There’s nothing quite like revisiting that old favorite arcade classic that not only managed to steal all your quarters but also your heart in the process. The original Bubble Bobble was something of an obsession for yours truly, because what other game featured cute, chubby dinosaurs that captured their foes in bubbles they blew? Some years later, Bubble Bobble would appear again on the Nintendo DS in a game that mixed things up with bad results. Now the Sony PSP has Bubble Bobble Evolution, a game that tries to spice things up by turning the classic gameplay we have come to love and turning it into a repetitive puzzle game.

In essence, Bubble Bobble Evolution is a sort of reworking of the original. Instead of featuring two cute, chubby dinosaurs, the game revolves around two cute human brothers named Bub and Bob. For some unknown reason, the game takes place in 18^th century London as the two brothers, playing near the Thames River, are magically whisked away to a castle with two towers. To make things more embarrassing, both brothers are stripped of their clothes and are now wearing dinosaur costumes and they are separated so Bub is one of the towers of the castle while Bob is stuck in the second tower. Their mission is to work their way upwards while avoiding the enemies thrown at them by their mysterious captor.

Ok, maybe reworking isn’t exactly the right word to describe the horrible twist that took the original’s fast-paced action and turned it into a puzzle game where you’ll be turning, switching and opening doors. Sure, both Bub and Bob can still blow bubbles and jump on 2D platforms (despite the very 3D characters) but the majority of the game has you manipulating switches to open doors to make your way up the tower. Also, much like the original, there are a number of enemies who will attempt to stop you along the way. That’s where the similarities end, though; because most of Evolution is spent trying to figure out how to unlock doors to reach lifts that will take you to the next level.

Both Bub and Bob can blow their bubbles in different ways that can be helpful to them. They can blow a long bubble, they can jump on or blow a bubble around an enemy that happens to get in their way. You can blow bubble chains for those hard to reach places or shoot a yoyo bubble. Bubbles can fill up with water, which you can burst and unleash on your enemies or blow lightning bubbles you can use to fry your enemies. The only way you can manipulate a switch is by blowing a bubble in front of the very switch and popping it. You’ll even encounter candy power ups that add power to your bubbles (for example, lollypops cause your bubbles to move faster).

As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, though, the decision to make this a puzzle/platformer wasn’t such a good idea. For the most part, the puzzles are extremely repetitive and it becomes a chore flipping switches. Your goal is to reach the lifts but the problem is that they are guarded by a flame you can’t penetrate. In order to safely enter the lift you must put out the flame and this is done by flipping switches. Of course, you can make use of environmental objects such as ducts and pipes and different temperatures add to the gameplay. Just about the only thing that really works in this game is the fact that you can switch between Bub and Bob left shoulder button.

The real problem is centered on the game’s flawed controls. Bub and Bob move sluggishly along the platforms and there are just a few times when the framerate would dip. The load times are also excessively lengthy and often. At least the game includes co-op and a Verses multiplayer mode you can play with up to four players in an elimination-styled battle.

Evolution isn’t a very great looking either, although the character models look particularly sharp and nicely detailed. You can make out Bub and Bob’s little faces and its fun to watch them blow bubbles and move across the screen. What doesn’t work, however, are the backgrounds that aren’t as sharp as the characters and can sometimes look a bit washed out. Then again, sometimes the backgrounds can look just a bit impressive. What isn’t so impressive are the game’s sound effects that lack variety. Speaking of lacking variety, the soundtrack is not only annoying but also repetitive. Trust me when I say that you’ll be playing this one with the volume all the way down.

Bubble Bobble Evolution deviates from the familiar formula and, while trying something new is not such a bad idea, it just works against the classic gameplay that made the original so much fun to play. If anything, Evolution is a step down for the franchise and offers very little fans of the original or gamers new to the franchise will like. Sadly, I won’t be recommending this one game to anyone. 

Gameplay: 5.0
The new puzzle theme just doesn’t work for Bub and Bob who made the fast-paced platform game so much fun when it came out so long ago. The controls just feel clunky and attempting to climb the towers feels repetitive and dull the longer you play.

Graphics: 5.5
The characters look pretty sharp on the PSP screen but the backgrounds are seriously dull. At least the game is filled with neat little effects that go beyond the bubbles popping. Still … don’t the brothers look super cute in their costumes?

Sound: 3.5
Imagine listening to the same annoying tune playing over and over in a continuous loop with little to no variety and you get an idea of what Bubble Bobble Evolution’s soundtrack is like. The sound effects are nothing out of the ordinary but they work.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The real challenge comes from wrestling with the controls but - then again - the higher you climb the towers the harder it is to reach certain switches. Some enemies move quickly and pose a bigger threat later in the game.

Concept: 5.0
Turning the classic into a puzzle game would have been charming but it just doesn’t work in this game. Still, there are plenty of levels and you can always play the game cooperatively with a friend. Unfortunately, the game comes with a number of flaws that include long load times.

Multiplayer: 5.5
Playing cooperatively (with one gamer playing as Bub and the other as Bob) allows the game to flow a little faster and through the Ad Hoc connection it makes each level a bit more tolerable. There’s a Versus Mode that allows up to four players to go up each another deathmatch-style until one gamer is left standing. It’s pretty fun, actually.

Overall: 5.0
Bubble Bobble Evolution for the PSP is a giant step in the wrong direction for the franchise and if you loved the original just as much as I do you should seriously avoid this one. Sure, there are some familiar elements from the 8-bit classic but the puzzles become way too repetitive to be much fun for very long.