"A relatively unknown gem"

Parasol Stars is one of the four Bubble Bobble games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is quite rare, and few people have heard of it. Parasol Stars is the third Bubble Bobble games in the series and is focused on Bub and Bob in their human forms.

Graphics 5/10
The graphics in Parasol Stars may be considered good, but the fact this game was made in 1991 means they should be better. They are a bit pixilated and aren't very sharp. The colors don't seem to go with each other and the sprites aren't too detailed. Compared to Bubble Bobble 2 which was released shortly after this game, the graphics are nothing more than mediocre.

Music/Sound 3/10
The music was annoying and repetitive. The tune was the same one over and over again. It also wasn't a catchy tune. If it had only been as catchy as the original Bubble Bobble's music it would've been OK. The sound wasn't very good either. The music and sound try to be cheerful, but they fail to reach their goal.

Control 8/10
The controls for the game are a little awkward. You get used to it after a while. The controls suit the game nicely, and there are no evident problems with it. The controls were fine.

Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay was unique. It has a much more Bubble Bobble feel to it than Rainbow Islands did. The game focuses on using parasols and shooting enemies or water droplets at other enemies. The levels aren't vertical like in Rainbow Islands. The enemies are similar to the original Bubble Bobble. The only thing I didn't like about the gameplay was the fact that it was a bit easy. Other than that, it plays well and is fun.

Sequel Factor 8/10
After playing the original Bubble Bobble and loving it, this game is decent. It's similar to the Super Mario Brothers Series. The first Super Mario Brothers was great. Super Mario Brothers 2 was good, but had a totally different game style than the original. Super Mario Brothers 3 was more similar to the original than the second. Bubble Bobble was similar in the fact that Parasol Stars plays a lot more like Bubble Bobble than Rainbow Islands. However, I would have preferred that Parasol Stars been more similar to the original. I guess that is what Bubble Bobble 2 is for.

Overall 8/10
If you loved Bubble Bobble and want to try a similar game, play Parasol Stars. It's a great game worthy of more recognition than it currently has. (On a side note, I have heard that the game does not work on a side loader. I was unable to test this as I currently only have a top loader. If you are having trouble getting the game to work, it may be for this reason.)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/15/03