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Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

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Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2
Japanese arcade flyer
DeveloperTaito
PublisherTaito
DesignerFukio Mitsuji
ComposerHisayoshi Ogura
SeriesRainbow Islands
Platform
Release
October 1987
  • Arcade
    NES
    ZX Spectrum
    Amiga, Atari ST
    Mega Drive
    C64, CPC
    Master System
    CD-ROM²
    Saturn
    PlayStation
    WonderSwan
    Game Boy Color
GenrePlatform
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2[a], better known as simply Rainbow Islands, is a 1987 platform video game developed and published by Taito for Japanese arcades.[13] It is the sequel to 1986's Bubble Bobble, and 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 to home computers and home video game consoles.

Gameplay

The second stage (arcade version)
Arcade PCB (Taito B22)

Following the events of Bubble Bobble, Bubby and Bobby set out to defeat the "Dark Shadow" and rescue the Rainbow Islands. The Dark Shadow is the entity responsible for the events in Bubble Bobble.[14] The game is set on a chain of ten islands, each one with a different theme. Each island provides four rounds of game-play, and once these are complete the player moves to the next island in the chain. In each round the player must get to the top before the sea level rises and kills them. The islands get progressively more difficult, with enemies moving much faster on the later ones. These are depicted on a map screen before the start of each island.

Players can release rainbows that act as weapons, makeshift platforms, and item collectors. Slinging rainbows damages any enemies and acquires any items that the rainbows come in contact with. When jumped upon, they fall down, beating any enemies below them, and releasing a damage field above them.[14] Collecting power-ups increases the player's speed, the speed of the rainbows and how many are spawned. If players take too long in a level, water will start to rise up from the bottom of the stage, and will kill the player character if it rises above his head.[14]

Like its predecessor, the game has multiple endings.[15] To get a big diamond, the player must collect seven different-colored small diamonds on the island and finish the round. The small diamonds are found by destroying enemies by dropping a rainbow on them from above or destroying them with various special items. After collecting the small diamonds, a word "NICE" appears. If the small diamonds are collected in the correct order, the player will get to a secret room at the end of each island, which contains a permanent power up. The color of the small diamonds depends on where the fallen enemies land, so the player can somewhat determine which diamond colors will drop.

The scoring system also has secrets, which allow vastly higher scores to be achieved than normal.[16]

Ports

Graftgold developed ports for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga and Atari ST, which were released by Ocean Software in 1989 and 1990.[17] The company would also develop ports for the MS-DOS, Sega Saturn and PlayStation, which were released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1996.[14]

The game was released outside Japan for the first time for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988; the main theme was replaced with an original track, due to its similarity to "Over the Rainbow" from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which would have attracted legal troubles from Turner Entertainment Co. if the arcade version was ever released outside Japan. It also includes an island based on KiKi Kaikai as a replacement for Magical Island. The Master System version, released by Sega, as well as the Game Boy Color version, are direct ports of this version.[18] The European version of the NES port was localized by Ocean to be more faithful to the arcade version, whereas the Japanese and North American versions have original level designs and story intermissions.[19] A TurboGrafx-16 version was released in 1993 by NEC Avenue. A WonderSwan version was released in 2000 by Bandai.

Rainbow Islands Extra Version is a modified version of Rainbow Islands; the layouts of the islands remain exactly the same except the stages' enemies and bosses appear in a different order (much like Bubble Bobble's Super Mode).[20] In addition, the bosses were made more difficult by adding more variety to their behavior. Rainbow Islands Extra was released in limited quantities in the arcade. The game was also included as a mode in the Mega Drive version of Rainbow Islands. The game was also included in the Japanese compilation Taito Memories II Jōkan for the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable collection Taito Memories Pocket.

Hamster Corporation released the original arcade version outside Japan for the first time as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in January 2024. This version had its main theme replaced with the NES main theme due to the same legal troubles.[18]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CrashSpectrum: 94%[21]
Computer and Video GamesAtari ST: 93%[22]

Amiga: 96%
C64: 96%

Spectrum: 95%[23]
Famitsu5/10, 7/10, 8/10, 5/10 (SMD)[24]
Sinclair UserSpectrum: 94[25]
Your SinclairSpectrum: 94°[26]
ACEAtari ST: 934[27]
Zzap!64C64: 96%[28]
MicroHobby (ES)Spectrum: 89%[29]
The Games MachineAmiga: 93%[30]
C64: 92%
MegaTechMega Drive: 86%[31]
Mean MachinesMega Drive: 92%[32]
Sega Master Force91% [33]
Sega Saturn MagazineSaturn: 92%[34]
Awards
PublicationAward
Zzap!64Gold Medal
CrashCrash Smash
Sinclair UserSU Classic

In Japan, Game Machine listed Rainbow Island: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 as the second most successful table arcade unit of November 1987.[35] It went on to become one of the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1988 in Japan.[36] The Spectrum version of the game was number one on the UK sales chart from May[37] to June 1990[38] at the time of release. It was re-released at a budget price, and was number one again from October 1992[39] to March 1993.[40] It was also the top-selling Amiga budget title of March 1992.[41]

UK magazine C&VG gave the ST version a score of 93%, praising the graphics and calling the game addictive and "tremendous fun".[22] It was awarded 94% in the April 1990 issue of Your Sinclair[26] and was placed at number 8 in the "Your Sinclair official top 100".[42] In issue 93 of the same magazine, the readers voted it the second best game of all time. It was also awarded a 94% score in Crash.[21] The readers of Crash voted Rainbow Islands the number one game of all time in December 1991.[43] MegaTech magazine said it was "virtually arcade perfect, with only flickery sprites letting the side down".[31]

Edge wrote in 1994 that "Taito's Rainbow Islands has all the ingredients for a superb videogame – incentives, copious rewards and bonuses, and intelligent bosses".[44]

Despite these accomplishments, in his review of the Bubble Bobble Featuring Rainbow Islands pack, Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine said Rainbow Islands was "vastly underrated and over-looked". He added that the gameplay still felt fresh and unique despite the passage of years, and was good enough to make the collection a must-have by itself.[14]

Accolades

The Amiga version of Rainbow Islands was the first game to reach number one on Amiga Power's annual All Time Top 100 list in 1991,[45] and again in 1992.[46] It held the spot for years until losing to Sensible Soccer, which retained the title for the rest of the magazine's run. In 1992, Mega magazine ranked the Mega Drive version ninth on its "Mega Top 100 Carts" list. In 1993, Commodore Force ranked the game at number five on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.[47] In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the game 79th on its list of the "Top 100 Games of All Time".[48]

Notes

  1. Japanese: レインボーアイランド, Hepburn: Reinbō Airando

References

  1. Akagi, Masumi (2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編 (1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 43. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. "All Famicom games sorted from the latest release to the earliest". Famitsu. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023.
  3. "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014.
  4. "Preview: Rainbow Island". Sinclair User. No. 84. EMAP. March 1989. p. 87.
  5. "Review: Rainbow Islands". The One. No. 11. EMAP. August 1989. pp. 32–33.
  6. "Software List (Software Licensee Release)". Sega Hardware Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  7. "PC Engine Software List 1993". GAME Data Room (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 27, 2018.
  8. "Bubble Bobble also featuring Rainbow Islands". sega-saturn.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 1997.
  9. "Saturn Review". Mean Machines. No. 48. EMAP. October 1996. pp. 60, 61.
  10. "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". PlayStation Galleria. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000.
  11. "Checkpoint". Computer and Video Games. No. 187. EMAP. June 1997. p. 49.
  12. "Wonder Swan Software List 2000". GAME Data Room (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 1, 2018.
  13. "Rainbow Islands The Story Of Bubble Bobble 2". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  14. Leadbetter, Richard (October 1996). "Paint the Whole World with a Rainbow!". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 12. Emap International Limited. pp. 48–51.
  15. "Rainbow Islands".
  16. "The Ultimate Guide to... #01 Rainbow Islands", Retro Gamer (79), Imagine Publishing: 24–29, July 2010
  17. "Rainbow Islands Work In Progress". The One (6): 14–16. March 1989.
  18. McFerran, Damien (January 5, 2024). "So, What Music Will Rainbow Islands Use On Nintendo Switch And PS4?". Time Extension. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  19. "The Definitive Bubble Bobble", Retro Gamer (28), Imagine Publishing: 61, August 2006
  20. "Rainbow Islands Extra Version". The International Arcade Museum. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  21. "Crash Review". Crash (75): 45. April 1990.
  22. "Rainbow Islands Atari ST Review". Computer and Video Games. No. 94. September 1989. pp. 80–81.
  23. "C+VG Review". C+VG (101). Future Publishing: 68. April 1990.
  24. Famitsu staff (October 12, 1990). "新作ゲーム クロスレビュー" [New Games Cross Review]. Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 111. Enterbrain, Tokuma Shoten. p. 19.
  25. "Sinclair User Review". Sinclair User. No. 98. April 1990. p. 71. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  26. "Rainbow Islands Review". Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Your Sinclair. No. 52. April 1990. p. 94. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. "ACE Review". ACE (24): 92–93. September 1989.
  28. "Review – Rainbow Islands". Zzap!64 (53): 10–11. September 1989. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  29. "Review – Rainbow Islands". Micro Hobby (198): 38. April 1991. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  30. "Review – Rainbow Islands". The Games Machine (28): 45. March 1990. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  31. "Game Index – Rainbow Islands". MegaTech (2): 78. February 1992.
  32. "Review – Rainbow Islands". Mean Machines. No. 2. Outofprintarchive.com. November 1990. pp. 92–93. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  33. "Rainbow Islands Sega". Sega Master Force. No. 2. September 1993. p. 13. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  34. Leadbetter, Rich (October 1996). "Review: Bubble Bobble Rainbow Islands". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 12. Emap International Limited. pp. 74–75.
  35. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 321. Amusement Press, Inc. December 1, 1987. p. 25.
  36. "第２回ゲーメスト大賞 〜 年間ヒットゲームベスト100" [2nd Gamest Awards – Best 100 Hit Games of the Year]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 29 (February 1989). December 27, 1988. pp. 25–41 (41). alternate url
  37. "Your Sinclair Top Ten Games". Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Your Sinclair. No. 53. May 1990. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. "Your Sinclair Top Ten Games". Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014. Your Sinclair. No. 54. June 1990. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. "Your Sinclair Top Ten Games". Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014. Your Sinclair. No. 82. October 1992. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. "Your Sinclair Top Ten Games". Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014. Your Sinclair. No. 87. March 1993. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  41. "Charts: Month ending 27th March 1992". The One. No. 44 (May 1992). EMAP. April 21, 1992. p. 16.
  42. "The YS Top 100 Speccy Games Of All Time (Ever!)". Your Sinclair (70): 31. October 1991. Archived from the original on August 16, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
  43. "top 100 speccy Games". Crash (94). December 1991.
  44. "Rules of the Game". Edge. No. 12. September 1994. p. 51.
  45. All-Time Top 100 Games Amiga Power. No. Supplemental. May 1991. p. 4. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  46. "The All-Time Top 100 Games: (1) Rainbow Islands". Amiga Power. No. 13. May 1992. pp. 32–5.
  47. "Top Ton!". Commodore Force. Autumn 1993. p. 33. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  48. "Top 100 Games of All Time" (PDF). GamesMaster (44): 75. July 1996.