Bubbles (video game)

''Bubbles'' is a 2D action game developed by Williams Electronics and released in arcades in 1982. The player uses a joystick to control a bubble in a kitchen sink. The object is to progress through levels by cleaning the sink while avoiding enemies.

The game was developed by John Kotlarik and Python Anghelo. Kotlarik wanted to create a non-violent game inspired by ''Pac-Man''. Anghelo designed the game's artwork and scenario as well as a special plastic cabinet that saw limited use. ''Bubbles'' was later released on home consoles as part of arcade compilations and online as a web-based version.

Reception was mixed and focused on the game's odd premise. Critics nonetheless praised the gameplay as enjoyable and with some opining at the title's obscurity. Some reviewers, however, criticized the audiovisuals.

Gameplay

''Bubbles'' is an action game where the player controls a soap bubble from a top-down perspective. The object is to clean a kitchen sink by maneuvering over ants, crumbs, and grease spots to absorb them before they slide into the drain. As the bubble absorbs more objects, it grows in size, eventually acquiring eyes and then a smiling mouth. At the same time, sponges and scrub brushes slowly move around the sink, cleaning it on their own in competition with the player. Touching these enemies costs the player one life unless the bubble is at its largest size. If the bubble is large enough, the enemy will be knocked away and the bubble will shrink. Sponges and brushes can be knocked into the drain for bonus points, eliminating them from play.

Two other enemies in the sink are stationary razor blades and roaches that crawl out of the drain. Contact with a blade is always fatal, while the bubble can safely touch the roach only when carrying a broom, which will kill the roach upon contact. The broom can be acquired by moving over a cleaning lady who sometimes appears in the sink. The level ends when all of the point-scoring objects are gone from the playing field. If the bubble has acquired a complete face, the player moves on to the next level; otherwise, one life is lost and the level must be replayed. Alternatively, the player can skip the level by going down the drain when it flashes green after the bubble has obtained a face. Entering the drain while the bubble is too small costs one life.

Development and release

''Bubbles'' was developed and published by Williams Electronics. The game uses monaural sound and raster graphics on a 19 inch CRT monitor. Like William's other early arcade games, ''Bubbles'' hardware is similar to that of the company's first video game, the 1981 arcade game '' Defender''. ''Bubbles'' hardware consists of five circuit boards—a main central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM) board, a soundboard, an interface controller board, and the power supply—that coordinate different processes required to operate the game. It uses a 1MHz Motorola 6809E microprocessor as the main CPU, which executes the game code and assembles the graphics to display on the screen. ''Bubbles'' game code, which was programmed in assembly language, and graphics data are stored on a 48 KB ROM board. The soundboard consists of its own dedicated ROM and CPU to store sound data and play the game's sound effects, respectively.

The initial concept was conceived by John Kotlarik, who aimed to make a non-violent game. Inspired by ''Pac-Man'', he envisioned similar gameplay in an open playing field rather than in a maze. Python Anghelo furthered the concept by creating artwork and a scenario. Kotlarik designed the protagonist to have fluid movement like it was traveling on a slick surface. The control scheme allows the digital input to operate similar to an analogue one. He programmed the bubble to accelerate in the direction the joystick is held. Once the joystick returns to its neutral position, the bubble will coast as the velocity slowly decreases. Anghelo designed the artwork for the wooden cabinets as well as a new cylindrical, plastic cabinet. This plastic model was dubbed the "Duramold" unit. Gary Berge, a mechanical engineer, created the new cabinets with a rotational molding process. Though the plastic cabinets were durable, they would shrink over time, occasionally causing the device to become inoperable. Williams Electronics used this cabinet for only two other games: '' Blaster'' and ''Sinistar''.

After ''Bubbles''s release in arcades, the game was neither followed by a sequel nor ported to home consoles at the time. Williams EntertainmentWilliams Electronics went public in 1987 as WMS Industries, and after acquiring Tradewest in 1994, WMS Industries renamed the new subsidiary Williams Entertainment to release home ports of its arcade games. would later include ''Bubbles'' in several of its arcade compilations over a decade after its initial release: the 1996 '' Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits'', the 2000 ''Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits'' (Dreamcast version only), the 2003 '' Midway Arcade Treasures'', the 2012 '' Midway Arcade Origins'', and the 2022 Midway Legacy Edition Arcade1Up cabinet. Many of the anthologies were created by Digital Eclipse, who used emulation to run the original source code. While the developers focused on including highly recognizable games, the team was able to easily add ''Bubbles'' as a bonus title because Williams' arcade games at the time used similar hardware. In 2000, a web-based version of ''Bubbles'', along with nine other classic arcade games, was published on Shockwave.com. Four years later, Midway GamesWMS Industries purchased Midway in 1988 and later transferred its games to the Midway Games subsidiary. launched a website featuring the Shockwave versions.

Reception

In his book of early video game history, Mark Wolf noted that ''Bubbles'' felt "unorthodox" when compared to modern gameplay conventions. He attributed this to "rapid innovation" that took place in the golden age of arcade video games before most conventions were established. Wolf also described it as an "offbeat and less-known experiment". Author John Sellers listed the title among the weirder arcade games released. Clare Edgeley of ''Computer and Video Games'' echoed similar statements. She criticized ''Bubbles'', stating that the constant blue background was dull and the game lacked longevity. In the Shacknews Arcade Corner series, Greg Burke called the gameplay "addicting" and fun to play in modern times. He attributed the game's mix reception to a "lack of decent sound effects" and described the title as "underrated". ''Retro Gamer''s Darran Jones described the game as engrossing and obscure, and he expressed disappointment that few people remember it. ''Bubbles'' arcade cabinets have varying degrees of rarity. The cocktail and cabaret are the rarest, followed by the plastic and upright versions; the plastic models are more valuable among collectors.

The game's inclusion in ''Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits'' was met with a mixed response from gaming publications. A reviewer for ''Maximum: The Video Game Magazine'' called ''Bubbles'' "easily forgettable" and excluded it from their praise of the compilation. Tommy Glide of ''GamePro'' magazine described the title as an extra inclusion, calling it "unique but mundane". In reviewing the Sega Genesis version of the anthology, which did not include ''Bubbles'', the four ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' reviewers questioned the reason behind the omission. Rich Leadbetter of ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' reviewed the Saturn version of the compilation, ''Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits'', and argued that ''Bubbles'', though obscure, is solidly entertaining. Writing a review of ''Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 1'' for '' GamesMaster'' magazine, Robin Alway did not consider ''Bubbles'' an "all-time classic" and described it as an inferior inclusion.

Notes

References

External links

''Bubbles''
at Arcade History

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1982 video games
Arcade video games
Action games
Williams video games
Video games developed in the United States
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Video games about ants