I have very fond memories of Bubble Bobble as it was one of the first games from my childhood that I fell in love with. The catchy music, sweet graphics and simple to play but difficult to master gameplay hooked young me in and it has been that way ever since. In fact, when I started this website one of the first covers I did for the homepage was a homage to Bubble Bobble due to the pure love I have for that game.
So, whilst sitting in the shed on a wet rainy day taking a break from remotely teaching my pupils during lockdown, an advert popped up for a Quarter Arcade cabinet of Bubble Bobble and it got me thinking… I know Numskull have released a few arcade machines before and they are all bona-fide classics like Pacman, Galaga and Dig Dug but none of them really interested me. Bubble Bobble was different though and so I pre-ordered it. Over the course of the last month, I've had some buyers remorse and more than once thought about cancelling it but I know that it has sold out and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I had ‘must have’ and I'd let it go and so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.
This is an official, fully playable arcade machine and uses the original ROM of the game. A big draw for me was that it had the 2 player mode with dual-joystick controls so I could enjoy it with friends and family. The game runs off a C-USB power cable but does have an internal battery so you can play it away from a power source, at least for a while.The system is very robust and looks very swish. The Taito detailing and branding is on point and even though an exclusive Bubble Bobble arcade machine didn't exist, this is a good approximation of what the arcade machine would look like.
I know some may say, “Why don’t you just MAME it?” or '“Why pay so much for something you can find a ROM of online?” To this I would say that I have the game on emulator but sometimes it’s nice to have something official to show an appreciation and love for it. These products are not for everyone and I get that but why be negative towards something that serves a community who look forward to it?
I'm now off to kick Baron Von Blubba’s butt but I hope that Quarter Arcade follow up with Rainbow Island, Parasol Stars and New Zealand Story arcade machines.
I do love my Bubble Bobble arcade machine! Please excuse my Covid hair.