Parasol Stars Review – Bubble Bobble III Story

A classic from our childhood like Parasol Stars returns to make us relive an adventure… umbrella in hand

Although we know the typical dragons of Puzzle Bobble popping colorful bubbles, there is a whole story behind this mythical adventure. Since the days of the NES, Skill proposed a series of games based on Bubby and Bobby, the friendly brothers who, because of a curse, became adorable little monsters. that we know. And not only did they work with soap bubbles, but we saw them deploy with rainbows. Or as in this third installment, eliminate enemies with an umbrella. Or is it an umbrella? We can now repeat this latest adventure thanks to the port that GO UP made of Parasol Stars – Bubble Bobble III Story.

A universe to come

Fans of retro platform games are in luck with the return of these two protagonists. As in the original installment, We will have to clear the scene of any threats that come our way. Of course, with a new weapon that completely changes the combat strategy. And the umbrella becomes our best attack and defense to repel opponents’ projectiles. In addition, if we deploy it in the middle of a jump, we will slide to land exactly where we want. Everything described may seem like advantages, but everything generates a risk factor that must be taken into account.

Help from elemental powers

The game mechanics of Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III They are simple. In order to eliminate annoying opponents, we will have to hit them with the umbrella to weaken them. Once weakened, we will lift them with our umbrella tip and throw them at the rest of the rivals. In the same way as what we saw in titles of the time like Snow Bros. Of course, when we pick up our enemies we will be exposed on the sides. For this reason, we will have to think carefully about the strategy to follow and take care of our vulnerabilities, as well as when and how to attack with our particular weapon.

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This will work on smaller opponents. To kill the “big fish” we will need several more hits. Fortunately, we will always have resources to defeat them, as is the case with power-ups that we will have in specific phases. We will have power ups situated at water, fire, star and lightning. They will work very similarly to the one seen in the first Bubble Bobble, and it will be essential to be able to eliminate the final enemies that await you on the last screen of each world.

Secrets behind the backdrop

I remember that the first Bubble Bobble was the first game (that I remember) where there were secrets in its story. A subplot that appeared when you collected some letters from the phases, and that allowed us to know the true ending of the adventure. This is still present here, and accessing the hidden worlds will not be an easy task. As is the case in classic games on 8 and/or 16-bit consoles, Practice and repetition of each world will be essential to reach the final credits. To make it more enjoyable and more appropriate for the current times, we will have a rewind system This will allow us to repeat the parts that went wrong. That… and 99 credits that give us the peace of mind of having the necessary suites to complete the game.

Old school visuals

Despite all the accessibility, this is not a game for everyone. Firstly because It has a bit of rough control which plays more tricks on us.

Second, because the difficulty increases after a while and some screens can suffocate us. And third, because there is no visual incentive to attract attention. Yes, for old people like me, it is wonderful to look at these pixels. But A good facelift would have been great, or even a reimagining of this adventure as seen in Bubble Bobble 4. Or as I always say, a trilogy made up of the three original parts would have been a detail that would attract the attention of many people.

Parasol Stars Conclusion – Bubble Bobble III Story

Taito and Inin join forces to bring back a classic of classics. The third adventure of the brothers Bubby and Bobby differs greatly from the original installment. On this occasion, we have changed the attacks with bubbles for attacks with an umbrella, completely changing the concept and the playable pattern to which we are accustomed. At least some special attacks, some enemies, the music and even the artistic style are a true reflection of the original trilogy. It is a pity that there is no facelift for the occasion, nor even a pack bringing together all the adventures of these dragon children. If you are an older player and want to create a “remember” With classics from your childhood, don’t wait any longer and start weakening your enemies.