Bubble Ghost Remake, for the Switch, is an updated version of a game which was originally released in the late 1980’s. Here everything about the game has been expanded to the point that it only keeps the central idea, before building Bubble into its own game.

Guide a fragile bubble through perilous obstacle courses

You play as Heinrich, who goes off to war, promising that he will return, except you die. To keep his promise Heinrich returns as a ghost to a dilapidated castle, full of creatures. Moreover, he finds a bubble that, for no real reason, he decides to take with him as he explores what is left of his ancestral home.

So, the premise remains the same as the original, as you guide a fragile bubble through perilous obstacle courses. Of course, you’re dead so the only thing you can do is blow towards the bubble.

The idea is simple, but the execution is far from this. You can move your ghost around the bubble and an arrow will indicate in which direction you’re blowing. Sounds simple, but you cannot touch anything or the bubble bursts and your back to the beginning of the room.

The extremely well-designed rooms will be full of spikes, candles, fires, an endless variety of things which are deadly to the bubble. Some things can be removed, like blowing out the candles, but some things like the creatures must be avoided.

The game is about physics and precision. The bubble does have some air resistance to it and won’t go sailing off endlessly once you’ve blown on it. This and the responsiveness of the controls make it easy to guide the bubble in an accurate manner.

The controls make it easy to guide the bubble in an accurate manner

I can’t imagine that you will need it, but the game also contains an easy mode, possible for younger gamers. You also get a speedrun mode, where you clear the levels as quickly as you can and a leaderboard to see how you are doing against other players.

Most of the levels are massive with a combination of old school pixel art and more modern effects. The updated graphics provide levels which are colourful, atmospheric and eerie. From a personal standpoint I’m grateful that they didn’t choose to take the path of making the art pixelated to the point of making it look like a game from the eighties. The ambience is further enhanced with a suitably ethereal soundtrack and soundscapes.

It’s a loving nod to a game, which most will never have played and taken on its own merits, there is much to like.

7

Charles Packer