Bubble Bobble

As a delightful holiday surprise, the classic arcade game Bubble Bobble has been expertly ported to Atari 8-bit computers. Originally developed by Taito in 1986, this platformer features the endearing dragons Bub and Bob as they navigate 100 levels to rescue their girlfriends, capturing enemies in bubbles and popping them to progress.

The Atari adaptation, led by Krzysztof "Vega" Góra, showcases impressive technical prowess. Utilizing the ANTIC 4 graphics mode, the game achieves a display of 48 characters by 25 lines in 5 colors, optimized to a resolution of 128x200 pixels. Through the clever use of Display List Interrupts (DLI) and Player/Missile Graphics (PMG) for sprites, the game presents up to eight colors on screen simultaneously—a notable enhancement over the default five-color limitation of the platform.

Level data is efficiently managed, with approximately 25 KB of data loaded as needed, ensuring compatibility with systems equipped with just 64 KB of RAM. Notably, the final level loads only upon reaching it, conserving valuable memory resources. A cartridge version is also available, requiring the Altirra emulator version 4.30 or compatible software that supports the DCart format. The game operates smoothly on both NTSC and PAL systems, with a slight speed increase observed on PAL.

Gameplay remains true to the original, featuring mechanics such as enemy capture via bubbles, precise movements, and a climactic boss battle. Graphics draw inspiration from the arcade version, while music and sound effects, crafted by Michael "Miker" Szpilowski using Raster Music Tracker, provide an authentic auditory experience.

Despite the absence of the original source code, Vega successfully disassembled and recompiled the game, implementing optimizations in color handling, level loading, and overall design. One technical challenge overcome was real-time screen rendering, which, although it may cause minor flickering, allows for the management of multiple animated objects without significantly impacting gameplay.

This project benefited from the collaboration of a dedicated team, including technical advisor Krzysztof "Kaz" Ziembik, problem-solving expert Jerzy "Mono" Kut, and testers Zbigniew "Saberman" Zieliński and Giann Velasquez, among others, who contributed valuable improvements.

With this release, Vega adds Bubble Bobble to his 2024 portfolio of Atari 8-bit conversions, which also includes Cyborg Warriors (Superior/Acornsoft, 1991) and Mikie (Konami, 1984). This third project underscores his commitment to Atari 8-bit development, solidifying his status as a leading figure in the retro gaming community.