Top 50 Video Games: Number 35

#35: Bubble Bobble
System: Arcade
Publisher: Taito Corporation
Released: 1986
Players: 2


Think this might have been originally in Japanese???


Bubble Bobble is a guilty pleasure. It is unabashedly cute. It features little dinosuars named Bub and Bob. It's even got a bit of an anime look to it (I hate that.) And yet, back in the day it would not be uncommon to find me in Champions Arcade focused intently on my game of Bubble Bobble, occasionally pausing for the briefest of moments to sneak a sip of Dr Pepper between stages.

There's probably a story or something behind the game somewhere. Beats me. In this game, you control a cute little dinosaur who blows bubbles. He traps his enemies in those bubbles then pops them. There are various powerups that allow you to shoot faster, run faster, skip a few stages, etc. The game controls very smoothly and simply, though the gameplay becomes quite hard at higher levels. The player is often required to do a fair bit of planning before trying to defeat the enemies. I'd classify Bubble Bobble as part action game, part strategy. The tough part is that after a minute or two, you'll hear a sinister music clip play then all the enemies will go berserk and a skeletal whale thingy will chase you around until you clear the level.


CUTE.


The music is repetitive and syrupy cute. The same music track loops continuously throughout the entire game. The only time it ever changes is when you spell EXTEND and the hyperactive mega happy music plays. And while Bubble Bobble certainly is not long, it makes up for it by being challenging. I never finished the arcade game, but I know the excellent NES port had 113 levels. Bubble Bobble is really nuts for 2 players, though I rarely got the chance to play this game co-op. Bubble Bobble has since seen a few remakes and sequels which I have not touched. Bub and Bob did appear in Bust-A-Move 4 though - a fun puzzle game and a blast for head to head play. Byunga!!!