I’ve always loved Bubble Bobble. It was one of the first truly memorable games that I played on my Commodore 64 at the tender age of 6 or 7. I would spend hours trying to complete the game but with 100 levels and no way of saving, it never really happened. I’d always run out of lives by the time I reached the mid 60s. It was made all the more fun by the fact my Mum loved playing it with me and she wasn’t bad at it either. We’ve continued to play it over the years thanks to a very good conversion of it for the Playstation 1 despite the inconvenience of having to hook up the system every time. So when Bubble Bobble Neo arrived on the Xbox Live Marketplace, I had high hopes for reliving my childhood memories of the game and it very nearly is a decent conversion.
For the uninitiated, Bubble Bobble is a fun little platform game. You are Bub (or Bob), people who have been turned into dragons that can blow magical bubbles to trap their enemies. You may well have seen the characters in the likes of the Puzzle Bobble series which they’re also very well known for. Each level of Bubble Bobble is a single screen full of platforms and enemies, the object being simply to clear the screen of enemies to move onto the next level. To clear an enemy you must trap it in a bubble then jump on it, simple stuff I’m sure you’ll agree.
Chances are that if you’re a fan of the game, you’ve bought this for the sake of the Arcade mode. It offers just what you would expect with all 100 levels from the original. It’s unfortunate however that it all feels slightly wrong. Jumping in particular felt slightly different from the past conversions. At times it just felt a little too finicky with pixel perfect jumps often required at times when I’m sure things were a bit simpler in the past. In particular once you reach Level 72, there’s a jump so awkward and precise that you are guaranteed to think the level is buggy simply because it seems so unfair compared to previous levels. Somewhat oddly unlimited continues also seem to have been provided making it far too easy to traverse all the levels (although of course be driven insane by Level 72!).
There are two extra modes besides the Arcade mode, versus and arrange mode. Both of these options allow up to four players assuming you have four controllers, as there is no online multiplayer functionality. The arrange mode is a particularly nice twist to see as it offers 100 new levels and the ability to shoot bubbles diagonally. I certainly enjoyed it but it didn’t quite have the magic of the original, although I suspect much of this was down to the disappointment of a poor Arcade conversion. Arrange mode also still suffers from some slightly flaky controls too.
It’s disappointing to see a game be so close to a great conversion and yet not quite manage it as I was desperately hoping for a Pac-Man: Championship Edition style reboot. However it seems it wasn’t to be and instead this package is just a little disappointing. It also makes it hard to know who to recommend this to. Fans of the game will be disappointed that it hasn’t lived up to their expectations, while newcomers will probably find the game very dated and unappealing. It’s certainly worth a look for 800 points but perhaps not as essential a purchase as it could have been if it wasn’t for some niggly bugs.
VideogameUK verdict: 7/10
