Bubble Bobble is one of Taito's big guns and with the recent release of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, those lovable bubble-breathing dragons Bub, Bob, and their girlfriends are ready for some current-generation bubble burstin' mayhem. After being confined to Europe and Japan for a few months, the next installment in the series is finally available in North America. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch and this is the first installment of the series to appear on home consoles since 2009's Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure on the Nintendo Wii (mobile games notwithstanding).

Story

The set-up of this game is very Toy Story-like; the dealio is that Bub and his nemesis Bonner (previously known as "the Drunk” or “the Super Drunk", (I guess they didn’t want to add an Alcohol Reference descriptor to bump their ESRB rating to dangerous levels) are two toys owned by a kid. Bonner is jealous that the kid favors Bub over himself and sets forth to make his life hell. Thankfully Bub has some help from his brother Bob and their girlfriends Peb and Pab.

Gameplay

The first thing that opens up when you start a new file is an emulation of the original arcade game (which is played in-game via an arcade machine). It's touched-up from the original and looks a bit brighter. Not an arcade perfect look, but certainly sharp and clean and a way to catch up on your Bubble Bobble history if you're new to the series, or perhaps if you want another way or means to play the original game.

Taking cues from New Super Mario Bros. U and Donkey Kong Country Returns, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends’ main game mode is a cooperative platformer game that takes the classic Bubble Bobble formula of bouncing up and down, trapping your enemies in bubbles, popping bubbles and eating fruit and tweaks it for the modern generation. Each stage is completed by defeating all enemies by turning them into bubbles and then popping them. Up to 4 players can join in on the festivities, and it certainly can get chaotic. You and your friends will be sharing your lives, so look out for each other.

Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab jump and blast bubbles as they've had in the past, the power-up bubbles are there but now there are weapons you can activate using the shoulder buttons; you get these weapons when you complete a world. I’ve had the best results with lasers, sometimes it’s fun to be a mad bomber, though. There are 5 worlds, with 10 stages each; the final stage of each world being a boss fight and that gives us 50 stages in total with 5 boss fights.

Just as Bub and Bob jump up and down on bubbles, so to does the difficulty of this game go up and down. After a simple start with straight forward levels, the game puts you more into the mentality of a platformer puzzle game. With 50 screens, the game has a lot of puzzle rooms that will have you stopping to think or thinking on your feet, but keeping with the series origins as an arcade game is somewhat short, it's not the sprawling epic you'd expect from something like say, Super Mario Bros. U.

Visuals

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends’ look is not bleeding edge or cutting edge or photorealistic or pseudo-realistic, it’s stylized and most importantly, it looks like an updated version of the previous games. With that in mind, it looks fine. Nothing outstanding or ugly. Bub and Bob look more appealing than they have had in some of the more obscure Bubble Bobble sequels. I wish the color palette could have been more diverse, though.

Audio

The majority of the game's music consists of remixes and arrangments of the Bubble Bobble theme by Taito's in-house band Zuntata. While not bad, they've certainly done better work. The music is fine. You can gradually unlock tracks by finding certain items in the main campaign.

Replayability

As a solo game, the game might come off a bit too straight-forward in places, but as a co-operative multiplayer game, is where Bubble Bobble 4 Friends shines. Play it with 1-3 other people!.

What It Could Have Done Better

I wish the game had more bonus content, besides a scant few cinematics and music. The main campaign is a good length for me (1-2, possibly 3 hours tops), personally, but just be warned if you're not into games of that length. Especially with a game that is based on a series of arcade titles. Something to keep in mind before you purchase it.

Verdict

Though brisk, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is the best cooperative platformer currently on the market. Heed the title, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, is 4 friends; doing it together is much more enjoyable than being a solo dragon. Check out the First Look video above to see it in action!