Line #9 YMMV/BubbleBobble


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: Most people seem to believe the NES version that was also on Virtual Console was the original while available on the [=NES=] Classic Edition. The arcade version was first, but its source code has been lost.
2	%%* AssPull: Ending of ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'''s Game Boy (original monochrome) version.
3	%% How was it a twist coming out of nowhere? Explain.
4	* BreatherLevel: [[http://www.adamdawes.com/retrogaming/bbguide/guide.html?roundid=74 Level 74]], with its enemies in an enclosed space.
5	* CultClassic: Despite not being anywhere near as big as Taito's [[VideoGame/SpaceInvaders main arcade juggernaut]], ''Bubble Bobble'' as a whole has held tightly onto a following of arcade enthusiasts.
6	* FanonDiscontinuity: As far as people are concerned, the Bubble Dragon forms are the ''real'' forms of the protagonists.
7	* FirstInstallmentWins: Despite this game receiving four sequels, the first game is the most remembered out of all of them. It certainly doesn't help that most of the games after ''VideoGame/RainbowIslands'' saw limited release in America, and home conversions of ''Bubble Symphony'' and ''Bubble Memories'' [[NoExportForYou never left Japan.]]
8	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: ''Bubble Bobble'' always had modest popularity in Japan and is a cult classic elsewhere, but South Korea was where it really took off, being a major catalyst for the popularity of elimination platformers, spawning a fair share of imitators, and even having exclusive ports released only in Korean.
9	* NightmareFuel:
10	** The bad ending of the arcade original, achieved by finishing with only one player active rather than two, has some surprisingly creepy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtoejHM-H0E music]].
11	** On that note, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5TZPSwIVC4 bad ending music]] of ''Parasol Stars''. It starts out fine and a little bouncy, but devolves into a surprisingly disturbing cacophony about halfway through.
12	** If you dawdle around too long, you'll get a nasty surprise in the from of [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16247_the-10-most-terrifying-video-game-enemies-all-time_p2.html Baron von Blubba]], a pale, red-eyed, invincible version of the standard Monsta enemy who will relentlessly chase Bub and Bob until either he kills them or the player finishes the stage. And there can be up to two of them. Fortunately, if there are two of them, they're designed so that they won't gang up on one player; one Baron will chase down Bub, the other will chase down Bob.
13	** ''Bubble Memories'' features arguably one of freakiest villains: Super Dark Great Dragon. He looks [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/bubblebobble/images/3/3f/Super_Dark_Great_Dragon.png just as cute]] as the protagonists... at first. However, whenever he opens his mouth, you get to see it in full detail and, if that's not enough, his deranged facial expression are far more detailed than they should be for a game with cute characters, making him clash a lot with the game's tone, which only accentuates his scary factor. Witness it with [[https://www.spriters-resource.com/resources/sheets/15/16219.png?updated=1460954569 this sprite sheet]] (WARNING: the sprite sheet contains spoilers).
14	* PortingDisaster: Most of the non-arcade versions were not well-received. The port-bashing section of the first game's Wikipedia article vastly outsized anything else for a while.
15	** Incineration deaths in the arcade are only otherwise seen in ports on any of the Game Boys and the DS, and although the original GB version kept the style of the arcade sprites during incineration, over half its frames are cut out resulting in a quicker and choppy animation. The GBC game "''Classic Bubble Bobble''", which generally took the character sprites from ''Part 2/Junior'', uses a wholly different and jarring incineration animation.
16	** The squish-yourself-against-bubbles animations are implemented (fully but poorly) only in the Game Boy Advance and DS ports of the original.
17	** In the GBA/DS ports, deaths did not match the arcade implementations. In the port, you freeze in midair when you start spinning out instead of just before you poof away into magic dust. Also, the standing-non-dead sprite frame is used, followed by the sitting-down-dead sprite frame ''only'' when your character spins out.
18	** The PC port by [=NovaLogic=] is notable for having a serious bug where if the PC is faster than 486DX-33MHz, the game starts to slow down, and the faster the CPU is, the ''slower'' the game runs. The bug starts rearing its ugly head if you have a 486DX2-66 or faster. This actually required a fan-made patch to fix. Also, as mentioned under GuideDangIt, the port made use of switches to enable [=AdLib=] or [=PCjr=] audio, defaulting to PC Speaker if no switch is present. Other games of the era autodetects the available sound options, or use a config.exe program. And the switches are only mentioned in the manual- if you got the game second hand without the manual, and you didn't know the switches, you're stuck with PC Speaker audio.
19	* ReplacementScrappy: For the DS, we have Robolun and Lovelun (a just-as-defenseless robot, and a pink unknown-gender bubble dragon, respectively), and a cousin (red male bubble dragon) named Bubu. They replace Kululun and Cororon, Bubblun and Bobblun's partners who are generally well-liked.
20	* {{Sequelitis}}: The second game on the NES version is one of the rarest games on the NES, and generally sells for $300. However, the lucky people who manage to get their hands on this game are almost always a little disappointed. Bubble jumping is practically impossible, which can make many levels UnintentionallyUnwinnable, the [[BrutalBonusLevel bonus levels]] are ridiculous, and [[NoobBridge level 22]] requires a game mechanic that involves swallowing your bubbles in order to float which, [[GuideDangIt if you don't have access to the manual, is not hinted at whatsoever, so good luck figuring out how to do it...or that you even CAN do it.]]
21	* SurpriseDifficulty: Let's see, you got two tiny cute little bubble dragons, and a lot of cute enemies. [[RuleOfCute And they're all smiling or very cute looking]]. '''[[OneHitPointWonder And the dragons die when they touch anything]].'''
22	* ThatOneLevel:
23	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwqPESLvRTk Level 57]] of the NES version of the first game (starts at 1:19), with a single Monsta and 4 Space Invaders shooting beams at you from the top of the screen with no platforms to reach them. You have to jump on columns of bubbles to get up, but it isn't always safe since the beams' patterns keep changing, and you need a ''lot'' of bubbles in single-player to get up there.
24	** Level 96 on the NES version is ''impossible'' to complete without dying at least twice.
25	** [[https://www.adamdawes.com/retrogaming/bbguide/guide.html?roundid=99 Level 99]] is also guaranteed to cause some headaches!
26	** The Level 99 in the NES/VC version is even worse. Players are suddenly required to [[spoiler:get a crystal ball]] so they can [[spoiler:go through a secret path and]] get a good ending. [[PermanentlyMissableContent And items will disappear after a while.]]
27	** And [[http://www.adamdawes.com/retrogaming/bbguide/guide.html?roundid=35 Level 35]] is pretty much the end of the game to anybody who can't figure out the bubble jump mechanic, or are not aware of the arcade's AttractMode in which it shows how to do the bubble jump, making this a GimmickLevel. It doesn't help that this jump is made even harder in the C64 version.
28	* {{Woolseyism}}:
29	** ''Bubble Bobble''[='=]s NES manual and ''Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move''[='=]s SNES port rely on such names as Bubble Buster for the iconic wind-up toy Zen-chan, Stoner for Mighta, Super Socket for the [[VideoGame/SpaceInvaders Invader]], Willy Whistle for Drunk, etc. ''Puzzle Bobble'' gave the secret room InvincibleMinorMinion Rascal the name Rubblen. But then ''Bubble Bobble Part 2''[='=]s NES manual gives them wholly different names.
30	** Self-contradictory in the NES/Virtual Console version of the first game in that if one beats the game with the best ending, a screen with both protagonists and all enemies show up credited with their original names.
31	** Although Bub and Bob's short 3-letter names have been products of Woolseyism, they work better.

Context YMMV / BubbleBobble