During my youth, I used to be obsessed with Bubble Bobble, rushing home from school as fast as my little legs would carry me, just so I could get a few extra minutes before my dinner. Eventually the enthusiasm died for my beloved game, only to come back stronger than ever when a friend introduced me to Bubble Bobble 2: Rainbow Islands!!! This game had everything: awesome graphics (for its time), incredibly addictive game play and more importantly, it was fun and generally entertaining.
The basic story of the game is simple: the peaceful people of the Rainbow Islands go to sleep on an ordinary evening, only to awake and find that “creatures” have appeared on all of their islands. The main character is Bubby, and he is armed only with his rainbows, which he must use to destroy the invaders by crushing them under his magic rainbows or destroying them with a direct hit.
The layout of the game is that of a basic platform similar to Bubble Bobble, however in this occasion, the screen scrolls up as Bubby makes his way up the screen. Bubby must make it to the top of the level before the time runs out, collecting various fruits and diamonds
on the way. Each Island consists of 4 levels, with a big boss at the top of each fourth level. The diamonds aren’t scattered around the level like the fruits, but the must by earned by cleverly crushing your enemies under the rainbows by jumping on top of them, dependent on the enemies. Bubby's actions alter the colour of the diamond reward you are given; there are seven in total. Collecting all of them rewards you with an extra life.
As previously mentioned the graphics of the game were good for its time, combined with the pure enjoyment you get from playing this game and its incredibly catchy music (Which you will be humming for days after you last played) make it one of the best simple platform games ever.
Scoring:
Graphics: 7 out of 10
Sound: 8 out of 10
Playability: 9 out of 10
Addictiveness: 10 out of 10
Overall Score: Nine and a Half out of Ten
Though the appearance of this game is definitelyy dated, the addictiveness and the playability have stood the test of time, and in my opinion this old game has the more important qualities that some of today’s games lack. All in all, it is a fantastic game and well worth downloading.
