Bubble Bobble is an arcade comical action platformer video game by Taito, first released in 1986 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. The game, starring the twin Bubble Dragons Bub and Bob, tasks players with travelling through one hundred stages, blowing and bursting bubbles,...
Bubble Bobble is an arcade comical action platformer video game by Taito, first released in 1986 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. The game, starring the twin Bubble Dragons Bub and Bob, tasks players with travelling through one hundred stages, blowing and bursting bubbles, jumping on and off blown bubbles to navigate level obstacles, dodging and eliminating enemies, and collecting a variety of items including some that carry 'power ups' and significant bonuses. For example, some wrapped candies allow Bub and Bob to move faster, blow bubbles faster, and blow bubbles at greater distances. All bubbles will float for a certain length of time before bursting on their own; players can jump on these and ride them to otherwise inaccessible areas. Magic items appear from time to time and grant special abilities and advantages when picked up. Enemies turn "angry"—turning pink in color and moving faster—if they escape from a bubble after being left too long or the players spend a certain amount of time on the current level. Completing Level 100 in single-player mode reveals a message stating that the game has not truly ended and a hint to the player: "Come here with your friend." If two players complete the game, they see a "Happy End," in which the brothers are transformed to their human selves and reunited with their girlfriends. The Master System version is noted for having two hundred levels and is considered one of the best conversions available. Of the original 8 and 16 bit ports, the NES and Game Boy oNES were made by Taito themselves. Fortunately, having worked on the BBC Micro and Mystery of the Nile, I wasn't averse to using software sprites.