Bubbles (video game)
| Bubbles | |
|---|---|
| Screenshot from Bubbles | |
| Developer(s) | Williams Electronics |
| Publisher(s) | Williams Electronics |
| Designer(s) | John Kotlarik Tim Murphy Python Anghelo |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | platform |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, playing alternately |
Bubbles is an arcade game from 1982 by Williams Electronics. The objective of the game is to collect objects in a sink so that your player (which resembles a bubble) expands in size, whereas gains you points and exceeds you to the next level.
Gameplay
The objects you can collect, or "absorb", are Crumbs, Greasies, and Ants.
- Crumbs are small bits of food that move slowly to the drain (which is at the center of the sink and should not be touched or else you die). Crumbs add 50 points to your score count. Obtain one by simply moving into it when onscreen.
- Greasies, often mistaken for large Ants, are greasy spots which move toward the drain. Greasies increase your points by 150, and can make your bubble expand quickly in size.
- Ants are small insects that are, well, ants. Ants move around on screen and are 100 points.
From time to time, a figure that resembles an old lady swinging a broom comes from the drain. Your player can obtain it, which gives you 1500 points and gives you a broom you can use for a short time. Use this broom against Roaches, which are big black bugs that can kill you instantly on contact. Destroying a Roach can give you 200 points. Besides Roaches, there are other enemies which are fatal to touch, which are Sponges, Razor Blades, and Brushes. Sponges look like little orange lumps with angry faces on it. Sponges can be destroyed once your bubble grows so big, it has a mouth on it. If it does you can ram into the Sponge by moving into it, thus killing it and giving you 500 or so points. Razor Blades meanwhile, look like ovals with two dots inside of it. These appear often and cannot be destroyed, so avoid Razors when you possibly can. Brushes are enemies which look like a triangle with little bristles coming out of the bottom with angry faces. These can destroy you, but these enemies can be killed in the same fashion you kill a Sponge.
As you progress through the game, enemies appear often, making the sink crowded with each level you pass. If you pass a level successfully, with most enemies destroyed and a face on your bubble, the sink lets down water into the drain and you move onto the next level. But, if you lack the face on your character, on the next level it will say "OOPS! BUBBLE NOT BIG ENOUGH" and your character will be sent down the drain, losing a life.
Kurchak is the next National Bubbles Champion
Mike is a bubbles pro. and he always will be...
Like most of the Williams Electronics games, you start off Bubbles with three lives. By getting numerous points, you can increase your lives. Although entering the drain causes the player to lose a life, sometimes the inside of the drain flashes green, and there you can exit the level quicker. But, when it flashes red, it indicates a Roach is approaching. Collecting objects very near the drain increases their normal amount by 2 times, but is very risky because of the navigation mechanism. Controlling the bubble character around the sink is a tricky business because the bubble seems to "slip" across the area.
See also
- Katamari Damacy, a 2004 game with similar basic gameplay.
External links
- Bubbles at the Killer List of Videogames
- My Tribute to Williams Bubbles
- Bubbles at arcade-history.com