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Parasol Stars - The Story of Bubble Bobble III [Model TP03017]

NEC PC-Engine HuCARD published 33 years ago by Taito Corp.

Listed in MAME

Parasol Stars - The Story of Bubble Bobble III [Model TP03017] screenshot

Parasol Stars - The Story of Bubble Bobble III © 1991 Taito Corp.

Parasol Stars is a cute platform game by Taito and the (often forgotten) sequel of Rainbow Islands (itself sequel of the classic Bubble Bobble). Bubby and Bobby, the two main protagonists of the series, are back. Well, fans of Taito's classic will undoubtedly remember that the two dinosaurs regained their beloved human forms at the end of Bubble Bobble... and, just like in Rainbow Islands, this new appearance hasn't impaired their ability to fight. The objective of the game is to save all the planets dotted around the galaxy, which, one after the other, send distress signals and ask for help. And, as in grand Bubble Bobble tradition, each level must be cleared of enemies in order to move to the next area. However, this time around, Bubby and Bobby don't throw bubbles or rainbows, but come equipped instead with colourful magic umbrellas. Although the circular devices can be used to shield the boys against enemy projectiles, or act as parachutes and cushion their fall, they also have another crucial and unique ability - with them, they can stun enemies and throw them around the playfield like rag dolls. Another essential aspect of the game are water droplets - they usually fall from the ceiling and can be collected with the umbrellas and be later released on unsuspecting enemies. Additionally, they come in different flavors and although they start as plain and simple rain droplets, some release fire, lightning bolts and swirling magic stars later in the game. Finally, and in the Bubble Bobble tradition, the game is riddled with a plethora of miscellaneous power ups and items, such as Speed Boots, Potions (turn the whole playfield into bonus items), Magic Rings and Crosses (kill enemies on screen) to only name a few. Parasol Stars consists of eight themed worlds (with an additional two hidden worlds) and also includes a two-simultaneous player mode.

TECHNICAL

HuCARD ID: TP03017
HuCARD Size: 3 Mbits.

TRIVIA

Reviews:
[FR] 1990 - Consoles + HS N.2: 95/100

Export releases:
[US] "Parasol Stars [Model TWG030701]"

Parasol Stars is packed with an extensive list of Taito references and cameos, such as (obviously) Rainbow Island (world 8's main theme) and Bubble Bobble (hidden world's 9), but also Space Invaders (large space ship enemies, as well as small invaders featured in the Bubble Bobble world), Arkanoid (DOH, the large Moai head, appears as an enemy) and Chack'n Pop (the second hidden world is based on Chack'n Pop and features Chack'n, Monstas and Mightas).

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SERIES

1. Bubble Bobble (1986, Arcade)
2. Rainbow Islands - The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (1987, Arcade)
3. Parasol Stars - The Story of Bubble Bobble III [Model TP03017] (1991, PC-Engine)
4. Bubble Bobble Part 2 (1993, Famicom)
5. Bubble Bobble II (1994, Arcade)
6. Bubble Memories - The Story of Bubble Bobble III (1996, Arcade)
7. Rainbow Islands - Putty's Party (2000, Wonderswan)
8. Bubble Bobble Revolution (2005, DS)
9. New Rainbow Islands (2005, DS)
10. Bubble Bobble Evolution (2006, PSP)
11. Bubble Bobble Double Shot (2007, DS)
12. Rainbow Islands Towering Adventure! (2009, WiiWare)
13. Bubble Bobble Plus! (2009, WiiWare)
14. Bubble Bobble Neo! (2009, XBLA)

STAFF
PORTS

CONSOLES:
Nintendo Game Boy (1991)
Nintendo Famicom (1991)

COMPUTERS:
Commodore Amiga (1992)
Atari St (1992)

SOURCES

Game's ROM.
Game's description by Laurent Kermel; http://www.videogameden.com