Bomberman Story on the GBA is one of those weird little spin-offs where they tried to give the bomb-tossing guy an actual RPG adventure. You still blow up blocks and enemies, but now there's a story mode with towns, NPCs, and turn-based battles where you plant bombs like they're magic spells. The overworld feels oddly charming with its tiny sprites, though the dungeon layouts can get repetitive after a while.

What surprised me was how much they leaned into the RPG mechanics—you recruit party members, upgrade bombs with different effects, and even solve some light puzzles. It's janky in that early 2000s handheld way, but there's something endearing about watching Bomberman awkwardly nod along to dialogue scenes. Definitely more interesting than your standard arena matches.

If you're emulating it, the Eurasia version has English text, which helps since the original Japanese release was impenetrable unless you read kanji. Just don't expect a deep narrative—it's still a game about a guy who solves every problem with explosives.