Proto:Bomberman '94
This page details one or more prototype versions of Bomberman '94.
Bomberman '94 Special Version (also known as Bomberman '94 Taikenban) is a limited-edition demo of Bomberman '94 released in 1993 containing a small fraction of the game's battle mode. Reportedly only about 10,000 copies were produced, which were then exclusively distributed through Hudson Soft's newsletter.
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Contents
General Differences
Startup
The demo starts with a "Caution" screen.
After that, we get a screen telling the player that more info on Bomberman '94 can't be revealed at the moment. Notably, the Japanese subtitles are entirely different from the English text:
| Japanese Text | Translation |
|---|---|
警告！ 今年もまた あなたのお茶の間に アイツが帰ってくる ボンバーマン'94 こうご期待！ |
CAUTION! This year again, He will return to your room Bomberman'94 Don't miss it! |
Title Screen
| Special Version | Final (Japan) |
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The title screen has almost nothing in common with the final game's, depicting Bomberman kicking a bomb in a chaotic battle scene with explosions in the background. The logo is drawn differently with an explosion-colored gradient, and the 94' has a color-cycling effect exclusive to the demo. Finally unique fonts are used for the different text elements instead of a single uniform one.
Interestingly, holding left on the D-Pad while the BIOS loads the game changes the title screen to use Japanese for the "Press Run Button" and "Special Edition" text.
Audio Differences
Bomberman '94 Special Version lacks any music from the final game, instead using Bomberman '93's music as a placeholder.
Battle Game Differences
Menu
| Special Version | Final (Japan) |
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Both the color of the menu text and it's backdrop was changed for the final game.
Special Version lacks a character select. As a result, you can only play the default Bomberman with all human players.
| Special Version | Final (Japan) |
|---|---|
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Special Version only lets you play the Arrow Arena stage (kicked bombs will change direction when they hit an arrow). The stage is identical to the final release.
| Special Version | Final (Japan) |
|---|---|
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The cards the bombermen stand on have more of a red coloring rather than the final game's beige. The banner graphic at the top is thinner and lacks shading on the characters. Finally the "GAME START" is styled as a stencil, while the final game keeps it similar to the rest of the corkboard theming.
