The Bubble Bobble series utilizes a strange naming and numbering scheme in which there are multiple Bubble Bobble 2s and 3s. Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III was the first threequel in the series, originally released exclusively on Turbografx-16. Now, the game is coming to modern consoles as well via ININ, allowing a whole new generation to enjoy its colorful cooperative platforming and umbrella-based attacks.
Bubble Bobble fans have been waiting quite a while for a sequel to Bubble Bobble 4, but the closest thing on the horizon is the upcoming modern port of Parasol Stars. That leaves plenty of opportunity for homage, something we find in a new Steam Early Access title called Slam and Roll from KaleidoGames. In this one, a group of sports loving ki...
We're a little late to the party on this, but ININ Games recently announced Taito Milestones 3, the latest in its Switch-exclusive series of Taito arcade game collections. The full games list has yet to be revealed, but we already know that at least five co-op games will be included: Bubble Bobble, Cadash, Champion Wrestler, Runark (Growl), and Thunder Fox. That's already the best co-op lineup yet for this series.
Long before Bubble Bobble 4 Friends and Puzzle Bobble Everybubble, Taito released a unique pair of Bubble Bobble sequels that did not involve blowing bubbles: Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars. After its inclusion on the Turbografx-16 Mini a few years ago, Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is finally getting its own new release. The adorable platformer will be coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch later this year courtesy of ININ Games.
Few spin-off series have been as successful as Taito’s Puzzle Bobble. The 1994 arcade game successfully used characters from the Bubble Bobble series of platformers in a brand-new puzzle game. It would go on to spawn dozens of sequels and ports (not to mention clones), most recently with Puzzle Bobble 3D for PlayStation and Oculus/Meta Quest....
Taito's Bubble Bobble series started out in 1986 and remains popular to this day. Bubble Bobble 4 didn't get the world on first (though I like it), but there will be plenty more adventures for Bub and Bob in the future, including the upcoming Puzzle Bobble Everybubble. Merchandise for this series doesn't come to international markets very often, but Strictly Limited Games currently has a bundle of Bub and Bob plushies available to order. Quantities are already shipping and super limited, so don't delay!
Single-screen platformers like Bubble Bobble and Snow Bros. aren't very common nowadays. 2Awesome Studio aims to fix that with their upcoming game, Smoothcade. The colorful "clear the screen" platformer will support 4-player local co-op in multiple game modes, and it's coming to all major platforms sometime this year.
We've been excited for the Taito Egret II Mini arcade cabinet since it was announced last year. The cabinet will include 40 classic arcade games from Taito, with several cool accessories adding to the arcade experience. Until now, the Egret II was only announced for the Japanese market. Now, United Games Entertainment (parent company of ININ and Strictly Limited) has revealed that it will distribute the Egret II Mini in the West in 2022!
Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day famously sang a plea to wake him when September ends. What's so good about the end of September, though? As it turns out, the last day of September will be very good for Bubble Bobble fans this year. That's when Bubble Bobble 4: The Baron's Workshop launches on Steam, complete with the first level editor in the series' history, 200 built-in levels, and 4-player local co-op.
