Bubble Bobble's NES port is coming to Switch 2 and PS5

Hamster has announced that the 1988 NES version of Bubble Bobble is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 on August 26.

The release is part of the Console Archives series. This is a relatively new line from Hamster that focuses on home console ports rather than the arcade originals. The company previously released the arcade version of Bubble Bobble on modern platforms in 2022. This new release specifically brings the 8-bit home console edition back into circulation. It costs $7.99 on both digital storefronts.

A hundred stages of bubbles

The NES port of Bubble Bobble remains a personal favorite. It still rules. The theme song gets stuck in my head constantly, and this was the very first game that kept me up past midnight just to see the credits roll. The core mechanics translated surprisingly well from the arcade cabinet to the 8-bit console back in the late eighties. You control Bub and Bob as they navigate 100 single-screen stages. They trap enemies in bubbles and pop them for points.

The game is famous for its items. Bubbles float up from the bottom of the screen carrying letters that spell out EXTEND. Collecting them all grants an extra life and skips the current level. There are also umbrellas that warp you forward and shoes that increase your movement speed. Memorizing the spawn conditions for these items was a massive part of the playground meta back in the day. The arcade version had its own quirks, but the console port tweaked the pacing just enough to fit a living room environment.

The new gameplay trailer shows off several recognizable layouts. These include the multi-platform geometry of Round 02 and the distinctive snail-shaped block pattern in Round 09. Co-op is intact. Two players can still jump through the Cave of Monsters together to rescue Betty and Patty. The enemy behavior looks entirely accurate to the original cartridge release. Getting the true ending still requires an unreasonable amount of effort, but at least the modern features make the process slightly less punishing.

Modern additions

The Console Archives wrapper adds several quality-of-life features that were completely absent in 1988. The emulator includes customizable button layouts, rapid-fire settings, and the ability to save and load states at any point. It also has screen layout adjustments and CRT filters designed to replicate the visual noise of older televisions.

The original NES release relied on a password system to track progress through the 100 levels. Players had to scribble down strings of letters to keep their spot. Save states fix that. You can just drop a save file right before a tricky boss fight and try again immediately. The menus are basic, but they get the job done without getting in the way of the gameplay.

Hamster has been steadily building out this new console-focused catalog over the past few months. The publisher has already dropped titles like Ninja Gaiden II and Cool Boarders onto modern hardware. Adding a heavy hitter like Bubble Bobble makes a lot of sense for the lineup. The August 26 release date lines up with what Taito considers the official birthday of the two bubble dragon protagonists. That is a nice touch. You can finally stop digging your original cartridge out of storage just to hear that music loop one more time.