Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III Review

Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is, in many ways, the hidden gem in the Bubble Bobble/Rainbow Islands series.

The first game in the series to forego an arcade release, Parasol Stars was made for the PC Engine /Turbo Grafix and later received pretty decent Amiga and NES ports. (But only in Europe, (where it was advertised as Rainbow Islands II).

Finally, the Bubble Bobble trilogy is playable on modern consoles and, you can finally play the best version of Parasol Stars without sacrificing your firstborn to the covetous gods of retro gaming for a proper cart..

Following Rainbow Islands, Parasol Stars sees Bubby and Bobby (still in human form, probably why it got called Rainbow Islands II) protecting a whole solar system of planets from alien attack with the power of their magic parasols.

Rather than breathing bubbles, or creating rainbow bridges, this time you need to clear all the enemies in each stage by catching droplets of water as they fall through the stage with your umbrella or use it to grab a stunned monster, and then flick them at their buddies that infest each stage until you’ve wiped them all out and you can move onto the next.

It’s a simple but surprisingly deep mechanic, as the more droplets you catch the more powerful your attack is, allowing you to take out several baddies at once, or you can bash the blighters into each other for fun, profit, and a boatload of fruit. Figuring out the best way through each stage is key to hitting the big points and finding enough secrets to open up an extra set of levels and the best ending.

There’s also a bevy of elemental powerups to help you clear screens effectively; you can cover platforms in a shower of fire, flush enemies down the drain with a screen-clearing tidal wave, or zap them with lightning.

Each one of Parasol Stars’ ten stages has a different theme from tropical islands, a night at the opera, and even a casino.

The enemies that litter each level are also as varied and random as the theming of the level themselves. This is especially true of the boss monsters you’ll need to beat at the end of each planet. You’ll find yourself squaring up against an angry plesiosaur, a giant robot, and a mutant duck-plant hybrid-thing.

Each boss requires you to figure out the best time and place to strike, and are a mixed bag as some are incredibly easy, while others require a little more thought and precision from your attacks.

Thankfully though, if things get overwhelming, There’s a whole bevy of cheats and tweaks available in the options menu to help you see, not only, Parasol Stars’ end credits but its proper ending.

Being a modern retro port there’s also the usual rewind function for if you just miss out on a precious treasure or trick shot, which is less likely thanks to tweaks made to the controls to make them more manageable.

As a Bubble Bobble game, it’s expected that the graphics in Parasol Stars are bright and cheery or something very wrong has happened, but, developer ININ has gone the extra mile to ensure that both the sprites and backgrounds in every level pop.

Likewise, the soundtrack slaps. Not quite as hard as the original Bubble Bobble (which has lived rent-free in my head since I was six) but I certainly found myself humming along with the upbeat melodies accompanying the chaotic action on screen.

Final Thoughts

Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III (aka Rainbow Islands 2) is a fantastic action platformer, with a unique hook, bright visuals, bonkers character design, and catchy tunes that will leave you twirling your umbrella and singing in the rain.