Bomberman

Hudson Soft's long-running series is one of gaming's purest multiplayer ideas. Drop a bomb in a tile-based maze, blast through soft blocks for power-ups, and try not to catch your own explosion or a rival's. The single-player campaigns are pleasant, but the franchise lives in the chaos of four players boxing each other into corners.

From the NES-era Bomberman II through the Super Bomberman run on the SNES to the modern Super Bomberman R and its online spin-off, the formula barely changes, and that consistency is the point. It is competitive party gaming distilled to a grid and a fuse.

The property also reached television through anime like Bomberman B-Daman Bakugaiden and Bomberman Jetters, giving the cheerful little robot a personality beyond the arena.

The Bomberman franchise spans 2 series, 6 games in the CrossBinge catalog.