Splitting Bubbles.
We all have already heard of Taito, I guess... One of the best companies when it comes to video games, even though if they had a tough start on the industry (as jukebox makers) Most of the games they made were succeful and have been ported to different consoles and home computers (and, got some sequels, of course!). An example of that the Bubble Bobble and it's multiple sequels and spin-offs, which is, after Space Invaders, one the most known and famous saga of the company. (and, why not, the Video games in general). The first game of this saga was released in 1986 for the Arcade. It's original gameplay formula is one of the things that made it famous, which resulted in multiple ports for Game consoles and Home computers. Of course, this game was ported for the NES, one of the most remembered ports of the game... But, It was also ported for the Game Boy, with pretty decent results... If you want to find out if it was decent enough as it's NES or Arcade counterparts. You'd better continue reading this review I'm offering... So, sit there, relax and enjoy the reading!
Story: In the original Arcade, the story was about rescuing the girlfriends of the dragons (who are, in reality, two kids under a curse) of a bunch of monsters... However, for some reason they changed the story on this port. (Probably because of the lack of a two players mode) Here, one of the brothers is suffering from a strange disease, and the only way to cure it is with the "Moon Water" which is hidden in the depths of the earth and is protected by a huge army of monsters. However, for unknown reasons, our character is transformed into a dragon upon entering to the same, whose only defense are the bubbles that come out of his mouth. With this minor problem (but also a big advantage) our protagonist starts his adventure. (7/10) Graphics: Excellent, these remain almost the same (by some exceptions) Sprites are quite bigger, due to the size of the Game Boy's screen, Just like in the original game and it's other ports, there aren't any backgrounds. But, the good thing is that the programmers added a few details to the stages' platforms (such as hearts, squares, lines, etc) that give them a nice and pretty look. (8/10)
Sound: Sound is simple, a bit downgraded due to the Game Boy's sound chip, but still good. All the music and sounds of the game are here. (7/10)
Addictiveness: If you enjoyed the Arcade or any of it's ports, then this version should be the same as addictive. However, that depends of the person and it's likes. If you're one of those that like scoring in games. This game is definitely for you. (7/10)
Depth: The way you play here is this one: Your character only moves to the left and right, By pressing "A", he'll be able to jump, and by pressing "B", he'll fire it's bubbles... The objective of every stage is eliminate the enemies that run (or fly) around it. But, how are we going to do that if our only defense are simple bubbles? Well, If an enemy is in front of you when you shoot a bubble, the same will trap him on its inside, after this, you only have to touch the bubble, and done, he'll be dead. However, as you progress, more kind of enemies will appear as you progress, some being able to shoot projectiles at you, or to fly around. Luckily, there are items that can help you, such as the formulas (which can either fill the stage with water killing the enemies, lead you to a bonus stage), the Candies (which upgrade the speed and/or amount of bubbles that you can shoot) or the Shoes (that give you extra speed)... As you see, this title counts with a pretty simple, but addictive gameplay formula. (7/10)
Difficulty: Hard... As you progress, the amount of enemies per stage gets bigger, and the size of the Game Boy's screen doesn't help much to see what's in front of you. (8/10)
Final Rating: 8.5
If you want to enjoy of a good game, no matter if it's only for a few seconds, Bubble Bobble is your choice. Just give it a try, it deserves one after all...
-Eddy Out- Splitting Bubbles.
We all have already heard of Taito, I guess... One of the best companies when it comes to video games, even though if they had a tough start on the industry (as jukebox makers) Most of the games they made were succeful and have been ported to different consoles and home computers (and, got some sequels, of course!). An example of that the Bubble Bobble and it's multiple sequels and spin-offs, which is, after Space Invaders, one the most known and famous saga of the company. (and, why not, the Video games in general). The first game of this saga was released in 1986 for the Arcade. It's original gameplay formula is one of the things that made it famous, which resulted in multiple ports for Game consoles and Home computers. Of course, this game was ported for the NES, one of the most remembered ports of the game... But, It was also ported for the Game Boy, with pretty decent results... If you want to find out if it was decent enough as it's NES or Arcade counterparts. You'd better continue reading this review I'm offering... So, sit there, relax and enjoy the reading!
Story: In the original Arcade, the story was about rescuing the girlfriends of the dragons (who are, in reality, two kids under a curse) of a bunch of monsters... However, for some reason they changed the story on this port. (Probably because of the lack of a two players mode) Here, one of the brothers is suffering from a strange disease, and the only way to cure it is with the "Moon Water" which is hidden in the depths of the earth and is protected by a huge army of monsters. However, for unknown reasons, our character is transformed into a dragon upon entering to the same, whose only defense are the bubbles that come out of his mouth. With this minor problem (but also a big advantage) our protagonist starts his adventure. (7/10) Graphics: Excellent, these remain almost the same (by some exceptions) Sprites are quite bigger, due to the size of the Game Boy's screen, Just like in the original game and it's other ports, there aren't any backgrounds. But, the good thing is that the programmers added a few details to the stages' platforms (such as hearts, squares, lines, etc) that give them a nice and pretty look. (8/10)
Sound: Sound is simple, a bit downgraded due to the Game Boy's sound chip, but still good. All the music and sounds of the game are here. (7/10)
Addictiveness: If you enjoyed the Arcade or any of it's ports, then this version should be the same as addictive. However, that depends of the person and it's likes. If you're one of those that like scoring in games. This game is definitely for you. (7/10)
Depth: The way you play here is this one: Your character only moves to the left and right, By pressing "A", he'll be able to jump, and by pressing "B", he'll fire it's bubbles... The objective of every stage is eliminate the enemies that run (or fly) around it. But, how are we going to do that if our only defense are simple bubbles? Well, If an enemy is in front of you when you shoot a bubble, the same will trap him on its inside, after this, you only have to touch the bubble, and done, he'll be dead. However, as you progress, more kind of enemies will appear as you progress, some being able to shoot projectiles at you, or to fly around. Luckily, there are items that can help you, such as the formulas (which can either fill the stage with water killing the enemies, lead you to a bonus stage), the Candies (which upgrade the speed and/or amount of bubbles that you can shoot) or the Shoes (that give you extra speed)... As you see, this title counts with a pretty simple, but addictive gameplay formula. (7/10)
Difficulty: Hard... As you progress, the amount of enemies per stage gets bigger, and the size of the Game Boy's screen doesn't help much to see what's in front of you. (8/10)
Final Rating: 8.5
If you want to enjoy of a good game, no matter if it's only for a few seconds, Bubble Bobble is your choice. Just give it a try, it deserves one after all...
-Eddy Out- |