"Bubble Bobble" (Famicom Disk System)

When you hear the game title Bubble Bobble, it's hard not to think of the puzzle-laden bubble-shooting arcade game. However, I wanted to get back to the past and see what the original was like, in this case, the Nintendo Famicom Disk System.

Besides the cute music, and the sharp, responsive controls, the game is very simple to play. The A button gets your character, Bub, to jump, and the B button get Bub to cast bubbles toward your target. The goal is to get your enemies encased in bubbles; You can then headbutt them or jump on them to turn them into prizes which are worth points. Although you may not have enough time to get all the prizes you get for eliminating the enemies, you at least advance to the next round immediately.

As you advance, the stages get increasingly difficult with more enemies added. Also, if you're lucky enough to snatch an umbrella, it advances you 5 levels ahead from your current stage! The holes at the bottom? Fortunately, if you fall into them, it brings you back from the top and back onto the stage area. Overall, it's a very forgiving game, so all you need to worry about is wiping out anything and everything that moves. Make sure the enemies don't touch you!

All I can say is....I wish I could have a second chance. I doubt I may be able to beat the entire game, but it's a goal most of us have when playing video games isn't it? Anyway, here's my gameplay:



Not bad, but I obviously could do better.

It's a very straight-forward game—eliminate anything that moves while collecting as much points as you can, then move on to the next phase. Make your run to level 99 and you encounter a boss. Defeat him and you completed the game! Don't look at me, I wasn't even close to level 20.

This game can get tougher and tougher, but it's a fun and classic one at that. It's a series that many people easily forget about, but remains at the heart of classic video gaming. Take the challenge and play some Bubble Bobble!

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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