Bubble Bobble[a] is a platform game series originally developed and published by Taito.

In most entries in the series, players control two dragons named Bub and Bob.

They were published for and ported to a wide variety of arcade and home video game consoles.

The game puts the players in control of two dragons named Bub (who is green) and Bob (who is blue) who need to save their girlfriends from a world known as the Cave of Monsters.

[1] The game was designed around two-player gameplay, and so by inserting another coin the second dragon, Bob, can be controlled.

[4] The Master System port featured 200 levels and was released as Final Bubble Bobble in Japan.

This led to each version of the game having different storylines while the gameplay was largely unchanged from the original.

[7] In the NES version, Bub's friend Judy is kidnapped by a floating skull character.

The NES version also includes three bonus games which are located after the player defeats a boss, or through a certain door.

The players must collect certain square cards with music notes inside, in order to get the four keys that lead to the final world or face an early false ending.

[10] Graphically this game is very similar to Bubble Symphony, with the addition of using photographs of animals and plants as the level backgrounds.

It includes the entire original Bubble Bobble game, as well as a new mode called New Age, which features new graphics, larger levels, and faster enemies.

Similar to Bubble Memories, it features photorealistic backgrounds, this time of Roman-style architecture.

[11][12][13] The developer of the game later replaced the bugged cartidges with a non-bugged version and also gave out a free copy of Rainbow Islands Revolution to the affected customers as an apology.

[30] Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was released in 2019 for the Nintendo Switch and later for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.

Instead of blowing bubbles, they create rainbows, which they can use to defeat enemies and also as platforms to traverse the levels.

[37] It was later ported to ZX Spectrum, Famicom, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Amiga, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, NEC PC Engine, Sega Saturn (as Bubble Bobble also featuring Rainbow Islands), PlayStation (as Bubble Bobble also featuring Rainbow Islands), and Game Boy Color.

[38] Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is a sequel to Rainbow Islands.

[39] CU Amiga reviewed the game favorably with a 95% rating, praising the "gentle learning curve", graphics, and the addition of minor puzzle elements.

The game also adds environmental hazards in the form of spikes and flowing air which push Bub and Bob around.

Graphically this game is similar to other entries in this series such as Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars.

[40][41][42] GameSpot reviewed it with a 6.2/10, praising it for including the levels from Rainbow Islands, the new control method, and the new enemies.

This game features a Mexican theme and replaces Bub and Bob's weapons with hurdy-gurdies.

In addition, platforms in the foreground and background are added, and the player can travese forwards and backwards in the frame.

Time left over from each level is added onto the next one and getting hit by enemies incurs removes 30 seconds from the timer.

[46] GamesRadar+ reviewed it at 3 out of 5 stars, calling it "weird", indicating unlikeable characters and boring enemies.