This past week Nintendo held a direct in which they showed many things, but one thing that stood out was Project Mekuru. many might dismiss this game as being filler, or eshop junk, but old school fans have been looking at it differently. Given what was shown of the gameplay, there is a strong feeling by many that Project Mekuru is the spiritual sequel to the Bomeberman series, done by Nintendo themselves.
After some thought, I have come to agree with these thoughts. Project Mekuru shows a lot of innovation but clearly is built on the same premise as Bomberman. It has a different style and mechanics, but the essence is still there. This isn’t a bad thing by any means. Konami has been very…spotty of late and while Super Bomberman R is a nice return to form, a Bomberman successor made by Nintendo will appeal to many who have grown frustrated with Konami. As well, it already looks to have that Nintendo polish and charm. It has more than enough to set it apart.
It would be nice for Project Mekuru to have identifiable protagonists and not just miis, but right now the game looks like the best twist on the formula we have ever seen. It takes the puzzle elements of Bomberman and adds an Othello element to them for deeper gameplay. As well it brings in elements of Mario Party and Super Smash Bros as well for a new way of looking at it. Plus the promised items already make this even more intriguing.
I hope Project Mekuru is a major hit for Nintendo and that they have even more to show. Right now, it looks like they are giving fans what they have wanted for a long time, and that is good. This makes me hopeful that Nintendo will do more projects like this going forward.
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The above was the opinion solely of the author and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of Real Otaku Gamer or its staff.