Bubble Bobble
| Bubble Bobble | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Year of Release | 1986 |
| Platform(s) | Arcade machine with many later ports |
| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | Taito, Romstar |
Bubble Bobble is a platform video game developed by Taito and published by both Taito and Romstar. It was originally released in 1986 as an arcade machine, but has since been ported to a large number of systems.
Plot
Gameplay
The game consists of 100 levels, each of which consists of a single screen. On this screen is a number of platforms and a number of creatures. Players take control of a dinosaur which can move left and right around the level, and can also jump. The dinosaur starts each level in the bottom-left corner of the screen, however in two-player mode the second player begins in the bottom-right corner. Players are able to jump through platforms in an upwards direction in order to move higher up within the level, however they must fall in order to move down the screen. At the bottom of most screens are gaps, and falling through these gaps will take the player to the top of the screen. The creatures also move around the screen following similar rules, however only some of them can jump. Should the player touch a creature at any point then they will die, lose a life and be returned to their starting position.
In order to complete a level the player must kill all of the creatures and there are two ways to do this. The simplest, but most difficult, way to do this is to press the fire button when directly next to the creature. This will 'bite' the creature and it will die, however it requires precise timing otherwise the creature will touch the player. The more common method is to use the dinosaur's bubble breath. When the player presses the fire button the dinosaur will shoot a bubble for a short distance. If this bubble hits a creature before it comes to a stop then it will capture the creature within the bubble. The player can then pop the bubble causing the creature to die.
Once bubbles have reached the end of their firing range they enter a predefined movement path which varies from level to level. All bubbles follow this path, whether they are full or empty. Also on some levels bubbles will appear from the edges of the screen, and these also follow these paths. After existing for a certain amount of time a bubble will pop on its own, and should it contain a creature the creature will be released however it will now be 'angry'. Angry creatures can be distinguished from other creatures by their red colour, and they move at approximately double the speed of all other creatures. Once there is only one creature left, this creature also becomes angry.
Bubbles can be popped by the player in a number of ways. The dinosaurs have spikes on their backs, and if a bubble floats into these spikes the bubble will pop. The player can also jump into the bubble in such a way as the spikes touch it, or they can jump on top of the bubble in order to pop it. Should the player move into a bubble in a forwards motion they will push the bubble, and pushing a bubble into a wall is another way to pop a bubble.
Each level has two time limits. Once the first time limit has expired the words "Hurry Up!" will flash onto the screen, the music will change and all of the remaining creatures become angry. Once the second time limit has expired a sound effect will appear and one Baron von Blubba creature will appear for each player that is alive. These creatures move in a precise, predictable fashion that chases the player and cannot be killed. When a player dies their Baron von Blubba will disappear, all of the creatures will stop being angry, and the time limits will restart.