Soap bubbles float gently and beautifully in the air, until the wind brushes them into popping. Such is probably what inspired the creators of this charming game.

Bub and Bob are two dinosaur friends, happily bobbling around, until their girlfriends get kidnapped by the cave monsters! Knightly white-dinosaur-in-armor souls on fire, they rush into the caves to the rescue!

While this game may be best described as a platformer, it boasts a few tricks more than its counterparts.

Bob and Bub can spit bubbles from their mouth, and pop them with the scales on their backs. While this seems simple, it has been put to good for both moving around and disposing of the cave monsters.
Cave monsters can be imprisoned into the bubbles when they are on their direct path when spitted. But this pit only lasts for a little while, during which the monster's anger builds up, until it is freed and acts twice as fast!
Popping the bubble in which a monster is imprisoned turns the monster into an inert, edible fruit (or sweets - or even a bonus!)
Bubbles can also be jumped on to reach higher heights, while their path is influenced by the natural air currents on the caves (which varies from level to level).

Back in these old'n dark ages of gaming, Bubble Bobble was also one of the very few coop multiplayer games. Chances are, if you were a kid at the time it came out, you have fond memories of playing this with a friend, effectively spouting bubbles to help him go further, or popping his monsters just before he does, or racing to eat the resulting fruits and bonuses first! Har har har!

This complete Bubble Bobble hack is based on the music of Needlecraft, a currently defunct band from Missoula, MT. It was created to coincide with the unveiling of their first full-length LP, and was given away at the record release party in the form of a download slip packaged with a photo print of its theoretical cartridge and a "Game Pak Instruction Manual" designed to look like an actual NES booklet. (While the print files for most of the booklet have been lost to the ravages of time, the back cover was preserved and is included in the zip file along with the cartridge image!)

The hack itself features a complete redesign of each level, along with new graphics (characters, items, enemies... the works!) and a new plot based on Needlecraft songs (primarily "Dogmen from Outer Space," "Hunk Out!!," and "Haunted Car Chase"). While most Bubble Bobble fans are probably unfamiliar with Needlecraft's music, it is the author's hope that they'll still enjoy the reimagined levels, challenges, and humorous look this hack provides.

For those interested in listening to what this strange band of yesteryear sounded like, feel free to listen to the album this hack was released with at https://needlecraft.bandcamp.com/album/needlecraft

No-Intro Name: Bubble Bobble (USA)
(No-Intro version 20130731-235630)
File SHA-1: 0E40052299ADA46F6C2D1172323366F872F90570
ROM SHA-1: C1A8F6A9316080487CFEACA62F3D573CD9D484E9