Bubble Bobble
Revolution is a 16-bit sequel for a 64-bit handheld. The game keeps the 2D,
jump-and-blast gameplay of the original, adding a few twists to make the
experience more modern.
The first
thing you’ll notice about the game is that it’s played across both of the
Nintendo DS’s screens. This is an intriguing feature shared by only a few
others, including Sonic Rush and Mario & Luigi 2. Exploring the bottom half of
the stage will have Bobblun (or Bubblun – both are playable) visible on the
bottom screen. Jump up a few platforms and you’ll appear on the top screen.
Screens change frequently during boss battles and the levels leading up to
bosses, leading to a lot of cross-eyed action.
Fans won’t be
surprised by the controls. They feel like any platformer of the 8- and 16-bit
eras. Movement is only limited by the design of each level, which has you
going up most of the time. Platform jumping is just what you’d expect. Bubbles
turn your enemies into balloons. Pop ’em (by jumping into them), and enemies
will leave behind a nice piece of fruit. Collect fruit to increase your point
total. It’s not necessary to finish the game, but let’s not forget about the
series’ roots. When it started, points were all anyone cared about.
Players can
blow roughly a dozen bobbles onto the screen at any given time. They’ll move
ahead a few feet, then float up into the air. Bubbles will float up
immediately after hitting the side of a platform – a strategy that’s important
to note when trying to reach a certain area, and also when trying to avoid
enemy attack. You can ride on top of bubbles by pressing and holding the jump
button. Bobblun will continue hopping until he reaches a platform, or until
the bubble bursts, whichever comes first. Enemies who get in the way can also
kill your chance of a long bubble ride.
Boss battles
are a challenge against the biggest enemies in the game. The first is a giant
mechanical thing that shoots multiple blasts in a 180-degree side angle. He
can fire from the front or back, and if you are near him when he does, the
attack will almost definitely make contact. That’s one life piece gone, and
you only have three. Bosses have several, and it’ll cost several bubbles to
take him down.
Just when you
think you’ve figured out his strategy, he starts to bum-rush Bubblun in an
attempt to thwart your blast-dodging skills. It’ll work, unless you see it
coming. It’s very difficult to jump over a blast, then jump a second time to
avoid touching the boss. He is impervious to jumps, but you will lose another
life piece for touching him – whether he was the one attacking or not.
Though there
is some fun to be had with the game, the "cross-eyed" nature of the action is
more frustrating than exciting. I encourage developers to use both screens,
but only when it enhances the experience in a cool, unique, and/or innovative
way. All it does here is give you another screen to look at. If the game had
been developed for a console, where only one screen is available, it would’ve
done what’s always been done: the camera pans up as you go up.
But it’s not
the screen changes that keep Bubble Bobble Revolution from living up to the
original. Stages are frustrating, not challenging. Turning enemies into
bubbles is easy. Getting to them, however, can be a royal pain. There are some
levels where you’ll have to more or less jump in between a platform and two
walls to get through to where an enemy is located. Doing this is the only way
to finish the stage, and this part of the mission goal is never made clear.
It’s a trial-and-error sort of thing.
Only a
diligent player would stick that out. Others will get bored wondering what the
heck they’re supposed to do next in a sequel to a game that was very simple
and straightforward. The original Bubble Bobble drew a lot of casual
players. That’s not who these frustrations cater to. Ghost bubbles replicate
your character and allow you to teleport to other locations, alleviating some
of these issues. But the game does not attempt to explain how this works (a
simple message saying, “press the R button to teleport,” would have
accomplished a lot).
Bubble Bobble
Revolution needed to be different, more expansive, and take advantage of at
least one of the Nintendo DS’s unique features in order to get noticed. It
does a decent job in some areas. I hope that if another Revolution is in the
making, the challenge is more straightforward, and the stages are more like
the original.
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Gameplay: 6.0
The original
still rocks, and is included with Revolution as a bonus. They could’ve made
better use of the top screen (it’s used to display the title – what a waste of
battery life!), but the gameplay is pure classic fun.
Bubble Bobble
Revolution, the new mode, is a more modern version of the first. Levels are
bigger, take longer to beat, and have a greater variety of enemies, including
bosses. It’s also frustrating, an element not present in the original.
Graphics: 5.0
With the
exception of the dual-screen play, a feature only the Nintendo DS can offer,
Bubble Bobble Revolution could’ve been made for any other system, even the
Game Boy Advance. Its graphics are about what you would’ve gotten from the
SNES. They’re not awful, but they won’t impress too many players either.
Sound: 6.0
Decent (but
repetitive) music tracks that increase in tempo as the action intensifies.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You’d think
a game like Bubble Bobble Revolution – with only a half-dozen enemies, only a
few control actions, and a basic platform level design – would be easy. But
it’s more often frustrating than anything else. Sure, part of the challenge is
supposed to be figuring out how to get close enough to an enemy destroy, or
how to defeat a relentless boss. Meanwhile, other games include tutorials that
say the top button on the D-pad means “up.” Either you get a game that’s
frustrating and confusing, as is the case here, or one that’s dummied down.
Couldn’t we instead have more games that fall somewhere in between?
Concept: 7.0
Dual-screen
play, new bubble techniques, and new boss battles. Bubble Bobble Revolution is
conceptually sound (except for the microphone fan-blowing – that blows),
but it’s not quite a revolution.
Multiplayer: 6.0
Multi-card
play isn’t user- (or trial-) friendly. Players will have to take a chance on
the game before knowing whether or not they’re going to enjoy the multiplayer
experience, and that’s never a good thing. Some games have too much data to be
sent from one DS to the next. But I can’t imagine that’s the case here, not
when several graphic-intensive 3D titles (like Mario Kart) allow for
single-card play.
Overall: 6.0
Bubble
Bobble Revolution is a fun game that’s worth buying just for a handheld
version of the original. However, if you still have it for the NES, you might
want to try before buying. The new game is frustrating, repetitive, and not as
memorable as the first. It’s a step forward – a direct rehash of the original
would not have been cool. But some series take time to evolve. For now, the
original Bubble Bobble is still the best.
