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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Puzzle Developer: Marvelous Interactive Publisher: Ignition Entertainment |
Many people have been fans of the “Bubble Bobble” series since it first made its way to the NES over twenty years ago. Over the past
two decades there have been a countless number of versions of the “Bubble Bobble” franchise going across many different consoles.
For those that have been hoping for the original platforming elements of the original games to return will be pleased to know that the
latest release for the series “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” returns to its roots, but something feels out of place with this trip down
memory lane with the “Bubble Bobble” series.
The basic premise of the “Bubble Bobble” series is very simple, and this time around isn’t any different. Players take control of cute
little dinosaurs, Bub, Bob and Bubu, that can blow bubbles that are used to capture enemies. Once players captured an enemy in a
bubble they can simply pop the bubble in order to destroy the enemy. When players clear all of the enemies from a stage they are able
to move on to the next stage. Every stage is a simple stationary level with assorted designs for the layout that make sure that players
never get bored. The designs range from simple block patterns, but some of them are designed based off of the items that are in the
game, ranging from characters in the game to fruit that can be collected. All of these elements can be found in almost every game in
the franchise released to this point.
This time around players get some updated features, some that are completely unique to this game and some functions that have been
built upon the functionality of the Nintendo DS. In “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” players can switch between the three different
characters at anytime by simply by pressing the left or right buttons. The color of the dinosaur being used will determine which color the
bubble it blows will be. The color of the bubble impacts certain enemies encountered during the game that can only be captured with a
specific colored bubble.
These enemies that require a specific colored bubble to be captured can be recognized by the colored star that circles them that
represents the character and bubble that needs to be used to capture them. There also some enemies in the game that requires a
combination of two different colored bubbles in order to be captured. Other features include special power-ups including Thunder,
Water and Fire that can be used during boss battles. Star bubbles let players destroy all of the enemies or bubbles of a single stage.
Players can also enhance the Star bubbles by blowing two different colored bubbles to create Extend bubbles. Each Extend bubble will
produce a letter and if players capture all of the letters they earn an extra life.
The Nintendo DS features of the game center on three mini-games that allow players to continue the game once they have run out of
lives. The Draw mini-game has players spinning a wheel to produce enough bubbles to continue the game. The Escape mini-game
has players pressing the touch screen to tap the dinosaur’s feet to run away from danger. Finally, the Match-Up game is a simple
game of matching the correct bubbles to the pattern on the screen. The mini-games seem to be used to distract players from the game’
s shortcomings.
There are two main drawbacks to “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” compared to other classic games in the “Bubble Bobble” franchise.
The first problem that many players may notice is the fact that there is no save option in the game. The only thing that is stored in the
memory is the player’s name. Players will have to make sure that they have a lot of time when starting the game because they are in for
a long haul if they want to try to beat the game.
The other issue with the game can be considered a two-part problem. The graphics and the game play leave the player wanting more.
First of all the graphics are a little too small for the Nintendo DS screen. Once the screen is completely filled with bubbles and enemies
it becomes difficult to see the player’s character and the items in the game. The game play issue is connected to the graphics since
the game play can really pick up to a frantic pace. When enemies are scattered all over the stage and are moving at an extremely fast
pace, it can be hard to figure out where the enemies are on the screen.
Overall, “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” is a great game for those that are just looking for a game to sit down and enjoy. With this game it
can be quite easy to overlook some of the parts of the game that are lacking because most players won’t make it far enough to see the
extreme speeds. For those that are the hardcore players, the issues within the game will affect them, but it shouldn’t completely turn
them away. Sure the game has a lot of the same charm that it had when it was first released and offers the same amount of challenge
due to the lack of saving. This is a game for “Bubble Bobble” fans and those that want an entertaining game, but for others, this may be
a letdown.
two decades there have been a countless number of versions of the “Bubble Bobble” franchise going across many different consoles.
For those that have been hoping for the original platforming elements of the original games to return will be pleased to know that the
latest release for the series “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” returns to its roots, but something feels out of place with this trip down
memory lane with the “Bubble Bobble” series.
The basic premise of the “Bubble Bobble” series is very simple, and this time around isn’t any different. Players take control of cute
little dinosaurs, Bub, Bob and Bubu, that can blow bubbles that are used to capture enemies. Once players captured an enemy in a
bubble they can simply pop the bubble in order to destroy the enemy. When players clear all of the enemies from a stage they are able
to move on to the next stage. Every stage is a simple stationary level with assorted designs for the layout that make sure that players
never get bored. The designs range from simple block patterns, but some of them are designed based off of the items that are in the
game, ranging from characters in the game to fruit that can be collected. All of these elements can be found in almost every game in
the franchise released to this point.
This time around players get some updated features, some that are completely unique to this game and some functions that have been
built upon the functionality of the Nintendo DS. In “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” players can switch between the three different
characters at anytime by simply by pressing the left or right buttons. The color of the dinosaur being used will determine which color the
bubble it blows will be. The color of the bubble impacts certain enemies encountered during the game that can only be captured with a
specific colored bubble.
These enemies that require a specific colored bubble to be captured can be recognized by the colored star that circles them that
represents the character and bubble that needs to be used to capture them. There also some enemies in the game that requires a
combination of two different colored bubbles in order to be captured. Other features include special power-ups including Thunder,
Water and Fire that can be used during boss battles. Star bubbles let players destroy all of the enemies or bubbles of a single stage.
Players can also enhance the Star bubbles by blowing two different colored bubbles to create Extend bubbles. Each Extend bubble will
produce a letter and if players capture all of the letters they earn an extra life.
The Nintendo DS features of the game center on three mini-games that allow players to continue the game once they have run out of
lives. The Draw mini-game has players spinning a wheel to produce enough bubbles to continue the game. The Escape mini-game
has players pressing the touch screen to tap the dinosaur’s feet to run away from danger. Finally, the Match-Up game is a simple
game of matching the correct bubbles to the pattern on the screen. The mini-games seem to be used to distract players from the game’
s shortcomings.
There are two main drawbacks to “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” compared to other classic games in the “Bubble Bobble” franchise.
The first problem that many players may notice is the fact that there is no save option in the game. The only thing that is stored in the
memory is the player’s name. Players will have to make sure that they have a lot of time when starting the game because they are in for
a long haul if they want to try to beat the game.
The other issue with the game can be considered a two-part problem. The graphics and the game play leave the player wanting more.
First of all the graphics are a little too small for the Nintendo DS screen. Once the screen is completely filled with bubbles and enemies
it becomes difficult to see the player’s character and the items in the game. The game play issue is connected to the graphics since
the game play can really pick up to a frantic pace. When enemies are scattered all over the stage and are moving at an extremely fast
pace, it can be hard to figure out where the enemies are on the screen.
Overall, “Bubble Bobble Double Shot” is a great game for those that are just looking for a game to sit down and enjoy. With this game it
can be quite easy to overlook some of the parts of the game that are lacking because most players won’t make it far enough to see the
extreme speeds. For those that are the hardcore players, the issues within the game will affect them, but it shouldn’t completely turn
them away. Sure the game has a lot of the same charm that it had when it was first released and offers the same amount of challenge
due to the lack of saving. This is a game for “Bubble Bobble” fans and those that want an entertaining game, but for others, this may be
a letdown.
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