The Bubble Symphony FAQ v3.6
_________________________________________________________________
written by Carl Chavez (
[email protected]) with help from Tiri
(
[email protected]), Yoneda Mitsunori
(
[email protected]), and Anthony Greulich (
[email protected]).
Available at
http://www.bubandbob.com/
_________________________________________________________________
What's New!
_________________________________________________________________
28 January 97: Added secret options menu code and powerup code. Added
explanation of the secret options menu's functions. These were
provided by Yoneda Mitsunori. Yoneda also provided updated maps.
31 December 97: Yoneda Mitsunori made two PostScript documents
containing minipics of every level and the locations of all hidden
musical notes and ROD bubbles. You can download it separately. Since
it's in PostScript, it can be printed from most printers or loaded
into Photoshop or similar program. Because of Yoneda's excellent work,
I've removed my incomplete map from this FAQ.
19 December 97: The Japanese Saturn version was released 27 Nov 97. It
is a 98% perfect conversion. The only problem I experience is the
waiting for the CD to access new levels. Otherwise, I must say Ving
did an excellent job converting it! If only the English-language
version (which is done, according to the programmer) would be
released! I've added the Saturn versions of the codes to the FAQ.
16 November 97: I purchased the Japanese arcade cartridge for my Taito
F3 JAMMA board, so now I can play Bubble Symphony at home! This means
that I can work on the FAQ again... I've added the locations of more
musical notes and screenshots of some of the endings and hidden room
objects. I also listed many of the random words and phrases that
appear on the high score list in the Japanese version.
8 June 97: v2.3 of this FAQ released. I found a few more notes while
packing during a recent move! Diamond stage messages added, and also
more item descriptions and note item locations.
27 April 97: The release for the home version of Bubble Symphony is
now June 20, 1997. Therefore, I've come back to this FAQ to finish the
conversion to HTML.
March 97: I received e-mail from the Bubble Symphony conversion team.
The game has been delayed until further notice.
March 97: The home version of Bubble Symphony is supposed to be
released on March 29, 1997, so I'm going to try and convert this FAQ
from TXT to HTML before then.
Started in mid-1995, using the Bubble Symphony machine formerly at
Olympic View Ice Arena in Edmonds, WA.
_________________________________________________________________
Game description
_________________________________________________________________
Bubble Bobble meets -
* New Zealand Story (aka Kiwi Kraze)
* Darius 2
* Space Invaders
* Arkanoid
* Liquid Kids
and the less famous (in U.S. and Europe)-
* Kiki Kaikai (aka Pocky and Rocky)
* Quiz By Yu Yu
* Pulirula
among others...
_________________________________________________________________
Dramatis Dragonae
_________________________________________________________________
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
| Dragon | Dragon | Walking | Bubble | Bubble| Bubble Shot|
| Name | Color | Speed | Range | Speed | |
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
| Bubblun | green | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
| Bobblun | blue | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
| Kululun | orange | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
| Cororon | purple | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
+----------+-----------+---------+--------+-------+------------+
Walking speed - speed of walking
Bubble range - range of bubbles
Bubble speed - speed of bubbles
Bubble shot - rate of bubble blowing
_________________________________________________________________
The Moves
_________________________________________________________________
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Action| Result |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Up | slow down fall |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Down | speed up fall |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Left |move left on ground or while falling |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Right | move right on ground or while falling |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| press |jump - the dragons can jump through platforms and walls.|
| Jump | The dragons are invulnerable within a wall. A good |
| | technique to know is to jump into a wall and blow a |
| | bubble from inside! |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| hold | press Jump toward a bubble, hold Jump to bounce on |
| Jump | bubble rather than pop it. |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| press | blow a bubble or fireball |
| Bubble | |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| hold | special blow of three bubbles: |
| Bubble| |
| | Bubblun - straight ahead |
| | Bobblun - spread pattern |
| | Kululun - 'T' pattern |
| | Cororon - upside-down 'T' pattern |
| | |
| | Bubblun Bobblun Kululun Cororon|
| | / -+- | |
| | - - - <- | -+- |
| | \ |
| | |
+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+
_________________________________________________________________
The Codes
_________________________________________________________________
Each of these codes, except the Secret Options Menu code, are entered
as Bub introduces the game. The Secret Options Menu code is entered on
the Start/Options menu (the one that appears after pressing the Start
button).
+-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| LRLRABCB (Saturn ONLY) | Enables secret options menu (see |
| | below) |
+-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| U$RJBL$D (arcade) UCRBALCD (Saturn)| Select between Normal Game or Super |
| | Game |
+-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| LDUJR$BR (arcade) LDUBRCAR (Saturn)| Start the game as humans instead of |
| | dragons |
+-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| JBJBJBL$ (arcade) BABABALC (Saturn)| Get to the secret rooms, even if you|
| | die |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Old codes for Bubble Bobble do odd things, too. Try
+--------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| BJBJBJR$ (Original Game code) or LBL$LJL$ | The game will begin with no |
| (Shoes/Yellow Gum Code) (on the Saturn, | background and remixed Bubble|
| use ABABABRC and LALCLBLC) | Bobble music! |
+--------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
_________________________________________________________________
The Secret Options Menu
_________________________________________________________________
The secret options menu allows you to do several things, like change
the volume, select Normal or Super Game, enable English (!) and speed
up the game a little (!!).
* The first line toggles the Super Game code on or off. If on, the
Super Game code is automatically enabled for every game you play!
* The second line toggles the Language. The first three-character
code enables Japanese. The four-character code enables English!
This is by far the most important option of all, since no English
version was officially released. The second three-character code
enables English, also, but also enables "Bubble Bobble II". I
assume this is the European English --not the American English--
version of Bubble Symphony, because people who've seen the arcade
version of Bubble Symphony in Europe most often report it as
Bubble Bobble II. The title screen and attract modes both say
Bubble Bobble II when this option is set. Also, the game is faster
at this setting, so it may be in PAL. PAL is the European video
standard which refreshes 16% slower than the American/Japanese
NTSC.
* The third line allows you to select and listen to a sound effect.
* The fourth line adjusts the volume.
* The last line adjusts the sound playback method. "1" sounds like a
flat mono, "2" sounds like a surround-sound-compatible sound mode,
and "3" sounds like normal stereo.
If you happen to know how to enable English on the arcade board (if
possible!), please tell me ASAP so I can set my board to English!!!
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
The Items
_________________________________________________________________
Bubbles
Most bubbles are 10 points each (red bubbles may be 100 points).
Bubble Description
---------------------------------------------------------
blue or green - a normal bubble
clear - bubble will pop soon
red - bubble is about to pop.
fire - when popped, fire will fall toward the ground.
Enemies which touch the fire become red diamonds.
water - when popped, a stream of water will run in the
opposite direction of the dragon's facing. ONLY
ONE STREAM CAN BE ON THE SCREEN AT A TIME. THIS IS
VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER ON 'JAPANESQUE.'
Enemies caught in the water become blue diamonds.
lightning - when popped, a lightning bolt flies across the
screen in the opposite direction of the dragon's
facing. All enemies hit by the bolt become yellow
diamonds.
whirlwind - when popped, a whirlwind flies in the general
direction opposite to the dragon's facing. Its
actual path is determined by the air currents of
the level you're on. Thus, where you pop the
whirlwind is important. All enemies hit by
whirlwinds become purple diamonds.
'revenge' - Every so often, a bubble with a fiery globe will
float around somewhere. Whichever dragon pops it
will gain the power to fire dozens of fireballs
for several levels. All enemies hit by fireballs
become red diamonds.
'R', 'O', 'D' - If you wait for the 'Hurry Up!' to appear on
levels 6, 11?, 17?, ??, and ?? then one of these
letters will appear. If you spell ROD, then a
Giant Rod will drop from the sky. This will
surround you with an energy field. Anybody you
touch while this exists will become a diamond. All
enemies become diamonds when the field dissipates
and the dragons will have become human.
It may be possible to get two Rods in the game,
since there are six worlds. I haven't fully mapped
out the levels, though.
'I'? I _think_ I've seen this letter before, but have
been unable to get it again. I wonder what it
does... could it be some kind of Key? Back home,
perhaps? Or did I imagine it? Maybe it's like
the fireball bubble in Bubble Bobble (1/4096
chance of appearing).
Summoning Scrolls and Items
All Scrolls are XXXX points each.
Green - Bob from Don Doko Don comes out to smash enemies with his
mallet. Enemies he hits become ???. You can control him with the
joystick and Jump. Press Bubble to smash.
Grayish White - the Space invaders base ship. It cannot jump, so be
careful about where you move it. It shoots through walls. Only one
bullet is allowed at a time. Enemies shot by the base become 7,000
point blue diamonds.
Purple - Ptolemy from Fairyland Story will help you. You can control
her. She has very short range with her magic spell, which turns
enemies into 10,000 point cupcakes.
Pink - Tiki from New Zealand Story/Kiwi Kraze hops out of the ether
and slings arrows of doom at the enemies so they will be ???.
Blue - summons Hipopo from Mizubaku Adventure/Liquid Kids. He can jump
and shoot. His mizubakus (water bombs) cause a torrent of water (like
the one that comes out of a water bubble) to wash down from its target
onto anything in its path. Creatures killed by the water become ???.
White Flag - it's not really a flag, but it looks like one. Pocky uses
it in the video game Pocky and Rocky/Kiki Kaikai to sweep enemies
away. In Bubble Symphony, it summons Pocky, who throws her cards at
enemies. The Giant flag appears in Kiki Kaikai, and the flag itself
appears later in the same world.
Heart - summons a large, pink dragon who is not listed in the end
credits but appears in one of the endings. She's four times the size
of the dragons (about the size of the characters from Giant World in
Parasol Stars). She appears to cause Lightning damage, because if she
touches a dragon the dragon is shocked. She will blow kisses if you
press Bubble, but it is much more fun to trample the enemies under her
massive feet. They will become ???. This heart looks like the symbol
that appears in Rainbow Islands (the arcade/Amiga/Saturn/PSX/PC
versions, not NES version) when you first beat the game.
Red Shield - summons the Silver Hawk from Darius 2. It drops bombs
when jump is pressed, and fires its laser when bubble is pressed. You
can fly it around the screen, but watch out where your dragon is! The
Giant red shield, allowing you to get a red shield, appears in Sun "A"
Zone's secret room, and the red shield itself appears late in the
fourth world. Killed enemies become red diamonds.
Cane - summons Mr. Mikata from Pulirula. It twirls around dancing, and
anything it kills becomes strawberries. The Giant cane, allowing you
to get a cane, appears in Radish Land. The cane itself appears early
in the third world. It looks like the cane Tiki uses in New Zealand
Story to shoot fireballs. Getting the Giant cane also seems to
increase the odds that you will get a candy cane in a level.
Bubble Gum
Orange - increase Bubble Shot (blow bubbles faster)
Blue - bubbles move faster
Purple - bubbles float farther
Rings
Purple - each jump (excluding jumps on bubbles) = 500 pts
Blue - each step = 10 pts
Red - each blown bubble equals 100 points instead of 10. Lots of
points when you pop bubbles against the wall!
Crosses
Yellow - lightning streaks from the top of the screen and giant
lightning bolts turn enemies into yellow diamonds.
Blue - water floods the screen and turns enemies into blue diamonds
*AFTER* the water fills the screen. While the screen fills, your
dragon is still vulnerable!!!
Red - dragon will gain ability to shoot about a dozen fireballs.
Enemies hit will become red diamonds.
Other items
Shoe - your character moves faster.
Bomb - When picked up, it detonates and every enemy on the screen
turns into a dark blue diamond worth 10,000 points each.
Book - An earthquake shakes the level and the enemies become dark blue
diamonds.
Secret Doors
There are secret doors in the game. To have one appear, you must not
die in that world until the level the door appears. You can die on
that level, though, and the door will still open. Doors appear on
levels 5, 14, 24, ???, and ???. Each secret door will be filled with
many 6K-10K point Large diamonds and have a 100,000 point Giant item
suspended in a bubble which gives you a special item in a later level.
There is also a message encoded on the wall. The code for these
messages is given on the first line on each wall. The messages are:
* 1st world - THE ROAD IN FRONT OF YOU HAS MANY FORKS... BUT THERE'S
ONLY ONE PLACE TO GO.
* 2nd world - IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR TRUE ENEMY, SEARCH FOR THE KEY
TO OPEN THE FINAL DOOR.
* 3rd world - IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO YOUR OWN WORLD, YOU'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO RETURN TO YOUR BODIES FIRST.
* 4th world - YOU MUST FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH A WORLD THAT IS LIKE,
BUT NOT OF, THIS ONE. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY.
* Last world - No secret message; instead there is an image of
Ptolemy in the background. The Giant item is an alternate weapon
to use against the final boss. (Thanks, Tiri!)
Miscellaneous items
Silver Rod - turns all bubbles into fruit.
Candy Cane - when level ends, all bubbles will turn into 700 pt.
fruit. In addition, a giant item will fall from the top.
Blue popsicle - 10k.
Peach? - 20k.
Watermelon - 20k.
??? - 30k.
??? - 40k.
Treasure Chest - like a Candy Cane, but a 50k pt. Giant blue diamond
will fall.
Tennis shoes - dragon moves faster.
Goldfish cracker - ? pts.
Purple ??? - 30 pts.
Crystal Ball - all hidden Keys will be revealed for several levels.
Necklace - an Arkanoid ball will bounce around, turning any enemy it
hits into a blue diamond.
Gold tiara - stars will fall from the sky and turn all enemies into
10k items.
Silver tiara - the screen will become brighter and all enemies will
become 10k items.
_________________________________________________________________
BOSSES
_________________________________________________________________
HYPER DRUNK - FIRST LEVEL (ANY DOOR)
Hyper Drunk is the old Bubble Bobble boss. He doesn't throw wine
bottles as much as in the old game; many times you'll defeat him
without even seeing him throw any bottles. He will usually stay in the
middle of the screen. But if you inflict certain amounts of damage, he
will become angry and charge you. If you see him get angry, just stop
what you're doing and dodge him until he returns to the center of the
screen.
To defeat him with lightning, move to the top of the screen, drop off
one of the sides and repeatedly press Bubble and Jump after you have
dropped halfway down. You'll be popping lightning bubbles, jumping
after getting shocked, and popping more. Since you will be hovering,
you'll have a large concentration of bolts going toward Hyper Drunk.
Stop pressing Jump when you near the top of the screen or when Hyper
Drunk becomes angry. After he charges, repeat the procedure until you
can pop him. Your wall of lightning should protect you from any
bottles he throws at you. An alternative is to blow a large amount of
bubbles on the side of the wall from about two dragon lengths away and
pop the whole bunch of them when they near the top of the screen by
moving toward the wall. I think this takes longer, but some people
find it easier.
To defeat him with rainbows, stay on the ground and simply blow the
bubbles into the center of the screen. The air currents will carry the
bubbles right through Hyper Drunk. Just pop a large ribbon of bubbles
at once and he'll get hurt a lot. When he gets angry, just move left
or right and continue blowing into the center.
To defeat him with wind, just move your dragon into a corner and blow
bubbles into the wall. Winds will follow the air currents into the
center and hurt Hyper Drunk. By the time he's angry he's only got
about 3 or 4 life bars left. Dodge if you have to, but sometimes he
can't even reach you before he dies.
CLOWN WIZARD - RADISH LAND
I don't know what his name is, but he looks like a clown and has
magical powers. He's also ridiculously easy. He will throw fireballs
in 8 directions from each hand and will hurl his own head at you. Hit
either the head or the body to hurt him.
To defeat him with wind, just move to a corner and blow away. You may
have to dodge his fireballs or head, but you'll kill him eventually.
MANUKE - KIKI KAIKAI
Manuke is a cute girl who happens to be wearing a Tanooki suit. As a
girl, she will levitate and wave a wand which conjures up whirling
leaves. If you walk under her, she will become stone and do nothing.
When you're to the left or right of her, she may become a raccoon
which blows Ps, Os, Ns and paw-shapes at you (PON is the sound of a
raccoon?). These objects will bounce on the ground and may travel high
up, so watch the top of the screen for falling shapes.
When using rainbows against her, you'll find that the bubbles drift
toward the sides. Make sure you're popping the bubbles in the
direction she's going, because she moves quickly enough to dodge
rainbows that drop where she was. Whenever possible, move under her so
she becomes stone. When she's stone you can drop lots of rainbows on
her. When she's a raccoon she won't move but she will blow lots of
objects at you so you'll have to dodge them.
To defeat her with lightning, stay on the opposite side of her and
blow bubbles onto the walls. BEWARE THE LEAVES, they sweep around and
you may find yourself unable to go up or down. Even though you'll have
to dodge a lot, remember to point away from Manuke so your lightning
bolts fire toward her. Sometimes she's really easy to beat with
lightning; simply get onto the first platform above the floor and blow
into the wall. This does not happen regularly, though.
SUPER INVADER - TV MACHINE
I couldn't think of a better name for this guy either... The Super
Invader is a space invader 3/4 the size of Hyper Drunk. It has a
seemingly normal space invader guarding both sides of itself, and four
rows of normal space invaders below it. There are four indestructible
shields to stop the invaders' shots (but not the boss' 5-shot spread
shot). You use winds to destroy the space invaders as they move slowly
down. The winds will not injure the Super Invader at this point. You
can destroy a guard. Don't worry about the invaders reaching the
bottom of the screen: when they reach the top of the shields, they go
back up. You won't lose, like you would in the original Space
Invaders.
Note: if you do not destroy the invader rows quickly, a bonus saucer
will fly across the screen. Hit it with a whirlwind and it will crash
to the ground. A 3000 pt fruit will appear.
After you've destroyed the four rows of invaders, then the Super
Invader and his guards will become annoyed. If you killed a guard
earlier, another will reappear.The super invader will fire five shots
in a spread pattern, and the guards will fire beam lasers at the
ground for a few seconds. Air currents will carry the winds along the
walls if you pop them there, so the best way to hurt the Invader is to
move back and forth along the ground hoping that the whirlwinds will
hit the thing. Because the air currents carry the winds almost
straight up, they are most likely to hit if you pop the bubbles a
little bit ahead of the Invader. Watch the guards; when they're about
to fire their beams you'll see a wave-motion-gun style glowing effect.
Get under the Invader to dodge the beams and follow the Invader's
movements until a beam stops. STOP BLOWING BUBBLES WHILE THE BEAMS ARE
ACTIVE! If you continue to blow bubbles while you're dodging the
beams, the bubbles may push you into a beam!
YAMATO CRAB - SUN "A" ZONE
The great super-battleship Yamato arises from the deep to destroy the
Gamalon fleet led by Desslok... er, actually it arises as the shell
for a giant crab mecha.
The only weapon you can use on the Yamato Crab is lightning. It is
easiest to hit it by standing on the second level, facing the wall,
and blowing lightning bubbles. This will hit the Yamato shell and any
Zero fighters that fly out from it. It will not damage the arcing
missiles, though, so jump up to avoid them and then drop back down to
the second level.
Eventually, you'll destroy the shell. That leaves the robotic crab,
which you can destroy the same way: stand on the second level, etc.
Periodically, the crab will fire five globes of death into the air.
These will hover for a while, then home in on your current position.
Wait until the first one is about to hit you before jumping up.
WARORIN MECHA - PYRAMID LAND, CENTRAL PARK
A mecha version of a Warorin.
FATHER MIGHTA - FOREST LAND, TREASURE DESERT
This is a Giant Mighta. He wears a cape and carries a sceptre.
QUEEN MONSTA- JAPANESQUE
This is a Giant Monsta. He wears a cape and crown.
HYPER DRUNK PUPPET AND SORCERER DRUNK - FINAL LEVEL
The Hyper Drunk, attached to puppet strings this time, should die
instantly if you're playing a two-player game. Just pummel it with
music from both sides if you're using the musical bubbles as your
weapon.
Once it is defeated, a drunk wearing a papal miter drifts down toward you.
This is the Sorcerer Drunk (aka Papal Drunk). I don't have a strategy for
beating it with lightning because I'm not as good as Tiri. :)
If you have music, though, he's not too hard. First, the Sorcerer will
shoot several beams at one of you. If it hits you, you're dead. When
that beam hits the floor, a wall of fire will form and head in your
direction. If the floor below you is on fire and you're on the
platform above, beware the tip of the fire as it moves.
Eventually, he'll create a shield of booze jugs that surround him.
Every so often, he'll propel one toward you or your partner. When it
hits the ground, six snowflakes of death fly out at 60-degree angles.
On rare occasions, a destroyed jug will cause a blue diamond to
appear. I haven't figured the significance of this, or how to do it.
Once you've destroyed the shield of jugs, the Sorcerer Drunk will fly
away. He will then plummet to the floor at high speed, his staff
forming a sphere of fire that explodes into several fireballs when he
lands. If you're playing with two players, make sure you're both on
the same side of the screen when he flys away because he will land
near your last spot on the screen. As he takes up about one-third of
the screen, you have to make sure that you both stay at the walls
until he flies, then move as quickly as possible toward the opposite
wall before he lands.
_________________________________________________________________
The Endings
_________________________________________________________________
Your worst ending (besides death...) occurs when you have not obtained
the four colored keys. Without the four keys you cannot open the door
to the final level. There are four or five such endings:
* As dragons:
+ Forest: ???
+ Japanesque: ???
+ Treasure Desert: You find a box full of treasure, but you
can't figure out how to get home.
+ Waterfall: A Dranku seduces Bub and Bob, so Kulu and Coro
have to grab their tails to keep them away from her.
+ Sky Palace:
* As humans:
+ Forest: ???
+ Japanesque: ???
+ Treasure Desert:
+ Waterfall: the huge pink dragon that appears when you grab
the pink heart looms over the horizon. The four kids run
away, shrieking in horror. I don't get this... I wish I could
read the Japanese script...
+ Sky Palace:
The decent ending occurs when you beat the Sorcerer Drunk without the
Rod. Without the Rod, you cannot change yourselves back to human form.
The four kids remain in the magical land because they can't go back to
our world while dragons.
The good ending occurs when you beat the Sorcerer Drunk with the Rod.
When you grabbed the Rod, you were transformed back into humans. Thus,
after defeating the Sorcerer Drunk you are able to go back home.
_________________________________________________________________
The High Score List
_________________________________________________________________
The English version of Bubble Symphony has a typical three-character
high score list. Entering SEX, RYU, or the other special Bubble Bobble
initials does not appear to have an effect upon the game, though the
initials are changed to "S.!" when you enter them.
HOWEVER, the Japanese version (the one I own!) is different. You can
enter eight characters. If you enter the Bubble Bobble initials, they
will be changed to "S.!" like the English version. If you enter
"AAAAAAAA", "BBBBBBBB", or probably any string consisting of the same
eight characters, you get a random string! So far, I've gotten these:
String Comments
VIOLENCE ???
METALBLA Metal Black
WARRIORB ???
BUBBLEBO Bubble Bobble - if you don't know what this is, then
you haven't been reading this FAQ!
MS ISSAC ???
PULIRULA Pulirula - I've never seen this game, but a character
says "Pulirula" in Bust-a-Move 2...
DONDOKOD Don Doko Don - interesting Bubble Bobble-like game where
two guys smash enemies on their heads with large mallets.
Kind of cute, but disturbing.
SCI SCI (Special Criminal Investigation), aka Chase HQ 2
AQUAJACK ???
DARIUS Darius - famous horizontal shoot-em-up series
ARKANOID Arkanoid - famous ball-and-wall series
GYRODYNE ???
ELEVATOR Elevator Action - famous game with cool 1995 sequel,
Elevator Action Returns
MASTEROF ???
PUZZNIC Puzznic - great puzzle game from 1989 or 1990 where you
match blocks together. The PC Engine/Turbografx-16 version
is like Bubble Symphony in that it features guest
characters from other Taito games like Bubble Bobble and
Kiki Kaikai.
TOPLANDI I think this is the 3-D aircraft simulator Taito made a
few years ago, Top Landing.
INVADER Space Invaders - the first super-popular shoot-em-up; it
caused teenagers to rob stores in Japan just to get
quarters to play it (SERIOUSLY!!!).
BENBEROB ???
GRIDSEEK ???
CRIMECIT Horizontal-scrolling Taito shoot-em-up, 1989. Similar to
Atari/Namco's Rolling Thunder.
RUNARK ???
RASTANSA Rastan Saga - series of arcade and home games featuring
a barbarian who explores a horizontal- and
vertical-scrolling world.
MEGABLAS ???
MIZUBAKU Liquid Kids (aka Mizubaku Adventure), one of the best
Taito games!
CHAMPION ??? - maybe Champion Wrestler?
KIKIKAIK Kiki Kaikai/Pocky and Rocky - pretty good series of
games for SNES (Super Famicom)/TG16 (PC Engine).
POWERWHE ???
AIRINFER ???
_________________________________________________________________
Credits
_________________________________________________________________
Thanks to the Sno-King Ice Arena for being the ONLY PLACE IN THE WHOLE
STATE OF WASHINGTON, USA that had Bubble Symphony. And thanks to a
certain employee at the rink who, after hearing me swearing up a
storm, walked up to me and my friend Anthony Greulich and said, "I
don't mind you guys playing this game, but please don't swear around
here; there are kids around." So until they removed the game from the
rink, I didn't swear as much in my life...
Thanks to Bondeal Sales International Limited, in Hong Kong, which
supplied me with the arcade boards for Bubble Symphony, Bubble
Memories, and Rainbow Islands. They have a HUGE selection of boards!
Why they don't list them on their Web site is beyond me (probably
because their inventory changes often), but the list they do have is
always interesting to look at.
Thanks to Tiri (
[email protected]), who contributed a
lot to the FAQ.
Thanks to Yoneda Mitsunori, who made the complete level/note/bubble
location map.
Thanks to Anthony Greulich (
[email protected]) for being my playing
partner.
_________________________________________________________________
Copyright Notice
_________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 1995, 1997 Carl Chavez.
This article may not appear in any for-profit organization (especially
EGM or COP-DN) without permission.
_________________________________________________________________
