Review: Bubble Bobble Double - Reinventing A Classic?
by Staff Writer
October 6, 2010
Overview
Taito brought Bust-A-Move to the iPhone, and now it’s Bubble Bobble with a new twist on the classic gameplay. The original game is included, but the main part is the new mode just for the multi-touch device. There are all types of enemies coming at you, and you need to encapsulate them in bubbles, and then pop the bubbles to get rid of them.
Features
The new mode comes with ten zones each having eight levels and a boss battle. There is a also a challenge mode with two and five minute survivals, and you can always play the classic game. OpenFeint is also included for online high scores and achievements.The Good
The new style reimagines the whole game, and does a great job bringing it to a touch screen device. The game gets rid of the platforms, and has one open landscape, and the enemies rush at you from all directions. You don’t have to be lined up to launch a bubble as it’s just a tap anywhere, and a tap again to pop the bubble.
The main part of the game is the combo mechanic to not only increase your score, but to get rid of a number of enemies without using up your bubble supply. The enemies really come at you in a fast and frantic pace, but there is a pattern, and if you figure it out, you can make it through the waves. There is a lot to keep you coming back with over 90 levels to play including nice and difficult boss battles for each zone plus online high scores and achievements.
There are stylized retro graphics that are reminiscent of Space Invaders: Infinity Gene. The colorful moving backgrounds, and nice chain explosions in the foreground really shine. There is also a bubbly soundtrack that the whole Puzzle Bobble series is known for.
The Bad
The controls aren’t the smoothest as sometimes you’ll think that you tap to burst a bubble, and the game doesn’t recognize it. This is especially problematic because the game is so much based on timing, and having to re-tap a couple times can make all the difference. Then there is all the fruit that appears, and again tapping isn’t recognized smoothly, and often you’ll create new bubbles rather than collecting the fruit. If you’re picking up this game for the classic version you may want to reconsider. The classic version gives you a control panel on part of the screen, and the actual gameplay area is relatively small compared to the iPhone screen. It’s small enough to take away the enjoyment of playing the classic NES game.
