On August 25, developer Konami announced the new Super Bomberman R Online, and today it officially launched. A spinoff building off of the success of the 2017 title Super Bomberman R, R Online distinguishes itself from its parent title with its platform exclusivity. While Super Bomberman R can be played on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, R Online is exclusive to cloud gaming service Google Stadia.
Super Bomberman R Online is to Super Bomberman R what Tetris 99 is to Tetris – it’s a battle royale reimagination of the game aimed at those who enjoy more fast-paced, frantic action. “Building on the success of Super Bomberman R (SBR), SUPER BOMBERMAN R ONLINE will deliver the ultimate battle royale experience with a new “Battle 64” mode, allowing up to 64 players to compete in live battles across multiple stages at the same time,” reads a promotional email. “Additionally, the game will be one of the first Stadia titles to take full advantage of ‘Crowd Play’, a feature that allows players to jump into a game with their favorite streamers on YouTube.”
On top of the online battle royale experience, R Online will include a Premium Pack with 14 characters, each equipped with their own special abilities, as well as the ability to create private rooms to play with your friends. According to promotional materials, there are over 100 customizable feature combinations of characters from both Super Bomberman and other Konami IPs, costumes, accessories, and bomb skins – a new feature that allows you to customize your bombs and how they explode.
Stadia Pro users have indefinite access to the base game, and until November 30 they can also claim the Premium Edition bundle for free. Stadia Base users have access to the base game but will have to purchase the Premium Pack add-on for $9.99. Following Stadia’s rather lukewarm launch and reception, Google has nevertheless put out an impressive amount of effort in promoting and improving the service, and Super Bomberman R Online being a Stadia exclusive shows that there may be hope for the platform yet.