Review: Parasol Stars

I’m a ‘sol man, do do dodo dodo dodo, I’m a ‘sol man…

At big fat, hairy last, Parasol Stars has returned to set the world to rights. The best game in the entire Bubble Bobble/Rainbow Islands lineage – yeah, I said it – offers a totally engaging blend of both games that tightens up Rainbow Islands yet expands on Bubble Bobble, creating an absolutely outstanding “best of both worlds” that offers up the requisite depth and playability you’d expect, crystallised into a near-perfect console game that packs a punch in terms of challenge but operates under much fairer, less punishing terms than its coin-op predecessors.

What do you do? Wave around a parasol. Yes, you can do that in real life, but here you’re whipping up enemies and holding them on top of your brolly, lobbing them across the screen to collide with other monsters (or, worse yet, monster generators) to ultimately knock them away and transform them into fruit, snacks or any number of bonus items, in traditional Bubble Bobble style. You can raise your umbrella tactically above your head to collect falling critters, but leaving them in a stunned state for too long without dispatching them will make them apoplectic, Larry, careening all over the shop at high speed with a furious red glaze. You can also collect bubbles that’ll drip down the screen from above, and stacking up several lets you unleash a torrential gush of water that’ll flow to the bottom of the stage, destroying anything it touches.

It’s simple, it’s dope. But as any fule kno, there’s more to it than that. And it took me a good while to pick up on How To Play Parasol Stars Good, but I’ll share the secret with you now. See, throwing an enemy (or bubble) into certain spots on each stage will spawn a string of collectables. Packet of fries, pearl necklace (not that kind, behave), you get it. And you can collect these items in turn by throwing another thing at them. Whenever there’s one row of hidden treasures, there’s likely another, up to and including extra credits to extend your game. Rinsing each stage for these items is the key to a high score and the good ending, for which you’ll need to collect Miracles, specifically three of the same kind of eventually unlock the secret key to the final world. Don’t ask me what causes these to spawn because I’ve no idea, but I will tell you that conquering Parasol Stars on two-player mode with a friend back in the day was one of my favourite, most memorable gaming experiences.

Thank god for this new version, then – a game all-too-long stuck in limbo (and the PC Engine Mini, of course) is now finally on modern platforms where it can get the audience it deserves. ININ’s new version sports the usual visual filters, save states and rewinding you’d expect, as well as some unnecessary cheats. There’s also an “Enhanced Controls” mode which makes it so you’ll be able to quickly turn around when you have the umbrella extended, but this isn’t intended to be possible and neuters a lot of the more strategic situations you’ll find yourself in. Still, it’s welcome as a bonus, because however you play Parasol Stars, just make damn sure you do play it.

A wonderful lost PC Engine/Amiga gem that’s finally come home, I couldn’t be happier that Parasol Stars is out there for everyone to enjoy. I strongly suggest you get it in as soon as possible.