Taito may not be the household name he used to be anymore, so young gamers can be forgiven for not knowing their profound impact on the game. They created Space Invaders and throughout the 80s were giants from the arch. Thanks to classics like Ninja Warriors, Darius, and perhaps most importantly Bubble Bobble, Taito has earned a place in the hearts of countless arcade dwellers.
Bubble Bobble appealed with its lovable art style and characters, its not particularly violent bubble-popping gameplay, and its general appeal for all ages. In addition to spawning several sequels over the decades, the characters proved popular enough to get an entirely different related series, Bust-a-Move.
So it's no mystery why many people were excited to hear that beloved dinosaur heroes Bub and Bob were making a new outing on the Switch with Bubble Bobble 4 Friends.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends Review: Like A Bubbly 80s Kiss
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is, for the most part, exactly what fans would have hoped for. It's a modern classic that retains all the charm we loved from the original '80s game. There's a significant graphical upgrade, of course, but the gameplay itself is largely identical.
A one-screen effort, each level offers new challenges as Bub and Bob (and their friends) jump from platform to platform, ride bubbles and avoid obstacles while trapping bad things in the bubbles. Once trapped, the little heroes must burst the enemy bubble by hitting it with their head tip or slamming it from above. And really, that's all.
There are giant boss fights that involve dodging the boss' pattern of attacks while hitting them with bubbles, but the heart of the game never gives up. Like many of the best arcade games, Bubble Bobble works so perfectly because it's simple.
But simple does not mean easy. This latest version still has a sure hit for our poor dino protagonists and some of the levels are decidedly tricky mazes filled with deadly dangers.
Each enemy type has a distinct movement pattern. Some are completely stationary and simply serve as blockers, while others bounce off the screen or fire projectiles. Through levels in each of the five worlds, you'll have the ability to pop letter bubbles to spell "EXTENSION". This gives you special skills like bubbles that are programmed to burst, travel farther, or fire lightning bolts, adding a bit of variety to old-school tactics.
The biggest and most obvious new feature is four player mode. Bubble Bobble was always designed to be played with another player (although it's perfectly fun alone). While more players make things more chaotic, the co-op-focused gameplay is hilarious with four. It's remarkably easy to screw other players with bubbles at the wrong time or just by using them as a platform to jump on.
The downside of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is just that it just doesn't do enough with this new ability to sustain a party. There are 100 levels, including boss fights, but they go pretty fast. The original two-player arcade game is also included and accessible from the start, which is also fantastic. Unfortunately, that's all.
By comparison, BurgerTime Party!, another beloved classic arcade revamp that recently hit the Switch, includes a range of new cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes for up to four players.
Bubble Bobble 4 also does not support drop-in/drop-out multiplayer. All players must start the world together and the only way to change up to more or fewer players is to start the world over entirely. Finally, you cannot choose individual levels to play, only the world.
These oversights are certainly disappointing but largely countered by the fact that Bubble Bobble is simply a lot of fun to play. Between the new levels and the original arcade port, there's a lot of bubbles to do here, and more players and power-ups mean more dynamics to explore.
Maybe the cute graphics and simple gameplay don't work for everyone, but Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is a perfect example of why certain games stick in our collective mindset. It's refined, instantly accessible but still challenging, and the controls and mechanics are still spot-on.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends – Bottom Line
Advantages:
- Simple, accessible and classic gameplay
- Four-player multiplayer
- Bright and colorful creative levels
- just a great time
The inconvenients:
- A bit pricey and short
- No other game mode to enjoy more four-way action
- No drop-in/out player option
Bubble Bobble returns in polished form, showing a new generation why it's gained such acclaim over the decades. This new version looks great, is full of nostalgic charm, and best of all, tons of dinosaur bubble-filled charm.
(Note: A copy of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was provided by Taito for the purposes of this review.)
