Bomberman Max is a short series of portable games in the Bomberman franchise. The games take a few cues from Pokémon: each game has two playable versions, a Blue version (starring Bomberman) and a Red version (starring newcomer MAX), and both versions must be played in order to unlock every level and Charabom. The Charaboms can also be battled in multiplayer.
The games change up the classic Bomberman formula somewhat. The game is laid out in a grid format with destructible blocks and enemies; however at the beginning of every level, Dr. Ein gives the player an objective that must be completed in order to progress. The objectives may include defeating every enemy, defeating a certain type of enemy, or rescuing a Charabom, among others. When the objective is completed an EXIT signal will appear, allowing the player to progress. The game is non-linear, and the player can travel between different levels via blue portals, which lead to new areas, or red portals, which lead to previously-completed levels.
Games in this series include:
- Bomberman Max (1999) - Game Boy Color
- Bomberman Max 2 (2002) - Game Boy Advance
These games provide examples of:
- Anti-Frustration Features: Whenever a mission is failed in a manner that doesn't involve dying (such as destroying an enemy that you aren't supposed to), the game will immediately create an exit portal that will cause you to repeat the stage. Given that you drop all of your power-ups when you get a Game Over, this is a far more merciful penalty than stealing a life from you.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Inverted in Max 2. The protagonists have been shrunken, so now the normal-sized Hige Hige Bandits are gigantic and can stomp on the player to stun them.
- Big Bad: Brain in Max, Mujoe in Max 2.
- Combining Mecha: Combine-3 from Max 2.
- Elemental Powers: Bomberman has Fire Bombs, MAX has Lightning Bombs.
- Evil Doppelgänger: Hologra-boms are enemies that take the form of Bomberman or Max, complete with the ability to lay bombs.
- Falling into the Plot: While not a part of the actual story, the title screen of the second game shows the version's protagonist coming down from the sky and landing on the ground unharmed upon which the title and options pop up.
- Friendly Rivalry: Bomberman and MAX.
- Jidaigeki: Secret Star from the first game is based on feudal Japan, with ninjas, lantern monsters, mechanical dolls, and a kabuki-based boss.
- Mega City: City Star, as its name implies, is a planet entirely dominated by cities.
- Mons: The Charaboms, creatures that are raised by collecting items in single-player and can be battled and fused.
- Multiple Endings: If the player has less than 80% completion, they receive the bad ending. 80% (the highest completion rate that can be achieved without linking up with the opposite version) nets you a small piece of the good ending, while 100% Completion is required for the full ending.
- Nostalgia Level: Zaurus Star from the first game originates from Bomberman '93 - it was called "Planet Inferno" in the English version.
- One Game for the Price of Two: Getting all of the Charaboms and levels requires purchasing and linking both games.
- Shrink Ray: Used on Bomberman and MAX at the beginning of Max 2, setting up the rest of the game.
- Spell My Name With An S: "Charaboms" in Max, then "Karabons" in Bomberman Tournament, then back to "Charaboms" in Max 2 and Generation.
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Spiritual Successor: The objective-based single-player of the Bomberman Max duology is largely built upon the single-player of Bomberman GB3, only with much more varied objectives. - Super Title 64 Advance: Max 2: Blue Advance and Red Advance.
- The War Sequence: Battle Star from the first game is based on military combat, with gun-toting undead soldiers, helicopters, constant falling bombs, and traps that trigger lines of explosions.
