There were many, many levels where it wasn’t apparent what was an actual platform and what was a background set piece until it was too late. This isn’t even strictly speaking about the enemies and dynamic effects, I’m also talking about the level design itself. It really feels like there’s too much being shoved onto the screen for the sake of a frenetic experience, and it all just comes across as confusing and hard to read. Oftentimes, it’s a chance to use new technology to give display old characters the way they were in our imaginations.īut in this instance, the 2.5D look isn’t doing any favors.
The desire is there to reinvent the presentation, and to give your old favorites the looks that they deserve.
BUBBLE BOBBLE 4 SWITCH SERIES
This heart is a representation of my love for Arcade Mode.Īll your favorite Bubble Dragons are back.Ībilities look cool, but they didn’t add much to the game.īringing modern graphics to a series that started out with 8-bit graphics and survived through to current console systems. 4-Player co-op mode after more than 10 years finally the official sequel of the critically acclaimed cult 80s game series bubble Bobble created by Taito.
I still preferred the Arcade modes, though. The Hard Mode campaign had some of the same issues, but progress was a lot slower so I was able to spend more time sitting with the levels. A constant cycle of Game Over screens eventually cleared only with pixel-perfect precision. On top of that, the boss battles were terrible. He’s invincible, insatiable, and just the thing I needed after an entire game of little challenge.ĭon’t get me wrong, the back end of Normal Mode definitely made me break a sweat, but with the larger levels and number of enemies at once, it felt bloated with its own content. There are no continues, multiplayer uses a shared life pool, and Baron von Blubba will stalk you around the level. It’s a brutal tower comprised of smaller levels that are closer in scope to the original title but fully realized with the graphics and abilities of the new game. So while I'd recommend Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, I'd recommend waiting for a price drop, even if you're a longtime fan. InIn really dropped the ball on this game's price, and it's pretty sad that I can't give it my wholehearted recommendation because of that.You see, The Baron doesn’t actually come back until after you unlock Hard Mode and the Arcade of the Future.
BUBBLE BOBBLE 4 SWITCH FREE
(Editor's note: InIn reached out to announce that free DLC content is planned for later in the year.) It's the classic monkey's paw scenario - I finally got a great new Bubble Bobble, but there's just not enough of it for the price. Instead, it costs too much and has way too little to justify that price tag. This is a game that should have probably cost a little less or included a little more - either one or the other. But in this time of economic uncertainty, forty bucks for a video game is asking a lot, and if you're going to charge that, you'd best be delivering.īut 4 Friends doesn't deliver, at least not on the content front. Where does this leave Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, then? It's a great game that feels good, looks good, and has charm for days. Related: PlayStation Employees Work From Home During Coronavirus It was released in November 2019 in Europe. This game carries that torch of quality game design into the 21st century with gusto. is a game in the Bubble Bobble series, developed by Taito and published by ININ Games for the Nintendo Switch. Taito is a developer that made some of the most mechanically refined titles to come out of the 80s and early 90s - games which still stand the test of time on most fronts. The closest comparison I can think of is Celeste, in that it carefully threads that needle between accessibility and depth.Ĥ Friends lives up to the stellar reputation of the Taito classics. If you're a fan of really mastering games, this game gives you the tools you need to succeed, and if not, it's easy enough to pick up and play for fun. Every single movement that your little dinosaur friends can take feels intentional, from crawling to fall speed to air control. That's on top of the delicate platforming that often involves blowing bubbles and riding them up to higher platforms, and the timed nature of each level.Ĥ Friends is a project in which mechanics were clearly at the forefront of the developer's vision. There's a compelling combo system that incentivizes bubbling multiple enemies at once, then popping them for more points. It's easy enough to grasp, but 4 Friends really pushes the limits of the formula. Monsters get trapped in the bubbles, you pop those bubbles, and then you move on to the next level. For those not in the know, the central Bubble Bobble formula involves platforming and spitting bubbles at monsters.