It’s been nearly 40 years since TAITO’s Bubble Bobble game burst into the arcade scene in 1986 with its unique bubble-popping mechanics. Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons aims to recapture the magic of that original game while incorporating modern elements that players are accustomed to in the roguelike genre. This is the revitalization of the Bubble Bobble series, but unfortunately, it’s clear from the very start that Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons is going to miss the mark, despite the game’s really cute and inviting atmosphere.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons doesn’t follow much of a story, but there’s a general premise that could keep some players invested in the game’s tutorial and beyond. Bub, the protagonist of the series, wakes up in a strange laboratory, where the mysterious Dolcen appears and gives him a mission to uncover treasure in dungeons and castles. This prompts Bub to begin his journey in earnest, and from the player’s perspective, a tutorial. From the tutorial onward, players experience the core gameplay loop, and in all honesty, it’s not great.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons is a Charming Game on the Surface
Starting with the positives, Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons exudes charm with its artstyle, ranging from its vividly drawn character illustrations to the actual in-game character and enemy models. The game is very dream-like with its depiction of candy and pastry-themed dungeons full of fantastical enemies. While playing as Bub, you feel a sense of nostalgia, even if you’ve never played a Bubble Bobble game before. At its core, Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons is a simple arcade platformer that is easy to pick up and play, with only a few systems worth noting. You can shoot bubbles to trap enemies and defeat them, and since Bub can be easily defeated by just touching an enemy, you’ll have to get good at shooting bubbles and timing jumps around enemies.
Bub’s abilities can be upgraded with sweets (in-game materials), and there’s an item inventory for extra bubble-related moves and abilities. Naturally, you’ll want to improve your abilities and get better items as you play, and you’ll able to do so by completing missions. Missions involve tasks like progressing through a sugar dungeon or level and fulfilling conditions like buying a certain amount of consumables from the in-game sweets shop. There are also optional missions you can complete for rewards.
The roguelike elements of Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons lie in the actual sugar dungeons themselves. Essentially, they’re levels with a set amount of floors that change in layout during each run. The main goal usually involves making it through the floors, opening treasure chests to get loot, and defeating a boss at the final floor. If you die, you retain a small amount of loot and can immediately try the dungeon again. It’s worth noting that there are more traditional levels with slight side-scrolling elements to them, but for the most part, the sugar dungeons are the ones you’ll play most often for the gameplay loop.
The Gameplay Loop is Dreadful
Admittedly, I found the gameplay loop to be really shallow and boring. Although there are fun boss fights and levels, Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons gets really repetitive, and there’s a lack of a compelling progression system. Repeating the same dungeons and level patterns becomes draining, and the upgrade system doesn’t really reward you with better and more fun gameplay, either. In fact, the upgrade system doesn’t have legs to stand on until the post-game, where certain materials and currencies actually become useful.
While playing Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons, I thought to myself and pondered why I was still going. This is a sign of a game that doesn’t offer much for the player. Unless you’re a diehard Bubble Bobble fan, you likely won’t get the most out of this game, which is very little to begin with. You can only bring four items with you at once near the end of the game, and to power up Bub to his maximum potential, you’ll have to play content that doesn’t feel very meaningful. This is on top of the poor in-game balance, which infuriated me quite a lot.
I could explain more what gameplay experiences you could have in Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons, but at the end of the day, a game is played to have fun, and there’s not much fun to be had here. Strangely, the SEGA Saturn version of 1997 Bubble Symphony is more fun, and that’s packed with Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons as a separate download. Bubble Symphony is a true arcade experience that’s fun and feels coherent, and the two-player co-op mode makes it a more versatile and replayable game. If this were a separate paid release, I’d definitely recommend Bubble Symphony, if the price is right in such a scenario.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons Feels Like an Unfulfilled Concept
From my experience with Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons, I believe this game is an incomplete project with bad design choices, instead of being an arcade-like roguelike adventure. The gameplay systems are sound and the aesthetic are cute and satisfactory, but there’s so much that this game lacks in terms of progression and replayability. There’s only so much that the core Bubble Bobble gameplay can give you, and repeating the same dungeons will wear out its welcome too, even if it feels good to play sometimes.
In a gaming landscape where there are games coming out every day, even a smaller budget game like Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons needs to deliver. I’ll have to give this one a no at its $39.99 price, but I hope updates or a future Bubble Bobble game can greatly build off of what’s here, at the very least. If you’re curious about trying Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons, you’ll definitely want to wait for a sale.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: Arc System Works provided a Nintendo Switch copy of Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons for review purposes.
