Bubble Bobble is an all-time classic platformer launched in 1986 by Taito, with the US version made by Romstar and the European version by Electrocoin. In this game, players take on the roles of Bub and Bob, two adorable dragons on a mission to rescue their girlfriends from the mysterious Cave of Monsters. As you navigate through the game's 100 levels, you'll need to outsmart various enemies by trapping them in bubbles and popping them, which rewards you with bonus items when they drop to the ground. Each level becoming progressively harder.

Bubble Bobble was created by Fukio "MTJ" Mitsuji, who joined Taito in 1986. Upon his arrival, he noted that the quality of Taito's games was poor. This inspired him to develop a new game that would be enjoyable and help revitalise the company's image. Mitsuji wanted a game that would also appeal, to female players, and especially couples who frequented arcades. To achieve this, he emphasised a cooperative two-player mode and chose bubbles as the central gameplay mechanic, believing that this lighthearted element would resonate well with female gamers.

Bubble Bobble became one of Taito's biggest arcade successes, paving the way for many similar screen-clearing platformers that came after it. Lauded by reviewers for its delightful character design, memorable soundtrack, captivating gameplay, and enjoyable multiplayer features, it often ranks as one of the best games ever created. The game spawned many sequels and spin-offs. A particularly noteworthy offshoot, Puzzle Bobble, achieved its own fame and has led to a vast series of sequels.

In the game, players take control of one of two dragons. They can navigate platforms in all directions by jumping or dropping onto lower ones. Each level is confined to a single fixed screen; however, if there are gaps at the bottom of a screen, players can fall through and reappear at the top. Each level features a specific number of enemies that must be defeated to progress. Players need to blow bubbles to trap these enemies and then burst the bubbles by colliding with them. Occasionally, magic items appear, providing special abilities and advantages when collected. Special bubbles may also show up, which can be burst to attack enemies using fire, water, or lightning. Every enemy that is defeated transforms into a food item that can be collected for additional points. Taking down multiple enemies simultaneously results in higher scores and more valuable food items appearing. Additionally, if a player gathers letter bubbles to spell EXTEND, they earn an extra life, and both players automatically skip to the next level. All bubbles will float for a limited time before bursting on their own; players can jump on these bubbles and ride them to reach otherwise inaccessible areas for enemies and/or power-ups.

A player loses a life when they come into contact with any free enemies or their projectiles, which include rocks, fireballs, lasers, and bottles. If an enemy escapes a bubble it becomes "angry” resulting in increased speed, turn ing pink. This also happens if the players don’t clear the screen in the allotted timeframe. If players don’t clear the level in a further timeframe, an additional invincible enemy spawns for each player, pursuing them with only vertical and horizontal movements. These enemies vanish once the level is completed or when a player dies. When only one enemy remains, it instantly enters an angry state and stays in this condition until it is defeated.

The 100th and final level players encounter the games boss. Bubble Bobble is one of the first games to feature multiple endings. Should you complete the game in single-player mode, a message appears indicating that the game isn't truly over, along with a clue for the player: "Come here with your friend". If two players finish the game together, they experience a "happy ending” Which we won’t spoil here. This conclusion also provides a code that, when decoded, enables the game to be played in a faster and more challenging "super" mode. Completing this mode with two players reveals a second "happy ending". Multiple endings in arcade games were rare and Bubble Bobble stands out for encouraging replay with this feature.

In Japan, Bubble Bobble became the fifth-highest-grossing table arcade game of 1987. Here in the UK, Bubble Bobble was the top-grossing arcade game for three months in 1987.