Thursday, August 31, 2006

Bubble Bobble Evolution

Twenty years ago, Bubblun and Bobblun were two boys who were transformed into dragons inside the Cave of Monsters. By blowing bubbles which encapsulated enemy creatures, Bub and Bob sailed through 100 levels of platform action to save their girlfriends. Two decades and dozens of derivatives and sequels later, Taito recaptures the magic of the original game with an evolved version. Bubble Bobble Evolution features classic bubble blowing game play with new play fields and enough wrinkles thrown in to justify the "Evolution" portion of the game title.

In the story mode of BBE, two siblings named Bub and Bob are playing by the River Thames and generally having a good time when they get tired and decide to go home. As they walk, the sky darkens and a bolt of lightning strikes both boys. In the next scene, the camera pans in on Bub and Bob who are now encased in dragon suits. Their faces may be seen inside the costumes and the two are sent to menacing-looking towers called "maniac pleasure palace." When the game starts, Bub is in the right tower while Bob is in the left tower. Switch between the two dragons to defeat foes and eventually reunite. By using newtype bubble blowing action and puzzle solving skills, the brothers work together to escape from the towers and return to human form. The original Bubble Bobble featured one static screen per level but Evolution allows the boy-dragons to roam around three connected screens which represent the cylindrical nature of the two adjacent towers.

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