Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble

NES - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Taito Publisher Taito Published 1986-06-16 Platforms Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy, Game Gear, Master System, MSX2, NES, ZX Spectrum Genres Action, Elimination platformer, Single-screen, Platform shooter, Platformer, Shooter Themes Cartoon Series Bubble Bobble Multiplayer Simultaneous co-op Distribution Commercial

Bubble Bobble is a single-screen action game developed and published by Taito, originally in the arcade on 1986-06-16, and then ported to over a dozen platforms.

Personal

Own?	No.
Won?	Yes. I have beaten the single-player bad ending on the NES port.
Finished	1990s.

I first saw Bubble Bobble in an NES strategy guide, and, from a screenshot I assumed the end boss was on level 50. Only later, after playing the game with the daughter of one of my mother's clients, did I realize that the end boss was on level 100, and it was his hit points that I was reading which replace the level in the display. We didn't beat the game then, but I later borrowed the game from a friend and beat it in single player mode. Although I like the general idea of the game, I now find it to be quite dull.

Review

3	4	4	4	3

Best Version: Arcade

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The dinosaur kids, Bub and Bob, are both cute characters for the game, and many of the monsters are also adorable enemies.
• The main music theme is quite hummable.
• Several of the levels have a creative layout that not only look cool, but take advantage of the game engine.
• The NES and Game Boy manuals are quite comprehensive.

Bad

• The sound gets pretty annoying pretty quickly.
• For a game that is so easy, the end boss is especially difficult.
• The UK computer manuals are awful.

Ugly

• The game is highly repetitive. After only a few minutes, you've seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. It would be better paced at about 30 levels.
• To get the "true ending," you need to beat the game to get a code, then enter the code at the title screen and beat the game in hard mode without dying once, a ridiculous expectation.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The North American Romstar marquee is a mess. Bub and Bob are quite malformed and, although the typeface is interesting, the extremely busy background and red-on-black makes it hard to read.

• 

  This alternate marquee is much better, featuring a properly drawn Bub and Bob and the in-game logo.

• 

  The Japanese Famicom Disk System art features the adorable duo surrounded by the game's various enemies trapped in bubbles and the arcade logo. Great drawings individually, but they don't form a coherent image.

• 

  This box was used for European computer releases (Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum). It uses the FDS art with slightly different layouts for different platforms.

• 

  The MSX2 art is the same as the FDS art with minor changes to make it taller.

• 

  The North American and European NES and Game Boy art has Bub and Bob riding a giant bubble, with attacking enemies being trapped in bubbles and turning into fruit. Fantastic art which shows off the game, the only downside is that Bub and Bob aren't as cute as the Japanese versions.

• 

  This box was used for American computer releases (Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS). It's awfully bland, just the logo with a bunch of bubbles with cartoon objects in them. Several of the objects don't even relate to the game at all.

• 

  The Japanese Master System has entirely unique art which depicts a 3D scene where Bub and Bob are being attacked by various enemies. This is wonderful art and really gives you a feel for the game. It's my favorite box.

• 

  Each US computer release also saw a cheaper cardboard foldout which used the NES box art.

• 

  The European Master System uses the FDS art, only with the yellow backdrop replaced with the Master System's trademark grid.

• 

  Game Gear was one of the few releases that saw unique art, and it's one of the best. My only critique is that everything looks a bit too bizarre.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - Arcade - USA.

• 

  Instructions - Arcade - USA.

• 

  Schematics - Arcade - USA.

• 

  Manual - Amiga / Atari ST - USA.

• 

  Manual - Amiga / Atari ST - USA - Hit Squad

• 

  Manual - NES - USA.

• 

  Manual - NES - USA - Digital.

• 

  Manual - Computers - Europe.

• 

  Manual - Master System - Japan.

• 

  Manual - Master System - Europe.

• 

  Manual - Game Boy - USA.

• 

  Comic - USA.

• 

  Nintendo Power - 1988-11 - Video Shorts.

• 

  Flyer - Arcade - UK.

• 

  Advertisement - NES - USA.

• 

  Advertisement - Taito.

Maps

• 

  Arcade.

• 

  NES.

• 

  Master System.

Graphic Sheets

• 

  Arcade sprite sheet.

Videos

Review - NES Boy Works.

Review - Game Boy Works.

Longplay, Amiga - Happy ending.

Longplay, Amstrad CPC - Happy ending.

Longplay, Arcade - Happy ending.

Longplay, Atari ST - Happy ending.

Longplay, Commodore 64 - Happy ending.

Longplay, Famicom Disk System - Bad ending.

Longplay, Game Boy - Happy ending.

Longplay, Game Gear - Happy ending.

Longplay, Master System - Happy ending.

Longplay, MS-DOS - Happy ending.

Longplay, MSX2 - Happy ending.

Longplay, NES - Happy ending.

Longplay, ZX Spectrum.

Play Online

Amiga, Arcade, Commodore 64, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy (Japan), Game Boy (USA), Game Gear, Master System, MS-DOS, MSX2, NES (Europe), NES (USA)

Representation

Strong female character?	Fail	The only females are a damsels in distress.
Bechdel test?	Fail	No women speak.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	The cartoons, all the characters appear white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	Bubble Bobble
Japanese	バブルボブル	Baburu Boburu	Bubble Bobble

Links