Taito's Spica Adventure and Parasol Stars are getting a $20 bundle

ININ Games and Taito are bundling two classic umbrella-wielding platformers into a single package called Parasol Superstars. The bundle launches digitally on April 14 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The collection includes the 2005 arcade game Spica Adventure and the 1991 PC Engine title Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III.

During its launch week, the bundle will cost $19.99. This is the exact same price ININ normally charges for Spica Adventure on its own. The pricing effectively makes the inclusion of Parasol Stars a free bonus for early buyers.

A 2005 arcade debut

The main draw here is Spica Adventure. Taito originally released it exclusively in Japanese arcades back in 2005 on the Taito Type X arcade board. The Type X was basically a standard Windows PC inside a metal box. That accessible architecture made development much easier for studios at the time, but Spica Adventure still never saw a home console port or a western localization until now.

You play as Nico, a girl armed with a yellow parasol. The gameplay revolves entirely around this umbrella. You use it to attack enemies, reflect projectiles, glide over water, and bounce off walls. The game has 28 stages connected by branching paths. You have to move quickly because a massive robot will appear and instantly end your run if you take too long on any single screen. The soundtrack was composed by Taito's in-house band Zuntata, a group famous for their experimental arcade music.

I have a soft spot for these mid-2000s 2D arcade games. They bridge the gap between the classic pixel art era and modern indie platformers. Spica Adventure looks incredibly vibrant. It is great to finally see it preserved on modern hardware instead of being trapped on aging arcade cabinets.

The third Bubble Bobble

The other half of the bundle is Parasol Stars. Originally released in 1991 for the PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America), it is technically the third game in the Bubble Bobble series. It follows the original Bubble Bobble and the 1987 sequel Rainbow Islands.

Instead of playing as dinosaurs blowing bubbles, you control the human forms of Bubby and Bobby. They use umbrellas to scoop up enemies and toss them across the screen. You can also collect water droplets on your parasol to unleash massive screen-clearing attacks. ININ Games actually gave Parasol Stars a standalone digital release just a couple of years ago. Bundling it with Spica Adventure makes perfect sense given the shared umbrella mechanics.

I always found the Bubble Bobble timeline slightly confusing. The series constantly shifts genres and mechanics, but the core arcade action remains intact. Parasol Stars holds up incredibly well today. It is especially fun if you have a second player for local co-op.

Physical copies for collectors

Digital buyers get the game on April 14, but physical collectors have options too.

The standard physical release covers the basics. There is also a Special Edition available for around $50. That version includes a curated soundtrack collection, an artbook, and a custom box cover.

Taito's back catalog is massive, and much of it remains locked away in Japan. Seeing a deep cut like Spica Adventure get a proper worldwide release gives me hope for other stranded arcade exclusives. We might finally get a chance to play more of these lost 2D platformers without resorting to emulation or expensive imported hardware.