Bubble Bobble
| Bubble Bobble | |
|---|---|
Promotional US flyer for the original arcade iteration of Bubble Bobble
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| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | Taito |
| Distributor(s) | Romstar (US) |
| Designer(s) | Fukio Mitsuji |
| Composer(s) | Tadashi Kimijima |
| Series | Bubble Bobble |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, various |
| Release date(s) | August 1986 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade, comical action platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Main CPUs: 2× Z80 (6MHz), Z80 (3MHz), M6801 (1MHz) |
| Sound | Sound CPU: YM2203 (3MHz), YM3526 (3MHz) |
| Display | Raster, standard resolution 256×224 (horizontal), 256 colors |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |
  (NES)
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| CVG | 27/30 |
| Crash | 90% |
| EGM | 7.75/10 (GG) |
| Sinclair User | 8/10 |
| Your Sinclair | 90% |
| The Games Machine | 93% |
| Zzap!64 | 97% (C64) |
| Award | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Award |
| Zzap!64 | Gold Medal |
Bubble Bobble (バブルボブル Baburu Boburu?) 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. Other items, such as umbrellas, allow to skip numerous levels, moving closer to the final level. The game became popular and led to a long series of sequels and spin-offs. The main goal of the game is to rescue Bub and Bob's girlfriends from the Cave of Monsters. It is an early example of an action game with multiple endings, which depend on the player's performance and discovery of secrets.
In the game's plot, "Baron Von Blubba" has kidnapped the brothers Bubby and Bobby's girlfriends and turned the brothers into Bubble Dragons, Bub and Bob. Bub and Bob have to finish 100 levels in the Cave of Monsters in order to rescue them.
In the game, each player controls one of the two dragons. Players can move along platforms, fall to lower ones, and jump to higher ones and over gaps. Each level is limited to a single screen, with no scrolling; however, if a screen has gaps in its bottom edge, players can fall through these and reappear at the top. Each level has a certain number of enemies that must be defeated in order to advance. The players must blow bubbles to trap the enemies, then burst these bubbles by colliding with them. Each enemy defeated in this manner turns into a food item that can be picked up for extra points. Defeating multiple enemies at once awards higher scores and causes more valuable food items to appear. 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. Special bubbles occasionally appear that can be burst to attack enemies with fire, water, or lightning. Furthermore, if a player collects letter bubbles to form the word EXTEND, he/she earns a bonus life and both players immediately advance to the next level.
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Wikipedia