Rainbow Islands Extra

"An 8-bit game stuffed into a Genesis cart"

Rainbow Islands was one of the most popular games on the 8-bit platform; the Genesis incarnation was only released in Japan and is one of the rarest games on the system. Dubbed Rainbow Islands - The story of Bubble Bobble 2, the cartridge includes an extra version taken from the arcade follow up to this game.

Fans of Bubble Bobble need not get excited though; this game has no likeness to its predecessors whatsoever. Gone are the scores of static screened levels, the cute bubble-blowing dragons and the great two-player mode. Enter a single player climb-a-thon cuter than a shop full of teddies. Welcome a rainbow throwing, dungaree clad boy with a mop of ginger hair and an expression like he’s just been kicked between the legs. Fans of Bubble Bobble may be disappointed, but in all honesty, how far could the game go? A change of level designs and enemy characters maybe – no, a new concept is better, but how does this fare?

Our cross-eyed little hero must traverse seven islands collecting a coloured gem from each one in turn. Each island has its own theme, which the scenery and the enemies adhere to. The first island for instance is Insect Island – inhabited with ladybirds, bees, caterpillars and spiders. Progression through the game will take you to islands containing toys, robots, monsters and finally dragons. Best of all is Doh Island, taken from the classic Arkanoid games; complete with the variety of floating aliens that once deflected your ball.

Abandoning the traditional left to right scrolling format, the aim of each level is to reach the summit via a series of platforms avoiding the enemies en route, simple yet surprisingly tricky. Enemies pester you from all directions hindering your progress, not to mention the danger of falling to lower levels by misinterpreting platforms. Tension is added by rising water, incited by hanging around too long - a similar concept to the devil character from Bubble Bobble, which chases you around the screen. To aid you are the rainbows that the little guy throws - get used to these, as they are a critical part of the game. As in the prequel, the characters projectile has more than one use, in this instance, many more. Your rainbows have two common uses, disposing of enemies and as a bridge to reach higher ledges. They can also be used to gather out-of-reach items simply by firing the rainbow into them – useful for tricky situations where movement is impractical. Mastering your rainbows is an essential key if you wish to conquer all of the islands.

The game even tries to make you use your rainbows more cleverly too by awarding you with bigger bonuses for your trouble. When you jump onto a rainbow, it will crumble into dust. Any monster caught in the dust will be felled as usual but will drop a more valuable item. Certain items can award extra lives and even teleport you to the next island! Its up to you to find that secret though – but it is fairly obvious. Rainbows can also be powered up by collecting various potions. Red potions add another rainbow to the amount you fire up to a maximum of three and the orange kind increase the rate at which you fire them.

Anyone familiar with the other versions of this game will soon realise that the Genesis adaptation is graphically the same. While cute and colourful enough, (maybe even too colourful for some) there is no mistaking the 8-bit quality to everything. Simple backdrops such as ovular white clouds set against a plain pale blue sky set the tone for Insect Island, and indeed, most of the others. The foregrounds, mainly consisting of basic platforms, do change according to the theme of the island, adding most of the variation the game. The only other real deviation is the enemies themselves, and the change is quite welcome due to this detail. The transformation from the insects of the first island, to the tanks and planes of Combat Island gives a fair sense of progression, and reasonably continues to do so through to the end. Toning up the visuals a little might have given an opportunity for a little deviation between islands and in turn, adding a the sense of progression sorely missed.

Underneath its cute, childish looks however, Rainbow Islands is a title that even the most hardened gamer will find challenging. Once you have passed the first couple of islands, there is an immediate increase in the difficulty level. Admittedly the character can sometimes be difficult to control due to his weak jump and ability to manoeuvre in the air; this also intensifies when the enemies become faster as the game progresses. No enjoyment is lost however, you just need to get used to the limitations of the characters movements.

The game adopts the same piece of music throughout each level only breaking between levels and for bosses. An electronic sample of July Garland’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow” sped up and repeated over. It’s not all as bad as it sounds, though admittedly, a break every now and again is quite welcome.

The extra ‘version’ contained within the cartridge is merely just a more challenging variation to the original game. The island themes change along with the monsters that occupy them, the level layouts stay the same. The cause of the increase in difficulty is solely due to the monsters; they have become more intelligent and move in ways unlike anything in the original game. Firstly they seem to move faster than before and then they seem to follow you, climb above them and some will jump up the platforms in pursuit. Others will emit smaller enemies increasing the on-screen threat, it all adds up to a much more challenging game – possibly for the diehard fans, or those who master the original mode.

While lacking any real impairment, Rainbow Islands could hardly be described as perfect. For starters, it barely pushes the Genesis – maybe why it was so uncommon. An eight-bit game stuffed into a Genesis cartridge, hoping to sell on its past glories. This game was a hit on the Spectrum after all! The repetition is also a major gripe, and one that could turn a few casual platform gamers off. As previously mentioned, there is little difference between islands, leaving the whole game lacking development, pretty much an arcade title through and through.

So, Rainbow Islands will just about appeal to any gamer with a penchant for platformers, especially those who like a challenge. The game may not be as beautiful as those starring Mickey Mouse, but you can finish those in a day or two. It may not have the sheer brilliance of the Sonic games, but fans will have played them to death anyway. For something a little bit different, that substitutes graphics for gameplay, you can do far worse than Rainbow Islands - if you can get hold of it.

Overall - 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/15/03, Updated 01/15/03