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Blast Zone! Tournament is basically Bomberman and free for keepsies on Steam

Not as cool as Saturn Bomberman, but online is nice

Blast Zone! Tournament is as close as you can get to Bomberman while still being legally distinct, and Bomberman is always good. Free Bomberman with a big single-player mode, full online and local multiplayer is just grand. Developed by Victory Lap Games, it entered early access last year, and if you grab it by January 16th you get to keep it free forever. From the little bit I've played, it's exactly what it looks like, albeit slightly marred by Xbox 360-era avatar styled characters. Still, you can do much worse for free. The full version launches on February 28th. Grab the game here, and check out a trailer below.

If you've ever played a Bomberman game or similar before, there's really no surprises to be found in Blast Zone! except for possibly its zoomed out and incredibly messy 32-player mode. There's also a 240-level solo campaign which runs the gamut of puzzle levels, hunting roaming targets, boss battles and bot-matches. Presentation-wise, it feels like the game is attempting to mimic Rocket League's music, aesthetic and menus, although its bobble-headed avatars are a little gormless when viewed up close. Fortunately you can dress them up in all manner of silly hats and masks, mitigating that flaw.

Watch on YouTube

Surprisingly, Blast Zone! is probably your best bet for playing a round of Bomberman online on PC right now. Last year's Super Bomberman R wasn't a bad game, but it sank without a trace shortly after launch. According to Steam Charts, there's only a single very lonely bomber-person playing it at present. Blast Zone! never really got off the ground with its early access launch, but there's a few hundred online now, and hopefully there'll be more if word of mouth spreads. I admit I've got a bit of an ulterior motive here, but if wanting more people to play Bomberman with is a crime, then throw me in jail. With my bombs.

Blast Zone! Tournament is still in early access, and launches on February 28th. If you grab it free on Steam here between now and January 16th, you get to keep it forever. It'll eventually cost money again, and was priced at £15.49/$16.79/$19.99 previously.

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