergirl will be coming to the United States, gamers who have preordered the Nintendo Switch and expect to receive the hybrid console on its March 3 release date can try out Super Bomberman R, which will be available as a launch title for Nintendo's highly anticipated device.
The biggest recent news involving Konami, however, is not related to video games. Earlier this week, it has been revealed that Netflix will be releasing an animated series this year based on Konami's Castlevania franchise, and that it will be highly violent similar to Game of Thrones.
