The introduction above says it all. Taito's Bubble Bobble is certainly a fantastic journey that has made it not just one of the most well known platformers, but one of the most well known video games in existence.
Story: Two boys named Bub and Bob lose their girlfriends Peb and Pab in the cave of monsters, and along the way they get turned into bubble dragons. Very simple, but does its job.
Gameplay: This is a very different kind of platforming game. Rather than jumping on enemies and gaining power-ups like in Super Mario Bros., Bubble Bobble is a simple stage game where as Bub (or Bob when playing multiplayer) you must defeat all the enemies on screen with his bubble power and gaining as much points as possible by eating various food.
Bubbles are a necessity to use. They can do all sorts of things other than trapping enemies. You can use them to jump to higher gaps, and blowing many while trapping enemies can rack up even more points. Popping many enemies at the same time racks up points as well.
Along the way. There are various other things you can do. You can pop special bubbles that give special abilities to defeat enemies, reach special stages, and even gain an extra life and skip a few stages by collecting bubbles that read "EXTEND". There are so many things you can do in this game for how simple the game is.
After these 99 Levels, you are on the way to battle against Super Drunk, and once he's defeated, whatever happens depends on what you've played as. The Bad Ending is what happens when you aren't playing with a friend, Bub saves Peb, but not Pab.
Yes, I explained that right, this game is best played with someone else. Teamwork is easily the best key for Bub and Bob to save Peb and Pab. If you save both, you get the good ending, but still not enough...
If you play the harder "Super" mode that requires a code, you get the true ending where you don't just save Peb and Pab, but Bub and Bob's parents as well, who were transformed by who knows into Super Drunk.
Music: In all but Level 100, you have a really catchy looping track that has basically made Bubble Bobble for what it is. Even though there's nothing else, you won't get bored hearing it at the fiftieth time.
Platforms: Originally an arcade game, and has been so legendary that it has been released and ported to almost every console and computer since then. A majority of them are simple ports, but some versions expand the original game.
The Sega Master System version that was never released in the United States includes a whole new set of levels and a bonus story in addition to the already existing set.
The Game Boy version, due to its small screen, features a completely different set of levels and a new story to explain it's absence of multiplayer.
Legacy: This game is what made Taito a household name and brought a lot of their arcade games outside Japan. It also is the reason for other Taito titles such as Rainbow Islands, and Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move existing. With Taito's current ownership under Square Enix, Bubble Bobble is still going strong with spin-offs and sequels, but mainly during the company's independent era.
Overall: Who doesn't like Bubble Bobble? It's a great arcade game that almost anyone can pick up and play, and easily my favourite Taito title.
Story: Two boys named Bub and Bob lose their girlfriends Peb and Pab in the cave of monsters, and along the way they get turned into bubble dragons. Very simple, but does its job.
Gameplay: This is a very different kind of platforming game. Rather than jumping on enemies and gaining power-ups like in Super Mario Bros., Bubble Bobble is a simple stage game where as Bub (or Bob when playing multiplayer) you must defeat all the enemies on screen with his bubble power and gaining as much points as possible by eating various food.
Bubbles are a necessity to use. They can do all sorts of things other than trapping enemies. You can use them to jump to higher gaps, and blowing many while trapping enemies can rack up even more points. Popping many enemies at the same time racks up points as well.
Along the way. There are various other things you can do. You can pop special bubbles that give special abilities to defeat enemies, reach special stages, and even gain an extra life and skip a few stages by collecting bubbles that read "EXTEND". There are so many things you can do in this game for how simple the game is.
After these 99 Levels, you are on the way to battle against Super Drunk, and once he's defeated, whatever happens depends on what you've played as. The Bad Ending is what happens when you aren't playing with a friend, Bub saves Peb, but not Pab.
Yes, I explained that right, this game is best played with someone else. Teamwork is easily the best key for Bub and Bob to save Peb and Pab. If you save both, you get the good ending, but still not enough...
If you play the harder "Super" mode that requires a code, you get the true ending where you don't just save Peb and Pab, but Bub and Bob's parents as well, who were transformed by who knows into Super Drunk.
Music: In all but Level 100, you have a really catchy looping track that has basically made Bubble Bobble for what it is. Even though there's nothing else, you won't get bored hearing it at the fiftieth time.
Platforms: Originally an arcade game, and has been so legendary that it has been released and ported to almost every console and computer since then. A majority of them are simple ports, but some versions expand the original game.
The Sega Master System version that was never released in the United States includes a whole new set of levels and a bonus story in addition to the already existing set.
The Game Boy version, due to its small screen, features a completely different set of levels and a new story to explain it's absence of multiplayer.
Legacy: This game is what made Taito a household name and brought a lot of their arcade games outside Japan. It also is the reason for other Taito titles such as Rainbow Islands, and Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move existing. With Taito's current ownership under Square Enix, Bubble Bobble is still going strong with spin-offs and sequels, but mainly during the company's independent era.
Overall: Who doesn't like Bubble Bobble? It's a great arcade game that almost anyone can pick up and play, and easily my favourite Taito title.