Hudson's Bomberman RPG on Game Boy Color. Explore a world, collect monsters, and use bombs as tools.
Bomberman Quest was developed and published by Hudson Soft for Game Boy Color in December 1998 — a RPG-style game in which Bomberman explored an island world to recover stolen ship parts. Rather than multiplayer battle stages, the game used an overhead RPG structure: Bomberman walked through connected world areas, fought enemies in real-time, and could capture and use defeated monsters as battle companions. Bomb acquisition and customization was central to progression. Bomberman Quest sold approximately 300,000 copies and represents Hudson's attempt to expand Bomberman into the RPG genre.
About this game
Bomberman Quest (1998) is an action RPG spin-off in the Bomberman series for Game Boy Color — a genre departure that sees Bomberman explore a top-down open world to defeat four bosses who scattered his parts across four worlds. Rather than the series' classic multi-player bombing arenas, this entry builds a compact adventure with NPCs, equipment upgrades, and puzzle-solving around bomb mechanics.
Key Features
Top-down open world exploration divided into four zones — Forest, Mountain, Ocean, and Ruins — each governed by a boss. A shop and equipment system: Bomberman can purchase and upgrade bombs of different types. NPC villagers provide quests and information. Bomb-based puzzle solving tied into exploration rather than just combat. A light leveling system and HP management. Four main boss battles that require understanding of specific bomb properties.
The Story Behind
Bomberman Quest arrived in December 1998 as Hudson Soft was experimenting with ways to expand the Bomberman franchise beyond its signature multiplayer bombing gameplay. The Game Boy Color's hardware gave developers room to build small but genuine open worlds — a different kind of Bomberman that could appeal to solo players who wanted a single-player adventure rather than competitive arena action. The game sat alongside other franchise experiments of the era, exploring what Bomberman could mean outside of its established format.
Tricks & Tales
Bomberman Quest was developed by Eleven, a studio separate from Hudson Soft's internal team, and published by Hudson. The game received mixed reviews on release — praised for its ambition in taking Bomberman into RPG territory but critiqued for a relatively short length and uneven difficulty. It remains a curiosity in the Bomberman catalog: the one entry that proves the bomb-based mechanics had puzzle-adventure potential well beyond competitive arenas.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Like the original DMG, the Game Boy Color is fully region-free. Japanese, North American, and European GBC cartridges all share the same physical format and connector, and the hardware applies no lockout. A Japanese GBC cartridge will run on any GBC from any region without modification. The GBC is also fully backward compatible with original DMG cartridges — when a DMG cart is played on a GBC, the system automatically renders it with one of several colour palettes. GBC-specific cartridges (the 'GBC only' black-tab type) will not run on the original DMG, but will run on the Game Boy Advance as well as the GBC.
Maintenance Tips
Game Boy Color cartridges — the smaller, slightly translucent-shell format — use the same cleaning approach as original DMG carts: a cotton swab with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol wiped along the contact row, allowed to dry fully before reinsertion. The GBC console's ABS plastic shell faces the same yellowing risk as the DMG when exposed to UV light over time. Notably, several GBC titles — most famously Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal — include a real-time clock (RTC) circuit that runs continuously off a CR2025 coin cell. These batteries are now well over 25 years old; a dead RTC battery means time-based in-game events will not advance, even though the game itself will still load and save normally. This is a distinct issue from save data loss.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Bomberman Quest copies regularly.
Is this a region-free game? Will a Japanese Game Boy cartridge work on any Game Boy console?
Yes. The original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color have no hardware region lock — a Japanese cartridge plays on any Game Boy or Game Boy Color console worldwide without modification. The game itself is in Japanese, but the hardware accepts it freely. Game Boy Advance consoles are also backward-compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges and share this region-free status.
How should I clean a Game Boy cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion. If the shell needs to be opened for deeper cleaning, Game Boy cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws. The contacts are small; clean with a gentle wiping motion rather than abrasive pressure.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Bomberman Quest
A short checklist for buying a used Game Boy Color cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Good news — Game Boy Color is region-free
These cartridges are not region-locked, so a Japanese copy plays on any compatible Game Boy worldwide.
Confirm whether the title is Color-only or also works on the original Game Boy.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
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Rooms this game lives in
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