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Some classics are simply not meant to be remade. Bubble Bobble Revolution includes both the original game and a remake that is undoubtedly weaker than the original game.
In case you are not familiar with Bubble Bobble, the basic premise is that you’re a dinosaur tasked with getting rid of a number of enemies scattered in each o the game’s 100 levels. To do this, you’ll have to blow a bubble, have to trap them inside, and then blow this bubble up. The enemies move about the levels carelessly, and if they happen to fall, they’ll simply reappear at the top of the screen. Don’t worry about this too much since you also have this ability. Bubble Bobble, then, is a game about taking on these enemies while avoiding direct contact with them.
The classic game uses this gameplay and builds an additicting game around it. It’s fully recreated here in its 8-bit glory. You’ll see the same levels, same graphics and sounds and even the same cooperative mode of the original, although it’s now been updated to include wireless support. As usual, there is a bit of strategy involved if you want to get fancy. In this game, you gain bonus points by defeating a group of enemies at once rather than one at a time.
The remake changes things up a bit. The levels are larger. This is sometimes good but other times just make things seem out of order. The game is more challenging, as well. The enemies (and their projectiles) are faster, the environments have spikes to be aware off, and you’ll have to keep fans moving at certain points to continue. In another change, your character can now take three hits before dying instead of the typical one hit death in the original. You’re also given the ability to charge a bubble and capture up to four enemies in this one bubble. The cooperative mode of the classic game has been traded for a competitive four-player mode in which players try to get the most points possible in a given time period/
The changes themselves take some time getting used to but the remake also has a number of bugs that literally stop the game dead in its tracks. Once you get to level 30, about two-thirds of the way there, the game refuses to load a boss making it impossible to continue playing. In addition, other stages feature this same kind of behavior where enemies simply won’t appear and so forth.
Visually, the classic game retains its cute spites and character that it made it such a hit. The new game has updated graphics but they don’t have the same charm to them. The audio is minimal but nonetheless fitting to the game.
Bubble Bobble Revolution is only recommended for those looking to play the original game. Although at $30, there are better games available on the DS. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Oct 23, 2006
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