About this game
Saturn Bomberman is the 1996 action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Sega Saturn, best known for its extraordinary multiplayer capacity: with two multitaps connected, up to ten players can compete simultaneously in battle mode — a number unmatched by any console game at the time and rarely exceeded since. The game also features a full single-player campaign with boss battles and a wide variety of battle arenas, but it is the ten-player mode that made Saturn Bomberman legendary and turned it into the ultimate party game of the 32-bit era.
Key Features
Up to 10-player simultaneous battle mode with two Saturn multitaps and ten controllers. Single-player story mode with boss battles across themed worlds. Wide selection of battle arenas with variable hazards and power-ups. Customisable battle rules including sudden death and time limits. Power-up items including kick-bomb, punch-bomb, and multi-bomb.
Gallery
The Story Behind
The Bomberman series had been a staple of multiplayer gaming since the early 1990s on the PC Engine, where five-player battle mode on a multitap had already become legendary. Saturn Bomberman doubled that capacity to ten players, using two Saturn multitap accessories. This made it one of the definitive party game experiences of the 32-bit era and a key reason many households kept their Sega Saturn into the late 1990s. The ten-player configuration became an enduring memory for players who experienced it — the sheer chaos of ten simultaneous explosions in a confined arena remains difficult to replicate in any modern setting.
Tricks & Tales
Saturn Bomberman's ten-player battle mode required two Saturn multitaps (each supporting four additional controllers) plus the two standard controller ports, making it one of the most hardware-demanding party setups of its era — finding nine friends with controllers and two multitaps was an event in itself. The game's single-player mode features a riding animal system that lets Bomberman mount creatures, each with unique abilities, borrowed from Super Bomberman 3 on Super Famicom. Hudson Soft designed the battle arenas with asymmetric layouts to prevent camping strategies from dominating ten-player matches.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan (July 1996), North America (September 1997), and Europe (May 1997). The Japanese version is the original release. Note that full ten-player mode requires two Saturn multitap accessories, sold separately. Single-player and two-player modes work with standard hardware.
Maintenance Tips
For the full ten-player experience, two Saturn multitap accessories are required. Original Hudson multitaps are the most reliable option; third-party versions exist but quality varies. As with all Saturn discs, keep clean and handle carefully. The CR2032 internal backup battery retains stage progress and battle records.
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
Direct purchase supports this museum directly. eBay Top Rated Seller · 1,750+ reviews · 100% positive feedback.
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