Bubbles (video game)#Reception and legacy

File:Bubbles Game.png

Bubbles is an action game where the player controls a soap bubble from a top-down perspective. The object is to clean a kitchen sink by maneuvering over ants, crumbs, and grease spots to absorb them before they slide into the drain. As the bubble absorbs more objects, it grows in size, eventually acquiring eyes and then a smiling mouth. At the same time, sponges and scrub brushes slowly move around the sink, cleaning it on their own in competition with the player. Touching these enemies costs the player one life unless the bubble is at its largest size. If the bubble is large enough, the enemy will be knocked away and the bubble will shrink. Sponges and brushes can be knocked into the drain for bonus points, eliminating them from play.{{cite journal | journal = Computer and Video Games | title = Arcade Action | first = Clare | last = Edgeley | publisher = Emap International Limited | date=November 1985 | issue = 49 | page = 80}}{{cite magazine|magazine= Retro Gamer | publisher = Imagine Publishing | title = Retrorevival: Bubbles | first = Darran | last = Jones | page = 96 | date=March 2009| issue = 60}}

Two other enemies in the sink are stationary razor blades and roaches that crawl out of the drain. Contact with a blade is always fatal, while the bubble can safely touch the roach only when carrying a broom, which will kill the roach upon contact. The broom can be acquired by moving over a cleaning lady who sometimes appears in the sink. The level ends when all of the point-scoring objects are gone from the playing field. If the bubble has acquired a complete face, the player moves on to the next level; otherwise, one life is lost and the level must be replayed. Alternatively, the player can skip the level by going down the drain when it flashes green after the bubble has obtained a face. Entering the drain while the bubble is too small costs one life.

Bubbles was developed and published by Williams Electronics.{{cite book| title = Before the Crash: Early Video Game History| publisher = Wayne State University Press| year = 2012| pages = 169–170| editor-first = Mark| editor-last = Wolf| isbn = 9780814337226}} The game uses monaural sound and raster graphics on a 19 inch CRT monitor.{{cite web | url = http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7226 | title = Bubbles - Videogame by Williams (1982) | publisher = Killer List of Videogames | access-date = 2009-06-25}} Like William's other early arcade games, Bubbles{{'}} hardware is similar to that of the company's first video game, the 1981 arcade game Defender. Bubbles{{'}} hardware consists of five circuit boards—a main central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM) board, a soundboard, an interface controller board, and the power supply—that coordinate different processes required to operate the game. It uses a 1MHz Motorola 6809E microprocessor as the main CPU, which executes the game code and assembles the graphics to display on the screen. Bubbles{{'}} game code, which was programmed in assembly language, and graphics data are stored on a 48 KB ROM board.{{cite book| title = Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Games Programmers| editor = James Hague| year = 1997| chapter = Eugene Jarvis| publisher = Dadgum Games| chapter-url = https://dadgum.com/halcyon/BOOK/JARVIS.HTM| access-date = 2009-12-06| title-link = Halcyon Days (book)}} The soundboard consists of its own dedicated ROM and CPU to store sound data and play the game's sound effects, respectively.

The initial concept was conceived by John Kotlarik, who aimed to make a non-violent game. Inspired by Pac-Man, he envisioned similar gameplay in an open playing field rather than in a maze. Python Anghelo furthered the concept by creating artwork and a scenario. Kotlarik designed the protagonist to have fluid movement like it was traveling on a slick surface. The control scheme allows the digital input to operate similar to an analogue one. He programmed the bubble to accelerate in the direction the joystick is held. Once the joystick returns to its neutral position, the bubble will coast as the velocity slowly decreases. Anghelo designed the artwork for the wooden cabinets as well as a new cylindrical, plastic cabinet. This plastic model was dubbed the "Duramold" unit. Gary Berge, a mechanical engineer, created the new cabinets with a rotational molding process.{{cite video game | title= Midway Arcade Treasures | developer= Digital Eclipse | publisher= Midway Games | date= 2003-11-18 | platform= PlayStation 2 | level= The Inside Story On Bubbles}} Though the plastic cabinets were durable, they would shrink over time, occasionally causing the device to become inoperable.{{cite video game | title= Midway Arcade Treasures | developer= Digital Eclipse | publisher= Midway Games | date= 2003-11-18 | platform= PlayStation 2 | level= Blaster Trivia}} Williams Electronics used this cabinet for only two other games: Blaster and Sinistar.{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| page = 303| chapter = Insert Coin to Begin —The Basics of Arcade Collecting| publisher = Random House| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004}}

After Bubbles{{'}}s release in arcades, the game was neither followed by a sequel nor ported to home consoles at the time. Williams Electronics would later include Bubbles in several of its arcade compilations over a decade after its initial release: the 1996 Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits, the 2000 Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits (Dreamcast version only), the 2003 Midway Arcade Treasures, the 2012 Midway Arcade Origins, and the 2022 Midway Legacy Edition Arcade1Up cabinet.{{cite web | url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2356 | title = Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits - Overview | publisher = Allgame | first = Brett Alan | last = Weiss | access-date = 2009-06-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701003623/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2356 | archive-date=2009-07-01}}{{cite web | url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=24396 | title = Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits: Vol. 1 - Overview | publisher = Allgame | access-date = 2009-06-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820063934/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=24396 | archive-date=2009-08-20}}{{Cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/08/11/midway-arcade-treasures-6 | title = Midway Arcade Treasures | first = Craig | last = Harris | date = 2003-08-11 | publisher = IGN | access-date = 2009-06-25}}{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/14/midway-arcade-origins-review | first = Samuel | last = Claiborn | title = Squeezing 30 fridge-sized games onto a disc proves difficult | publisher = IGN | date = 2012-11-13 | access-date = 2014-07-20}}{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3-new-arcade1up-cabinets-are-available-for-preorder/1100-6503647/ | first = Steven | last = Petite | first2 = Jon | last2 = Bitner | title = 3 New Arcade1Up Cabinets Are Available For Preorder | publisher = GameSpot | date = 2022-05-19 | access-date = 2023-05-02}} In 2000, a web-based version of Bubbles, along with nine other classic arcade games, was published on Shockwave.com.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/midway-coming-back-at-you/1100-2565653/ | title = Midway Coming Back At You | first = Sam | last = Parker | publisher = GameSpot | date = 2000-05-05 | access-date = 2009-06-25}} Four years later, Midway GamesWilliams Electronics purchased Midway in 1988 and later transferred its games to the Midway Games subsidiary. launched a website featuring the Shockwave versions.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/midway-arcade-treasures-web-site-goes-live/1100-6108563/ | title = Midway Arcade Treasures Web site goes live | first = Chris | last = Kohler | publisher = GameSpot | date = 2004-09-24 | access-date = 2009-06-25}}

In his book of early video game history, Mark Wolf noted that Bubbles felt "unorthodox" when compared to modern gameplay conventions. He attributed this to "rapid innovation" that took place in the golden age of arcade video games before most conventions were established.{{cite book| title = Before the Crash: Early Video Game History| publisher = Wayne State University Press| year = 2012| pages = 187| editor-first = Mark| editor-last = Wolf| isbn = 9780814337226}} Wolf also described it as an "offbeat and less-known experiment". Author John Sellers listed the title among the weirder arcade games released.{{cite book| title = Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games| first = John| last = Sellers| pages = 88–89| publisher = Running Press|date=August 2001| isbn = 0-7624-0937-1}} Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games echoed similar statements. She criticized Bubbles, stating that the constant blue background was dull and the game lacked longevity. In the Shacknews Arcade Corner series, Greg Burke called the gameplay "addicting" and fun to play in modern times. He attributed the game's mix reception to a "lack of decent sound effects" and described the title as "underrated".{{cite AV media|last= Burke|first= Greg |date= 2018-12-05|title= Shack's Arcade Corner: Bubbles|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPczMYd6DMY|format= |work= |type= Web Video|publisher= Shacknews|access-date= 2025-05-07|via = YouTube |section = Introduction |section-url = https://www.shacknews.com/article/108864/shacks-arcade-corner-bubbles}} Retro Gamer{{'}}s Darran Jones described the game as engrossing and obscure, and he expressed disappointment that few people remember it. Bubbles arcade cabinets have varying degrees of rarity. The cocktail and cabaret are the rarest, followed by the plastic and upright versions; the plastic models are more valuable among collectors.{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| page = [https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/405 405]| chapter = Arcade Classics| publisher = Random House| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| chapter-url-access = registration| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/405}}

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• [http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=347 Bubbles] at Arcade History

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Category:1982 video games

Category:Arcade video games

Category:Action games

Category:Williams video games

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games

Category:Video games about ants