Classic Bubble Bobble

"Creative liberties provided by Metro3D."

One of the undelivered promises of the Game Boy Color was that it would become a portable NES. While a few classic 8-bit titles were brought to the system, none that I’ve played came out right. It’s like tossing a rabbit into a juicer and expecting it to be a rabbit when it comes out the other side (not suggesting anything here, kids). It is, technically, a rabbit: a non-functioning, puréed rabbit. That’s how this game can be labeled “Classic Bubble Bobble.” Expectations are so low for the portable wood chipper that anything half resembling the initial product will do. The sad thing is, they already had the perfect blueprint: the NES game. All they had to do was translate it with as few bangs and bruises as possible, but Metro3D felt they could “improve” upon the classic.

Bubble Bobble was one of those defining 8-bit games, that I was hoping to recapture the joys of on the GBC. It made little sense, but it had bright colors (!), a catchy theme song (!) and was a blast to play with a friend. As Bub or Bob, you would tackle a cave of monsters one screen at a time, shooting bubbles at them in attempt to trap them. In their saliva holding cells you could then smack the bubble with your disproportioned, little dinosaur body to bust it open, killing the enemy inside. The enemy would spiral and land as one of many bonuses, from a simple score booster to speedy shoes. While part arcade-style score chaser, the game had a few puzzling levels that required one man ingenuity or creative teamwork, hopping on bubbles to clear a towering wall, for instance.

It’s acceptable that the screen would need a little added girth to fit everything on a portable screen, as the sprites may have been a bit too small to render properly, or view. To get around this problem, they didn’t add inches on the side until it was fitted adequately enough: they added feet. Quadrupling the size of the playing field, the classic gameplay of Bubble Bobble isn’t so classic anymore. The levels take a lot of moving around, exploring the four corners until you’ve completed the level. Since you can’t see everything, there are enemies that may pop up and graze you unexpectedly as you scroll to a different portion of the screen. This also makes locating them a chore for the faster enemies, specifically those that fly, often out of reach.

Some levels appear familiar, albeit touched by Metro3D’s inverse Midas, but they don’t feel the same in these expanded surroundings. Other levels, like most of the game, are a result of Metro3D’s over inflated confidence in their abilities. New levels, like the free falling disaster, devoid of any platformers, perfectly display their imagination and coding ineptitude.

If you’re expecting the original Bubble Bobble, you will be disappointed. Not only has the gameplay and levels been retooled, it doesn’t even follow the same format. The original had a hundred levels give or take. Classic is only 60 levels long, but does toy with a few multiple paths and periodic bosses instead of the solitary one to try for more excitement in less time.

The classic feel of Bubble Bobble is mostly lost in this title. They should’ve stuck with the flavored designs of the first, concentrating on platform color, from stained glass to fluorescents that really stood out on the black backgrounds. Everything just looked more colorful with the contrasting, singular backdrop. Metro3D took the Bubble Bobble 2 and beyond approach by including dull background scenery that ultimately lessens the visual impact of the game. And since the screens are overly large, requiring scrolling, the backgrounds can have unsightly seams. Imagine scrolling down the screen, where you cross a line between tree trunks of a forest floor and the canopy below it. It just looks sloppy.

Fans of Bubble Bobble will be pleased to hear the original theme, but perhaps not enough. After each boss, the level designs change, and the music with it. So sometimes you’ll end up with something not deserving to be on the same cartridge as the original theme.

This really isn’t Classic Bubble Bobble and didn’t deserve the title. It would be more acceptable to call it a continuation of the series than throwing “classic” on the box to dupe a person into thinking they’re getting just that, the classic. Augmenting the playing field, Metro3D reinvented the game. They managed to take a healthy chunk of the fun out of it, and most importantly, playing co-op on a portable system is made for the rich (if this game even has a linking ability, which I somehow doubt). I finished it once, but I immediately sold it afterwards, turning a slight profit on it, so I can’t say I hate the “classic” too much. It's hard to hate Bub and Bob, no matter how tainted their adventure is.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/02, Updated 02/01/02