Rewriting this to explain my potentially unpopular opinion more rather than "haha funny meme".
Of course, this game is a classic in many people's eyes, and I suppose I can see why. The colorful and cute visuals, that damn catchy theme song, and the simple yet deep co-op (this is important in a bit) play make it a mainstay in terms of retro games. So with all that in mind, along with it being one of Taito's biggest IPs, what does this Taito fan think of it? Surprisingly, I am not very fond of it, mostly over questionable game design choices.
Of course, the gameplay needs no explaining. Bubble 'em up, burst the bubbles, get the items and fruit. The more bubbles you burst at once, the more points you get, etc. The game gets it right there. But the game sadly doesn't really get the rest right that much, at least in terms of being a game you can sit down and beat.
Despite me playing this almost religiously as a kid, the holes in this regard become more apparent over time. While it's alright as a nice score attack game, you can kiss any chance of beating this game seriously goodbye if you're playing solo, and that's pretty bad for people like me who have played this game a ton. Not only is there that infamous bad ending, a lot of the game I feel is too reliant on co-op play, and while it's not impossible to beat it solo, it makes the game a ton harder, especially with the rather infuriating level designs towards the end. Not only that, but you can only continue if there's another player with you, which is kind of a dick move. Of course, one could cheat by spawning Bob right as you defeat Super Drunk, but it's only sidestepping the rest of the design flaws. This is the reason I say the GBA port of the game is the best way to play it, because it allows you to save your progress, lets you continue, AND it at least lets you get the good ending with only one player.
And there's that damn song. It's a classic video game song indeed, but it's the only song you're gonna hear most of the time in the game, with almost no other songs besides it. And it gets annoying real quick, which is pretty detrimental considering the game's length. Like I said before, probably doesn't matter much if you're playing it for score, but if you're someone who wants to beat it, like me, it's gonna hurt.
So to end it off, you have a game that's fantastic for co-op play and score attacks, but as a game to beat, at least on your own? Not very great. It's why I prefer playing the sequel, Bubble Symphony, or even it's cousins The Fairyland Story or Don Doko Don when I need that Taito single-screen platformer fix. They're more optimized for single player action and don't actively go out of their way to fuck over solo players.
I can't deny your importance to platformers and multiplayer action, Bubble Bobble, but I can see that you're very flawed, even if other people might not agree with me.
Of course, this game is a classic in many people's eyes, and I suppose I can see why. The colorful and cute visuals, that damn catchy theme song, and the simple yet deep co-op (this is important in a bit) play make it a mainstay in terms of retro games. So with all that in mind, along with it being one of Taito's biggest IPs, what does this Taito fan think of it? Surprisingly, I am not very fond of it, mostly over questionable game design choices.
Of course, the gameplay needs no explaining. Bubble 'em up, burst the bubbles, get the items and fruit. The more bubbles you burst at once, the more points you get, etc. The game gets it right there. But the game sadly doesn't really get the rest right that much, at least in terms of being a game you can sit down and beat.
Despite me playing this almost religiously as a kid, the holes in this regard become more apparent over time. While it's alright as a nice score attack game, you can kiss any chance of beating this game seriously goodbye if you're playing solo, and that's pretty bad for people like me who have played this game a ton. Not only is there that infamous bad ending, a lot of the game I feel is too reliant on co-op play, and while it's not impossible to beat it solo, it makes the game a ton harder, especially with the rather infuriating level designs towards the end. Not only that, but you can only continue if there's another player with you, which is kind of a dick move. Of course, one could cheat by spawning Bob right as you defeat Super Drunk, but it's only sidestepping the rest of the design flaws. This is the reason I say the GBA port of the game is the best way to play it, because it allows you to save your progress, lets you continue, AND it at least lets you get the good ending with only one player.
And there's that damn song. It's a classic video game song indeed, but it's the only song you're gonna hear most of the time in the game, with almost no other songs besides it. And it gets annoying real quick, which is pretty detrimental considering the game's length. Like I said before, probably doesn't matter much if you're playing it for score, but if you're someone who wants to beat it, like me, it's gonna hurt.
So to end it off, you have a game that's fantastic for co-op play and score attacks, but as a game to beat, at least on your own? Not very great. It's why I prefer playing the sequel, Bubble Symphony, or even it's cousins The Fairyland Story or Don Doko Don when I need that Taito single-screen platformer fix. They're more optimized for single player action and don't actively go out of their way to fuck over solo players.
I can't deny your importance to platformers and multiplayer action, Bubble Bobble, but I can see that you're very flawed, even if other people might not agree with me.
2 Comments
All the points you made are very valid, and I suppose I can see that with how I experience the game. Snow Bros is also a great game, need to expand my review on that one, and actually play the second one, tbh.
Bubble Symphony is actually one of my favorite games ever made, and you can tell as it's on my profile's favorite games section along with Fairyland Story, lol. Pretty much fixes every issue I have with OG Bubble Bobble and more. I should expand my review of that one, too.
Bubble Symphony is actually one of my favorite games ever made, and you can tell as it's on my profile's favorite games section along with Fairyland Story, lol. Pretty much fixes every issue I have with OG Bubble Bobble and more. I should expand my review of that one, too.
mellorine
3 years ago
I'm not too much of a Taito fan (my relationship with arcade games basically starts and ends with Namco's golden period), but I think I can see the idea of having a proper end to an arcade game, only to have that locked behind going through a ton of levels in one sitting AND having a second player, to be pretty disappointing.
With that said, I think it's kind of inevitable that people will end up finding glaring flaws in some of their favorite games, especially those that are solid for casual play: I'm reminded of my own experiences with Super Mario Odyssey, and how its shortcomings compared to Super Mario 64 become all the more pervasive with every new playthrough, and how I simply can't enjoy it anymore unless I enter it with a specific mentality (either going into it to find fun moments for Snapshot Mode, or setting arbitrary challenges for myself).
I've always been more of a Snow Bros. fan - especially 2, where I think the game transcends the idea of the simple single-screen defeat-all-the-enemies gameplay with some really cool gimmicks, mechanics and bosses.
With that said, I've never played Symphony. I'd love to see what you think about that game, maybe in a future review!