Rainbow Islands

Overview

Rainbow Islands broke sequel conventions. Bubble Bobble’s cute dragons became human boys. The single-screen bubble-trapping became vertical rainbow-platforming. Taito kept only the charm and secrets—everything else changed. The result was one of gaming’s finest platformers.

Fast facts

Developer: Taito.
Release: 1987 (arcade).
Subtitle: “The Story of Bubble Bobble 2.”
Characters: Bubby and Bobby (human forms of Bub and Bob).
Mechanic: create rainbows as platforms and weapons.
Rising water: constant upward pressure.
Secrets: seven hidden diamonds per island for true ending.

The rainbows

Rainbows served multiple purposes:

Platforms: walk on created rainbows.
Weapons: rainbows collapse, crushing enemies below.
Chains: bounce rainbows into enemies for combos.
Collection: collapse rainbows for pickups.

Simple mechanic, deep possibilities.

The islands

Seven themed islands to climb:

Insect Island: introduction.
Combat Island: military theme.
Monster Island: classic monsters.
Toy Island: childhood imagery.
Doh’s Island: returns the Bubble Bobble villain.
More islands for persistent players.

The secrets

Rainbow Islands hid depth:

Seven coloured diamonds per island.
Collect all for true ending.
Specific methods to reveal each.
Community knowledge sharing essential.

The pressure

Rising water created urgency:

Water rises continuously.
Touching water kills instantly.
Hurry Up! enemies appear if too slow.
Perfect balance of pressure and possibility.

Home conversions

The game appeared on everything:

Amiga: arcade-perfect port, considered definitive home version.
NES: Ocean’s conversion maintained charm.
C64: impressive adaptation despite limitations.
Spectrum: playable, colourful for the platform.

Legacy

Rainbow Islands proved sequels could reinvent rather than iterate. The rainbow mechanic created gameplay impossible without it. The secrets encouraged community and replay. Taito showed their design wasn’t limited to one formula.

The story of Bubble Bobble 2