Arcade Video game published 39 years ago:

Rainbow Islands - The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (c) 1987 Taito.

In this sequel to the legendary Bubble Bobble - released a year earlier - one or two players (who, unlike 'Bubble Bobble', no longer play simultaneously) take on the role of Bub and Bob, who have now been returned to their original human form after their success in Bubble Bobble. The returning heroes have been asked to rescue the Rainbow Islands from the clutches of the various enemies who have overrun the islands in their absence.

Bob and Bob are each armed with the ability to create solid rainbows. This ingenious game-play device acts as both a weapon (to either kill an enemy instantly, or trap it then collapse the rainbow onto it, the latter essential for collecting bonus gems - as detailed in 'Tips and Tricks') and as a temporary platform that allows the players to reach previously inaccessible parts of the level, as they race to reach the top of the island before the game's tight time limit expires.

A number of power-ups are available to the players; these include multiple rainbows (up to a maximum of three), faster generating rainbows, speed-up shoes and temporary invulnerability. Rainbow Islands is famous for its multitude of hidden secrets, see 'Tips and Tricks' for details.

Rainbow Islands consists of seven levels, each consisting of four rounds. Holding down the jump button will allow the player to jump onto rainbows without crushing them.

- TECHNICAL -

Board number: K1100277A Prom stickers: B22

Main CPU: Motorola 68000, Zilog Z80 Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151

Control per player: 2-way joystick Buttons per player: 2

- TRIVIA -

Player layout in our catalog: 2P alt.

If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.

Open Play on this page to start Rainbow Islands (new version). Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.

Player layout on this cabinet: 2P alt.

Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Platform, Arcade.