Growing up through the 8 and 16-bit eras it’s fair to say that gaming was different. As graphics became more realistic and less pixelated the focus on objectives became more on how much blood you could spill from the other side of a map, whether you could drop a tactical nuke on three strangers from Italy hiding behind a crate, or whether you could rip out somebody’s spine and use it to gouge their eyes out.
Enough. I just want a jaunty tune and a character in dungarees leaping about with an umbrella.
Enter Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III, a game so cute from yesteryear that it’s like it has been banned from modern console gaming for being too wholesome.
What no RPG?
Parasol Stars was the follow-up to Rainbow Islands and Bubble Bobble and was the first to feature “human” characters rather than cute dinos. It was platform gaming at its purest and the mechanism of using your umbrella (it’s actually a parasol hence the name) to float down between levels and avoid baddies was its USP.
A year after it was announced the Taito classic is finally coming to Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation and will set you back just $9.99. It does seem to be just the game though, the title does make it sound a bit like we are going to get a bit of the game’s history but this doesn’t look like it is a thing, which is a bit of a missed opportunity, but for classic one or two player lovely gaming, make sure you pick this up.
Features:
Addictive arcade-style gameplay of the Bubble Bobble franchise
Cute cast of iconic characters, each with their unique charm and abilities.
Creative and clever game mechanics with magical parasols: shield, stun, and unleash stars. More Parasols! Enjoy the tactical depth of the action-filled 2-Player Co-op
A cosmic journey with 8 vibrant planets (and 2 secret bonus levels) to save
Nostalgic homage to Chack’n Pop, one of the early platform games.