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Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

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Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2
The second stage of Rainbow Islands.
Developer(s)Taito
Publisher(s)Taito
Designer(s)Fukio Mitsuji
Platform(s)Arcade, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Sega Mega Drive, Atari ST, Amiga, NES, Sega Master System, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, PC, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, WonderSwan, Game Boy Color, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Mobile
Release1987
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Up to 2 players, alternating turns

Rainbow Islands is a 1987 arcade game from Taito. The game is subtitled "The Story of Bubble Bobble 2" and is the sequel to Taito's hit game Bubble Bobble from the previous year. It is the second of four arcade games in the Bubble Bobble series (followed by Bubble Symphony and Bubble Memories, but itself has two direct sequels: Parasol Stars and Bubble Bobble Part 2). The game was ported for numerous home computers and game consoles.

The basic premise of the game is that each level is an island which is slowly sinking into the sea. The player must therefore get to the top of each level, by jumping on platforms and making use of the game's most distinctive feature: the ability to produce solid rainbows, which are used both as platforms to stand on, and as a weapon.

One of the features which sets this game apart from many others (and has no doubt been responsible for the game's popularity) is its 'hidden depths'. While initially appearing to be quite a simple game, Rainbow Islands in fact has a vast number of secrets for the player to discover, including secret levels, secret power-ups and riddles. Because of these elements, completing the game properly requires a large amount of dedication from the player. The scoring system also has secrets, which allow vastly higher scores to be achieved than normal.

Premise

The game is set on a chain of ten islands, each one with a different theme. Each island provides four rounds of gameplay, and once these are complete the player moves to the next island in the chain. The islands get progressively more difficult, with enemies moving much faster on the later ones.

In order of play, the islands are:

The three secret islands are:

These are depicted on a map screen before the start of each island. The three secret islands are not visible before fulfilling certain conditions; see the Diamonds section for more information. Most consumer versions of the game completely lack the secret islands.

The main characters are Bubblun and Bobblun, the protagonists of Bubble Bobble (known as "Bub and Bob" in the U.S. release). However, in this game they appear in their human forms as "Bubby" and "Bobby", as opposed to the "bubble dragons" of the first game. Also unlike the first game, players must now "alternate" (i.e., take turns), with player one as Bubby (green shirt), and player 2 as Bobby (blue shirt) (as with the first game).

Game structure

Level format

Every round has essentially the same format. The player begins at the bottom of a long, vertical level, and must reach the 'Goal' at the top.

Levels are filled with structures and platforms that can be used to ascend. On the way up, various enemies will attempt to thwart your efforts. A collision with an enemy results in the player's death. In addition, some enemies possess projectile weapons which will also kill the player.

If the player spends too long on a level, the message "Hurry!" appears on screen, accompanied by an urgent klaxon. Subsequently, the music speeds up, and a few seconds later, water begins to fill up the screen from the bottom. Immersion in the water results in death (it is possible to "wade" in it, up to about neck-deep), and thus the player must hasten his efforts to reach the Goal.

If the Goal is reached, a victory jingle is played and the message "GOAL IN!" appears on screen. As a reward for the player, a large chest full of bonus food items drops in and scatters its contents over the Goal platform, leaving the player to collect these to obtain more points before the round ends.

Bosses

At the top of the last round of every island, there is a large boss enemy, which is in most cases an enlarged version of one of the regular enemies on that island. Bosses are significantly tougher and better armed than their smaller counterparts. If the boss is defeated, a chest drops in and scatters its contents, in the manner of regular Goals, with the addition of a big 'points item' (which is always either an aubergine, an apricot, bananas, green grapes, a slice of cake, a money bag, or purple grapes). However, if all seven diamonds have been collected on that island, the big 'points item' is replaced with a big diamond.

Additionally, if certain conditions are met, which the conditions on the screen appears after the best ending, the boss can be skipped entirely.

Rainbows

The player's singular special ability is the power to create rainbows (similar in concept to Rainbow Brite's powers, but much more linear). These manifest as arcing trails left by a bouncing star. Unlike their physical counterparts, these rainbows are solid and can be walked upon by the player, or by enemies. If they are not collapsed by the player, they remain fixed in space before eventually disappearing, either after a number of seconds, or if a large number of rainbows have been created since (there can be only a finite number of rainbows on screen; approximately eight).

Offensive uses

  • Direct projection - A rainbow can be fired directly at an enemy, killing it.
  • Collapsing - A rainbow can be jumped upon, which collapses it. Any enemies beneath the collapsing rainbow are killed. This is the more powerful use of rainbows and is particularly effective against bosses. Collapsing a rainbow will also kill any enemies that are just above the rainbow (within approximately one rainbow's height above).

Collapsing a rainbow before it is fully built (i.e. by firing a rainbow then immediately jumping on it) will result in the whole rainbow being immediately built and collapsing. This can provide a very effective way of rapidly collapsing rainbows; if firing a triple rainbow, you can jump on the first rainbow and it will immediately build and collapse all three, saving potentially vital seconds.

A collapsing rainbow will also collapse other rainbows in close proximity, allowing the player to cause large cascades of collapsing rainbows.

Additionally, collapsing rainbows will collect any items they collapse through. Direct projection can also be used, but the arc shape means that it can easily miss.

Rainbows can be jumped on without collapsing them if the jump button is held down.

Defensive uses

  • Trapping - Because of the arc shape of a rainbow, enemies can be trapped underneath them. It is then a simple matter to collapse the rainbow on top of them. Trapped enemies always become angry.
  • Blocking - Projectile weapons can be blocked by rainbows. The rainbow is always destroyed in the process.
  • Escaping - A rainbow can provide a quick exit away from danger if necessary; it is possible to form an ascending path of rainbows without jumping. The player can easily walk on rainbows to cross from one side of the screen to the other, even through walls.

Rainbow upgrades

  • Red pot - The red pot, a frequently appearing bonus item, increases the number of rainbows fired in a single shot. Collecting it once gives the player double rainbows; collecting it again gives triple rainbows, the full extent of this bonus.
  • Yellow pot - The yellow pot gives the player fast rainbows - ones that are generated with increased speed.

A rare special item, the rainbow cross, will provide fast quadruple rainbows for the remainder of the level.

Enemies

Every island has its own set of enemies; on Insect Island the player is confronted by ladybirds, spiders, and so on, while Combat Island features tanks and helicopters. However, many different enemies on different islands exhibit the same base behaviour.

Enemy deaths

When an enemy is killed, it turns blue and harmlessly spins through the air in a parabolic manner. When or if it lands on a platform, it turns into a bonus item.

Anger

As in Bubble Bobble, enemies can become angry. When this happens, they turn red and become faster and more aggressive. Enemies can be made angry in three different ways:

  • Trapping an enemy underneath a rainbow.
  • Spending too long in the presence of an enemy without killing it.
  • Spending too long on a level such that it begins to flood with water. When this happens, all enemies on the level immediately become angry.

Collectable items

An essential element of Rainbow Islands is the collectable items. In a typical game, hundreds, if not thousands, of items will be encountered.

The game has a total of 135 different items, all of which fall into one of three categories:

  • Goodies (80 items)
  • Diamonds (7 colors)
  • Power-ups (48 items)

(There are also 22 'big' versions of items, awarded at the end of boss rounds.)

Goodies

Goodies are by far the most common type of item: they are littered all over each level (some visible and some hidden). They are also produced from killing enemies by firing a rainbow directly at them. When the 'Hurry!' message appears, all the goodies in the entire round are removed.

Goodies, quite simply, reward the player with points. There are 80 different kinds of goody (mosty different types of food), starting off with the green pepper (10 points), then the aubergine (20 points), then the carrot (30 points), and so on all the way up to the gold crowns and money bags (10,000 points).

Hidden Goodies

Roughly half of the goodies scattered throughout the levels are hidden, and are only revealed when a rainbow is fired through them. Hidden goodies are normally on 'the ground' (ie directly over platforms), however, there are certain points where hidden items can be found in mid air. Sometimes, several hidden items will occupy the same location (appearing on top of each other); this is never the case for visible goodies.

Sequential Scoring

One of the lesser known features of Rainbow Islands is its sequential scoring system that allows very high scores to be gained. The normal visible goodies tend to be random low-scoring items, so it is difficult to achieve a high score from collecting them. Other goodies, however, such as those that are hidden or produced from killing enemies are not random: they appear according to a sequence starting with low point vegetables worth 10s of points and progressing to crowns and jewelry worth as much as 10,000 points. The sequence is only reset when the player loses a life. This allows high scores to be achieved from collecting as many hidden objects as possible within each life.

Diamonds

The second type of item in Rainbow Islands is diamonds. Diamonds are the key to completing Rainbow Islands properly, and seeing the true ending. Diamonds are produced by killing an enemy with a collapsing rainbow, with a star, or with special powers granted by a power-up.

There are seven diamonds; their colors are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The color of diamond that appears depends upon the horizontal location of where it lands on the screen. A diamond formed in the leftmost seventh of the screen will be red; in the second seventh it will be orange; and so on in the color order listed above. As diamonds are collected, diamond icons appear at the bottom of the screen to signify which colors have been collected so far.

Completing the Game Fully Using Diamonds

Collecting all seven colors of diamond before the end of the island gives the player a huge bonus, and rewards the player with a big diamond when the boss is defeated (instead of a big goody). Collecting this big diamond also gives a huge point bonus, and the fact that you have collected it is denoted on the map screen. A big diamond must be collected on all seven of the islands in order to reveal the three secret islands (not available in conversions of the game). In the secret islands, the equivalent of the big diamonds are colored mirrors, all three of which must be collected in order to complete the game fully.

Silver Doors, Secret Rooms and Power-ups

Collecting all seven diamond colors in the rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), before the end of the island, gives the same bonus as normal, but also causes a 'Silver Door' to be revealed on the boss screen. This door leads to a secret room, and allows the boss battle to be bypassed completely. The player may still fight the boss and collect the contents of the bonus chest before entering the door if desired. However, this is risky as the door will disappear if the player loses a life.

Each of the islands, except for the final one, has its own secret room. Inside each secret room is a big diamond, the same as is dispensed from the bonus chest when all seven diamonds are collected. This makes it possible to collect two big diamonds on each island, to get more points (if the boss is defeated without losing a life).

More importantly, each secret room contains a super special bonus item, as listed below:

  • Insect Island — Permanent shoe (faster running)
  • Combat Island — Permanent double rainbows
  • Monster Island — Permanent fast rainbows
  • Toy Island — Permanent wings
  • Doh Island — Teleport to island 7 or 8
  • Robot Island — Permanent protection fairy
  • Dragon Island — Allows continue after island 7
  • Magical Island — All hidden items become money bags
  • Darius Island — Allows the player to 'shoot' rainbows sideways

Additionally, there is an obfuscated lettered code written at the top of the level. This is a cheat code, and can be entered before a game starts to activate the corresponding power-up. The means of entering this code differ between the different computer versions of Rainbow Islands.

Power-ups

The third and final type of item in Rainbow Islands is power-ups. Power-ups are sometimes found placed around the levels, but the more common way to acquire power-ups is by killing enemies. For every third enemy that is killed, the item produced will always be a power-up (the other two will produce either a goody or a diamond, depending on the method of killing).

There are six standard power-ups, which always appear in the following order:

  • Shoe — Makes the player run faster.
  • Red potion — Gives the player double and subsequently triple rainbows.
  • Yellow potion — Gives the player fast rainbows.
  • Red potion (again)
  • Yellow star — Creates an upward expanding burst of yellow stars that kill any enemies in their path.
  • Crystal ball — Changes the graphics for dying enemies to those of Bubble Bobble. (Worth 5,000 points also.)
  • Red star — Like the yellow star, but more powerful; creates a fully circular burst of red stars which are equally lethal.
  • Special power-up — The eight power-up is always a special power-up (see below).

Special Power-ups

Every eighth power-up is a special power-up. There are 42 in total, most of which have effects that last only temporarily or until the end of the round.

Which special power-up will appear depends on criteria unique to each one. For example, the red ring will not appear until three shoes have been collected, while the protective cape will not appear until the player has died ten times. In general, the more rewarding special power-ups have more demanding criteria.

Groups of Special Power-ups

  • Canes (×7) — Make crushed rainbows turn into several goodies. (Each color of cane requires seven of that color diamond.)
  • Rings (×3) — Award points for walking/jumping/firing.
  • Tiaras (×3) — Make stars appear (in various ways) to kill enemies.
  • Lamps (×3) — The yellow and red lamps make money bags appear; the blue lamp gives the player full rainbow power-ups.
  • Sceptres (×3) — Cause one of three hints (A-C) to be displayed at the end of the round. A further three hints (D-F) are shown in the secret islands.
  • Bottles (×7) — Cause big goodies (worth 100,000 points) to come out of the chest at the end of the round. This will never replace big diamonds, however. (Each color of bottle requires two of that color cane.)

Unique Special Power-ups

  • Rainbow star — Extra life.
  • Peacock feather — Protective fairy circles the player.
  • Blue chalice — Kills all on-screen enemies.
  • Balloon — Colored balloons float up through the screen, which can be popped for points.
  • Protective cape — Invulnerability.
  • Blue bell — A bell rings when the player stands over hidden goodies.
  • Magic wand — Turns all hidden items into red stars.
  • Clock — Freezes enemies for several seconds.
  • Blue potion — Unknown.
  • Rainbow potion — Surrounds the player with protective balls.
  • Gold cross — Fires lightning bolts which kill enemies.
  • Rainbow cross — Gives the player fast quadruple rainbows.
  • Book — Allows the player to fly.
  • Rainbow necklace — Gives the player all seven diamonds, in order.
  • Shooting star — Applies a random special power-up.
  • Flash bubble — Makes the following power-ups permanent: shoe, red potion, yellow potion and peacock feather (fairy).

References to other Taito games

Rainbow Islands is packed with secrets of various nature, as well as many references and homages to other Taito games.

  • One such reference is the fifth island, Doh Island, a reference to the game Arkanoid, also by Taito. This level plays as any other, but the enemies are the same as encountered in Arkanoid, and the platforms are designed from colored blocks. Also, the music is absent and the player's jumping sound resembles the sound of the ball hitting the bat in Arkanoid. Losing the final life in this island also results in the game over music from Arkanoid instead of the usual Rainbow Islands music.
The boss on Doh Island is Doh himself, the boss of Arkanoid.

Similar homages and references can be found on all three secret islands:

  • Magical Island (the eighth one) refers to Fairyland Story, and the graphics, music and enemies are the same ones found in that game.
  • Darius Island (the ninth one) refers to Darius, and the graphics, music and enemies are the same ones found in that game.
  • Bubble Island (the tenth one) is an homage to Bubble Bobble, and the music and enemies are modeled after the original game.

Another reference to Bubble Bobble can be found in the death animations of enemies: if a crystal ball has been collected, the animation frames of defeated enemies will turn to the death frames (blue) of a Bubble Bobble enemy, instead of a Rainbow Islands one, for the remainder of the level. The behavioural pattern of the enemy in question determines which Bubble Bobble enemy is revealed when it is killed.

Extra version

Rainbow Islands Extra Version is a modified version of Rainbow Islands; the game is exactly the same except the stages' enemies and bosses appear in a different order (much like Bubble Bobble's Super Mode). The game was included as a mode in the Sega Mega Drive version of Rainbow Islands. It was licensed to Romstar for US manufacturing and distribution.

Ports

Rainbow Islands has been converted to the following home computer and video game console platforms:

Critical reaction

Rainbow Islands was the first game to make #1 on Amiga Power's annual All Time Top 100 list, and held the spot for years until losing to Sensible Soccer, which retained the title for the rest of the magazine's run.

The ZX Spectrum port of the game was awarded 94% in the April 1990 issue of Your Sinclair[1] and was placed at number 8 in the Your Sinclair official top 100.

UK magazine C&VG gave the ST version a score of 93 %, praising the graphics and calling the game addictive and "tremendous fun".[2]

Trivia

  • The overworld music from original arcade release of Rainbow Islands featured a musical motif from the song Over the Rainbow. Due to fears of copyright infringement, the song was replaced with an alternate, unnamed piece of music in many of the re-releases. The emulated version present in the more recent Taito Legends collection keeps the original theme, but the audio channels containing the offending melody line have been muted. Slightly remixed versions have been made for the Revolution port on Nintendo DS (one per each island using the theme).
  • Obtaining the true ending in the Arcade game, displays a screen with text in katakana that anticipates the story of Bubble Bobble Part 2 (the NES game). Oddly it is presented as the "Legend of Bubble Bobble 3". Below, the enemies of the original Bubble Bobble are seen as they turn into human beings. This last bit may not have any particular significance (but it might if we consider how a certain item changes dying enemies into Bubble Bobble ones and how much changing innocents into monsters is featured in these games).
  • There are actually two completely different conversions for the NES with the European version being far more faithful to the arcade original than the version released in the US. The latter is very similar to the Master System version, it doesn't seem to make a difference if Diamonds are collected in the proper order, it's one player only and some islands are not in the game (Toy, Magical and Dragon, though some elements of the latter are included in Monster Island). However not all changes are for the worse as there is also an all new KikiKaikai Island (see screenshots in external links), there is a different Darius boss, and some extra plot (also to explain why Bob is not playable: he gets himself in all sort of troubles but eventually helps Bub enter the last island as stated in the manual) with several alternative endings not featured in the arcade game.
  • The Game Boy Color version of the game has a rather bizarre introduction: Bub and Bob fly through space with the Parasols they are supposed to receive only after the game, wondering what adventure to go on next, when they run into Darius monsters kidnapping the president of the Rainbow Islands who, rescued, tells them monsters have returned to Rainbow Islands. Judging by this, it would seem that despite the title and gameplay in terms of story this may be intended as a sequel to the original Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars (you can find screenshots of this in the external links below). However the rest of the game is pretty much the same as the original arcade but this port features all islands, even the KikiKaikai one.

References

  1. ^ http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/rainbowislands.htm
  2. ^ Glancey, Paul (September 1989), "Wonderboy III", Computer and Video Games, no. 94, pp. 80–81
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