Bubble Symphony

"Bubble Bobble 2" redirects here. For other uses, see Bubble Bobble 2 (disambiguation).
Bubble Symphony

Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Taito
Publisher(s) Taito
Series Bubble Bobble
Platform(s) Arcade, Sega Saturn, Xbox (Taito Legends 2), PC (Taito Legends 2), PlayStation 2 (Taito Memories II Volume 2)
Release date(s) 1994
Genre(s) Platform game
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system Taito F3 System
Main CPU: 68EC020 (@ 16 MHz)
Sound Sound CPU: 68000 (@ 16 MHz)
Sound Chips: ES5505 (@ 15.23805 MHz)[1]
Display Raster resolution 320×224 (Horizontal) Palette Colors 8192

Bubble Symphony (バブルシンフォニー Baburu Shinfonī), also known as Bubble Bobble II (バブルボブルII Baburu Boburu II), is an arcade video game in the Bubble Bobble series developed by Taito in 1994.[2] While being a new Bubble Bobble for a new generation, in actuality it takes place after Parasol Stars.

Gameplay

Screenshot of Bubble Symphony

For this adventure, Bubblun and Bobblun, the familiar green and blue bubble dragons, are joined by girls Kululun (an orange dragon) and Cororon (a purple dragon). However, they are stated as the children of the Bub and Bob of the first game.[3]

According to the intro, the four characters (as humans) inadvertently unleash Hyper Drunk, the final boss, while reading books. Hyper Drunk transforms the four into bubble dragons and banishes them to a new world.[3][4]

Characters

Although a sequel to Bubble Bobble, the game inaugurates few changes to the gameplay formula of that title. The small changes that have been made are that a boss is now encountered every five to ten levels, giving those scenes a similar prominence to Rainbow Islands, and the player takes a branching route through the levels by selecting one of two doors after every boss. The players can now charge the bubble shot; if released when the dragon's horns or bow is glowing, he/she will breathe three bubbles at once, with the specific formation dependent on the character chosen. The players must collect certain square cards with music notes inside, in order to get the 4 keys that lead to the final world or face an early false ending. Also, the characters have to collect a rod to turn their characters from their dragon to human forms during the course of the game.[5]

Cameos

The game features cameos by other notable Taito characters or settings from games as diverse as: The New Zealand Story, Darius, Space Invaders, Arkanoid, Liquid Kids, KiKi KaiKai (including Cindy, known in Japanese version as Sayo-chan and the English Pocky & Rocky games as Pocky), Yūyu no Quiz de Go! Go!, PuLiRuLa, and The Fairyland Story.

Continuity

Ports

Bubble Symphony was released on the Sega Saturn in Japan, as well as via Taito Legends 2 on the PC in North America and Europe, and on the Xbox in Europe only. It was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan only, via Taito Memories II Volume 2. A PlayStation version was completed, but never released.

Note: That Xbox and PS2 versions run in upscanned 640x448 resolution, which results in slight flickering, no scanlines and slightly blurrier image compared to the Arcade and Sega Saturn versions.

Soundtrack

Bubble Symphony
Soundtrack album by Pony Canyon, Scitron Label
Released January 20, 1995
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length 37:33
Bubble Symphony Original Sound Track
Soundtrack album by Zuntata Records / Taito Corp (distributed by iTunes Store)
Released July 31, 2013
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length 27:27

Bubble Symphony (バブルシンフォニー Baburu Shinfonī) is a soundtrack videogame was Released for CD Soundtrack and Published by Pony Canyon and Scitron Label on January 20, 1995 in Japan Only. This CD music was Contained for Track 1, 2 and 22 for Arranged by Yasuko Yamada, Yasutaka Mizushima and Tamayo Kawamoto.

Bubble Symphony Original Sound Track (バブルシンフォニー オリジナルサウンドトラック Baburushinfonī orijinarusaundotorakku) is a soundtrack videogame was Released for CD Soundtrack and Published by Zunata Records and Taito Corp on July 31, 2013 in Japan Only.

References

  1. "Bubble Symphony The [Coin-Op] Arcade Video Game by Taito Corp. [Japan]". arcade-history.com. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  2. "Bubble Symphony". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Taito Corporation. "Bubble Symphony". Scene: Opening. Little Bubby, Little Bobby, Kululun, and Cororon: Bubby and Bobby's four children all together happily reading a book.
  4. Taito Corporation. "Bubble Symphony". Scene: Opening. The four children were transformed by a magic spell into dragons and banished to live in a strange new world.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Campbell, Stuart (July 2006), "The Definitive - Bubble Bobble", Retro Gamer (Imagine Publishing) (28): 58–68

External links