Bubble Bobble

Who would have believed that two colorful dinosaurs who love to eat everything in sight and blow bubbles would become a worldwide arcade hit. When Taito released Bubble Bobble to arcades in 1986 that’s exactly what happened.

Bubble Bobble follows the story of Bub and Bob who have to traverse 100 levels to save their girlfriends from the evil Sorcerer. In this platform game you use bubbles as a means to trap the various enemies onscreen and then pop them turning them into tasty treats such as fruit and candy. Each level is designed differently, but the objective remains the same. In addition to busting bubbles you can collect lettered bubbles to spell out “Extend” to gain and additional life and eat special candy to increase your movement and bubble speed.

There are many different types of bubbles in the game including water, lighting and fire which turn the enemies into different treats that ear points. Of course eating is a big part of the game which is why there are over 30 different foods and items in the game.

Bubble Bobble was wildly popular because it appealed to both boys and girls and two people could play together at the same time. While it was true the cutesy music and colorful levels might have turned away some most found the gameplay fun and addictive. The music itself had a lot to do with the success. The never ending theme remains in player’s heads forever and only changes when you take too long to complete a level.

Bubble Bobble was ported to many computer and console systems and for the most part the ports remained true to the original. You can find it today on consoles such as the Wii and online in flash version.

I personally loved this game though there were times my mother would hear the “girl-like” (her words) music and walk in questioning why I was playing that game. I could only tell her was it is fun which led to a strange look on her way out. Over-Clock remix hosts several cool remixes of the main theme song as well. Pretty much everything about Bubble Bobble was addicting.

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