Classic ‘Bubble Bobble’ gets a rather nice C64 remaster by Dave’s Retro Forge [BIG 1.1 UPDATE]

If you were a huge fan of Taito’s Bubble Bobble in the Arcades or at home, then you’ll be pleased to know that as of right now, you can download Dave Retro Forge’s graphically superior version of ‘Bubble Bobble Remastered’ for the Commodore 64. A new version which is getting great viewer feedback such as “The C64 version is the one I played the most, and this looks fantastic” and “Wow, great job! Pretty close to the arcade version”. To coincide with this news, you can check out the latest footage from the game, and info provided below.

And here’s the full details. “Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered is a fan-made radical enhancement—with all-new graphics—of the Commodore 64 version of Taito’s Bubble Bobble, originally developed by Software Creations and published by Firebird in 1987. Technically speaking, Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered is a hack of the original program rather than a complete rewrite, featuring fully redesigned sprites and backgrounds. The new graphics, directly converted from the arcade version, offer greater detail and fidelity to the original look and feel, while being optimized for both CRT and modern monitors, to offer the best possible experience on real hardware end emulators alike”.

• Bubble Bobble Remastered Team
• Graphics & Coordination: Davide Bottino 
• Hacking & Tools: Victor Widell
• Intro screen: Simon Marson
• Intro music: Aldo Chiummo
• Intro code: Antonio Savona

UPDATE : I’ve just found out via Facebook that Dave’s Retro Forge has released a huge update that improves an already fantastic release of Bubble Bobble Remastered. Here’s what was said “Bubble Bobble Remastered version 1.1 is Here! Enjoy enhanced arcade fidelity, improved playability, optional Two-Button Controls, and a fantastic bonus SID soundtrack! Following Victor’s breakthrough with the custom editor, I was able to dive deep into the game, fine-tuning level layouts, enemy placements, and bubble airflows. This meticulous analysis revealed even more about the original C64 conversion’s fidelity and highlighted key refinements needed.

🚀Gameplay Adjustments

8 out of 100 levels received adjustments and optimizations to enemy and bonus placement, bubble airflows and platform layouts to improve arcade fidelity and overall playability. The most noticeable changes affect the following levels:

• Level 24 – One row has been freed to give both enemies and the player more room to maneuver.
• Level 28 – Fire bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 32 – Central arena widened to match the arcade version; avoiding enemies is now easier and the level plays better overall.
• Level 35 – Bubble airflows adjusted: it is now finally possible to move underneath enemies without dying, exactly like in the coin-op.
• Level 53 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 62 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 65 – Water, fire, and lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 67 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 68 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 77 – Water and lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 78 – Water bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 80 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Level 94 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).

🕹️Controls

• Optional Two-Button Controls added (Button 2 to jump), recommended for joypad users. Starting the game with Button 2 disables “Up to Jump” and maps jumping exclusively to Button 2.

 🎵Bonus SID Soundtrack

• New arcade-faithful soundtrack conversion by Aldo Chiummo, includes 12 tracks. Available as a bonus via SID player (not integrated into gameplay). Provided in two optimized versions: SID 6581 and SID 8581.