Bubble Bobble (1987) 
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| Publisher: Genre: Author(s): Musician(s): Minimum Memory Required: Maximum Players: Joysticks: Language: Media Code: Media Type: Country of Release: Related Titles: Comments: |  Firebird Software LtdPlatform / 2D Steve Ruddy, Andrew Threlfall Peter Clarke 64K 1 Yes Eng N/A Audio cassette Worldwide Rainbow Islands | Click to choose platform: Acorn BBC Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 Sinclair ZX Spectrum Commodore Amiga More from other publishers: Nintendo NES Sega Game Gear  |
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Atombender (Unknown) 23rd Mar 2013 04:46"Bub:"We're gonna blow you away!" Bob: *^_^*"
Introduction
Welcome to the adventures of Bub and Bob, two little and lovely dinosaurs who are on their way to a strange world consisting of 100 caves filled with all kind of hazards in the form of (cute-looking) monsters, which is basically the whole background story behind the game, if there is any. Initially released in the arcades by Taito in 1986, Bubble Bobble quickly became a pretty popular game, most notably due to its nice 2-player mode, certainly popular enough to make its way to the various home conversions. This review covers the Commodore 64 port and I can guarantee that any fans of the big arcade brother won't be disappointed.
The Game
You, either as a sole custodian or alternatively together with a buddy (highly recommended), take control over one of the above mentioned little fellows whose goal is it to make their way through 99 screens, only to challenge the final (and only) boss in the 100th and last level. Each level, the respective numbers is indicated in the upper-left part of the ''ceiling'', consists of a single, non-scrolling screen with a distinctive design and content in structure, number and kind of monsters, etc. Almost each level features one or more ''warp holes'', gaps at ground level where you can drop in, only to fall out of the holes at the top of the screen. In most cases a nice short-cut, since our heroes are unable to fly and can only move up by jumping (and they cannot jump through a solid wall, as well as not being able to jump down again). To complete a level and proceed to the next one, you'll have to destroy every monster on the screen. To achieve this, you have control over a rather unusual weapon; Not a laser cannon, no machine gun, but a simple bubble breath! Yes that's right, Bub and Bob are able to spill bubbles as if they've swallowed tons of soap before. To eliminate an enemy, you'll need to hit it directly with a bubble to turn it into a harm- and helpless cocoon-like ball. Now's the time to touch the ball to make it disappear, leaving behind one of more than 30 different bonus items. Be warned though, the monster may escape from its temporary prison after a while, so if you don't reach the monster while it's still trapped, the fun starts again, which means that you'll have to hunt the monster down and catch it again via a bubble.
The bubble shot itself is actually a pretty neat feature and shouldn't be underestimated. Its (initial) range is fairly limited and you can only spill out so many bubbles at one time (and they won't stay on the screen for too long), but there's a lot you can do with your ability: Creating a bubble dead-end to prevent monsters from getting close to you, blocking the path of the other player to a nice extra, almost everything goes, though the most important thing to passively use the bubbles to your advantage is that you can use them as stairs to reach the higher points in a level which otherwise would remain inaccessible. As long as you land on a bubble from above, it won't burst and works like a solid structure unless it disappears after a while on its own. This method is crucial in levels where you don't have any warp-holes to jump in and no ''natural'' stairs to reach the higher platforms. And since some monsters tend to stay at the top of some levels...
Yeah, the monsters: They don't really deserve to be branded like that, and with the cuteness factor of the protagonists already being high, they're no exceptions from it, neither in appearance, nor in their names: Blubba, Boa-Boa, Boris, speaks for themselves. They're running or hovering around the screen, some of them randomly, some of them following you, some of them even shooting projectiles at the unaware player. If they get to you, the effect is always the same: You lose one of your precious lives. And while the game doesn't have an actual time limit per level, if you start dawdling around for too long, Baron of Blubba will appear, chasing you around the screen. Special trademark: The guy is invincible. A pretty good reason to hurry up in clearing a level.
But this game would only be half as interesting without the tons of featured extras; By eliminating a monster via ''bubble´n blast'', a bonus item will be revealed. At worst, stuff like the various vegetables only gives you some bonus points, but the magic items will actually make your life a bit easier. One lets you run faster, another one gives you a faster or wider range bubble shot or even a temporary fire breath. The ultimate extra floods the entire cave, killing all remaining meanies in the process, and if you happen to come across an umbrella, you'll be teleported a certain amount of levels right ahead, depending on the umbrella´s color. To top it all off, a super bonus level is also present and will be activated if you've collected enough letters to form the secret word. With all these extras around this (of course) creates a healthy competition if you're playing with (or against) a buddy in 2-player mode. And if you finally reach the 100th level (have fun on your way, it won't be easy), good luck for finding a good strategy against the jumbo-monster. Hope you're a true master in handling the blitz bubbles and creating some nice thunderstrucks!
As with most early arcade conversions, the controls are simple: Moving the joystick to the left or right will make your dino move in the respective direction, moving the joystick up will make the little bugger jump. Since you cannot jump down again, moving the joystick down won't do anything. Press the fire button to create a bubble, press it repeatedly to create lots of bubbles, unless you're in the possession of an extra which lets you burst out fireballs, killing an enemy instantly. Reaction time between the joystick command and the action on the screen is short, and if you complain about the slow movement of dinos, that lies in their nature.
Graphics: 8
Of course you can't compare the limited technical capabilities of an 8-bitter to a far more expensive arcade machine, but the programmers responsible for the C64 version unquestionable did a fine job. Most of the time, and especially in the 2-Player mode, you see literally dozens of animated objects (sprites) on the screen without any noticeable slow-down, including bubbles, extras, and of course not forgetting the genuinely animated and drawn heroes and monsters. Watching Bub and Bob running around and looking up each time they're jumping is too cute and even the ''death-scene'' is lovely made, the dinos doing some somersaults Jumpman-style until they're finally hitting the ground, with comic-like dizzies. Same goes for the ''bad guys'', ghostly mages, Pac-Man-wannabe's, there's a large variety of them, and the general cuteness factor makes the game especially interesting for children. A real background graphic on the other hand is non-existant, namely pitch black, with the walls and floors as the actual background, which is not a really bad thing since a ''real'' one would most likely detract from the actual gameplay. Though only a few colours were used, the programmers created a nice pseudo-3D effect by effectively using the limited possibilities of the engine. As for the score table on the right, the simple Basic character map was used but that's not really important for the game itself. All in all, the variety of levels (a whole hundred) and sprites makes more than up for the mentioned shortcomings.
Music/FX: 7
One of the few C64 games where the special effects are more worth mentioning than the doodly background music. The sound effects fit the game very well, whether a monster is being killed, bonus extras are collected, or one of the heroes losing a life (backed by a short jingle) or the distinctive warning sound when Baron of Blubba appears, starting to chase you. The music itself is ok in its composition and technical performance but it is not catchy enough to keep you entertained for long and quickly becomes repetitive, especially in the heat of a 2-player battle, where you don't really recognize it anymore, but since it's an adaptation of the arcade original, there's no need to rant about it more than necessary.
Final Notes
Tricky, tricky. I mentioned earlier that this game would be especially suitable for kids. The difficulty level says something else, in other words, it's hard. If you happen to play this game alone, you'll probably agree. The first levels are pretty easy, but later on you stumble across some levels which quickly become frustrating for various reasons, they are either overpopulated by monsters (and some of them are moving around really fast, with the most dangerous ones even shooting projectiles at you), or the layout of the level makes it hard to escape sticky situations, for example if you drop ''down'' the warp hole, you'll sometimes find yourself in a place you cannot escape anymore, unless you're REALLY good in creating stairs with bubbles. All of these points especially apply if you´re on your own. The ''overwhelmed-by-monsters'' effect becomes a lot less of a problem when you're playing WITH a friend and not against him. Developing a special tactic for each level (after you've died for the 100th time) helps a lot and fairness is more rewarding than going your own way without caring about your companion.
Well, as in almost every other game, the 2-player mode is a lot more entertaining than playing this game alone. A healthy competition provided, it's just pure fun grabbing a valuable extra before the other player can reach it or helping your friend out of a hairy situation, with ''blasting'' support. On the other plus side, trying to solve all 100 levels is fairly motivating and finding all the extras and secrets will keep you occupied for a while. While the 1-player mode is actually more frustrating than boring, playing the game with a friend, though still hard enough on later levels, is the way to go. If you ever run across this well-made classic arcade game (the 16-bit conversions are also recommended), give it a try and invite a friend to come on over and bubble your way through the levels. As frustrating as it can be, the game principle and the 2-player mode makes more than up for the high difficulty level. Bub and Bob are waiting for you!
Reviewer's Score: 7/10 | Originally Posted: 04/10/03, Updated 05/02/04
Introduction
Welcome to the adventures of Bub and Bob, two little and lovely dinosaurs who are on their way to a strange world consisting of 100 caves filled with all kind of hazards in the form of (cute-looking) monsters, which is basically the whole background story behind the game, if there is any. Initially released in the arcades by Taito in 1986, Bubble Bobble quickly became a pretty popular game, most notably due to its nice 2-player mode, certainly popular enough to make its way to the various home conversions. This review covers the Commodore 64 port and I can guarantee that any fans of the big arcade brother won't be disappointed.
The Game
You, either as a sole custodian or alternatively together with a buddy (highly recommended), take control over one of the above mentioned little fellows whose goal is it to make their way through 99 screens, only to challenge the final (and only) boss in the 100th and last level. Each level, the respective numbers is indicated in the upper-left part of the ''ceiling'', consists of a single, non-scrolling screen with a distinctive design and content in structure, number and kind of monsters, etc. Almost each level features one or more ''warp holes'', gaps at ground level where you can drop in, only to fall out of the holes at the top of the screen. In most cases a nice short-cut, since our heroes are unable to fly and can only move up by jumping (and they cannot jump through a solid wall, as well as not being able to jump down again). To complete a level and proceed to the next one, you'll have to destroy every monster on the screen. To achieve this, you have control over a rather unusual weapon; Not a laser cannon, no machine gun, but a simple bubble breath! Yes that's right, Bub and Bob are able to spill bubbles as if they've swallowed tons of soap before. To eliminate an enemy, you'll need to hit it directly with a bubble to turn it into a harm- and helpless cocoon-like ball. Now's the time to touch the ball to make it disappear, leaving behind one of more than 30 different bonus items. Be warned though, the monster may escape from its temporary prison after a while, so if you don't reach the monster while it's still trapped, the fun starts again, which means that you'll have to hunt the monster down and catch it again via a bubble.
The bubble shot itself is actually a pretty neat feature and shouldn't be underestimated. Its (initial) range is fairly limited and you can only spill out so many bubbles at one time (and they won't stay on the screen for too long), but there's a lot you can do with your ability: Creating a bubble dead-end to prevent monsters from getting close to you, blocking the path of the other player to a nice extra, almost everything goes, though the most important thing to passively use the bubbles to your advantage is that you can use them as stairs to reach the higher points in a level which otherwise would remain inaccessible. As long as you land on a bubble from above, it won't burst and works like a solid structure unless it disappears after a while on its own. This method is crucial in levels where you don't have any warp-holes to jump in and no ''natural'' stairs to reach the higher platforms. And since some monsters tend to stay at the top of some levels...
Yeah, the monsters: They don't really deserve to be branded like that, and with the cuteness factor of the protagonists already being high, they're no exceptions from it, neither in appearance, nor in their names: Blubba, Boa-Boa, Boris, speaks for themselves. They're running or hovering around the screen, some of them randomly, some of them following you, some of them even shooting projectiles at the unaware player. If they get to you, the effect is always the same: You lose one of your precious lives. And while the game doesn't have an actual time limit per level, if you start dawdling around for too long, Baron of Blubba will appear, chasing you around the screen. Special trademark: The guy is invincible. A pretty good reason to hurry up in clearing a level.
But this game would only be half as interesting without the tons of featured extras; By eliminating a monster via ''bubble´n blast'', a bonus item will be revealed. At worst, stuff like the various vegetables only gives you some bonus points, but the magic items will actually make your life a bit easier. One lets you run faster, another one gives you a faster or wider range bubble shot or even a temporary fire breath. The ultimate extra floods the entire cave, killing all remaining meanies in the process, and if you happen to come across an umbrella, you'll be teleported a certain amount of levels right ahead, depending on the umbrella´s color. To top it all off, a super bonus level is also present and will be activated if you've collected enough letters to form the secret word. With all these extras around this (of course) creates a healthy competition if you're playing with (or against) a buddy in 2-player mode. And if you finally reach the 100th level (have fun on your way, it won't be easy), good luck for finding a good strategy against the jumbo-monster. Hope you're a true master in handling the blitz bubbles and creating some nice thunderstrucks!
As with most early arcade conversions, the controls are simple: Moving the joystick to the left or right will make your dino move in the respective direction, moving the joystick up will make the little bugger jump. Since you cannot jump down again, moving the joystick down won't do anything. Press the fire button to create a bubble, press it repeatedly to create lots of bubbles, unless you're in the possession of an extra which lets you burst out fireballs, killing an enemy instantly. Reaction time between the joystick command and the action on the screen is short, and if you complain about the slow movement of dinos, that lies in their nature.
Graphics: 8
Of course you can't compare the limited technical capabilities of an 8-bitter to a far more expensive arcade machine, but the programmers responsible for the C64 version unquestionable did a fine job. Most of the time, and especially in the 2-Player mode, you see literally dozens of animated objects (sprites) on the screen without any noticeable slow-down, including bubbles, extras, and of course not forgetting the genuinely animated and drawn heroes and monsters. Watching Bub and Bob running around and looking up each time they're jumping is too cute and even the ''death-scene'' is lovely made, the dinos doing some somersaults Jumpman-style until they're finally hitting the ground, with comic-like dizzies. Same goes for the ''bad guys'', ghostly mages, Pac-Man-wannabe's, there's a large variety of them, and the general cuteness factor makes the game especially interesting for children. A real background graphic on the other hand is non-existant, namely pitch black, with the walls and floors as the actual background, which is not a really bad thing since a ''real'' one would most likely detract from the actual gameplay. Though only a few colours were used, the programmers created a nice pseudo-3D effect by effectively using the limited possibilities of the engine. As for the score table on the right, the simple Basic character map was used but that's not really important for the game itself. All in all, the variety of levels (a whole hundred) and sprites makes more than up for the mentioned shortcomings.
Music/FX: 7
One of the few C64 games where the special effects are more worth mentioning than the doodly background music. The sound effects fit the game very well, whether a monster is being killed, bonus extras are collected, or one of the heroes losing a life (backed by a short jingle) or the distinctive warning sound when Baron of Blubba appears, starting to chase you. The music itself is ok in its composition and technical performance but it is not catchy enough to keep you entertained for long and quickly becomes repetitive, especially in the heat of a 2-player battle, where you don't really recognize it anymore, but since it's an adaptation of the arcade original, there's no need to rant about it more than necessary.
Final Notes
Tricky, tricky. I mentioned earlier that this game would be especially suitable for kids. The difficulty level says something else, in other words, it's hard. If you happen to play this game alone, you'll probably agree. The first levels are pretty easy, but later on you stumble across some levels which quickly become frustrating for various reasons, they are either overpopulated by monsters (and some of them are moving around really fast, with the most dangerous ones even shooting projectiles at you), or the layout of the level makes it hard to escape sticky situations, for example if you drop ''down'' the warp hole, you'll sometimes find yourself in a place you cannot escape anymore, unless you're REALLY good in creating stairs with bubbles. All of these points especially apply if you´re on your own. The ''overwhelmed-by-monsters'' effect becomes a lot less of a problem when you're playing WITH a friend and not against him. Developing a special tactic for each level (after you've died for the 100th time) helps a lot and fairness is more rewarding than going your own way without caring about your companion.
Well, as in almost every other game, the 2-player mode is a lot more entertaining than playing this game alone. A healthy competition provided, it's just pure fun grabbing a valuable extra before the other player can reach it or helping your friend out of a hairy situation, with ''blasting'' support. On the other plus side, trying to solve all 100 levels is fairly motivating and finding all the extras and secrets will keep you occupied for a while. While the 1-player mode is actually more frustrating than boring, playing the game with a friend, though still hard enough on later levels, is the way to go. If you ever run across this well-made classic arcade game (the 16-bit conversions are also recommended), give it a try and invite a friend to come on over and bubble your way through the levels. As frustrating as it can be, the game principle and the 2-player mode makes more than up for the high difficulty level. Bub and Bob are waiting for you!
Reviewer's Score: 7/10 | Originally Posted: 04/10/03, Updated 05/02/04
LaneRobertLane (Unknown) 23rd Mar 2013 04:46
(Anonymous) (Zzap! 64) 14th Dec 2008 08:29| Cheats | Trivia |
|---|---|
| There are no cheats on file for this title. | No trivia on file for this title. |
History
This title was first added on 19th February 2008
This title was most recently updated on 23rd March 2013