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Rainbow Islands Revolution Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Friday, October 20, 2006
New characters and boss patterns will challenge players.
Touch-screen controls aren't that great; classic mode isn't present.
So what prompted Codemasters to revive two classic Taito franchises for the Nintendo DS, anyway? Did they see what could be done with the release of Space Invaders Revolution from a year before and decide, "Hey, we can do that!" I'm usually one to be thankful to see retro revivals make the cut on a new system, but I've been thrown a bit wary by these two latest releases. Bubble Bobble Revolution is nothing short of an atrocity, and you'll find out why when I rip it to shreds in a review, forthcoming this week. Rainbow Islands Revolution does fare a little better, but it seems to come up short.
Rainbow Islands is considered an off-sequel to Bobble, although the game couldn't be any more different. Instead of spitting out bubbles to encase your enemy on one still screen, you instead move upward, shooting at enemies with rainbows that you can upgrade during your journey. You can also collect fruit and activate special jugs to knock your enemies out of play, but keep in mind you're also playing against a ticking clock. Take too long and the screen begins to stack with bricks. After a few stages, you'll find yourself in a boss encounter, and only after they're defeated can you move on.
Rainbow Islands Revolution has a little more going for it than Bobble ever will. First of all, the character selection has some additions, including two new faces designed by Harvest Moon artist Igusa Matsuyama. I'll let you discover them for yourself. The second is some tweaks to the general gameplay. Just when you think the boss is going to move a certain way, they jar their path and go somewhere else. There's also other enemy movements that will challenge you as well- it's a pretty bold move.
The only problem is that the gameplay never really gels. Taito's tried to incorporate some new touch screen capabilities to make things more interesting, and instead the game gets really frustrating rather quickly. You try to move upward and you keep hitting snags because all you want to do is move across rainbows, and the next thing you know, there's the screen- doing its thing and filling up quickly. It probably would have been best for Taito to keep things working the way they were, instead of trying to reinvent the horse with new shoes.
The graphics are updated a bit with new touches, but this sort of whizzes all over the memory of the classic graphics, which are nowhere to be found. It's a little odd that an inferior piece like Bubble Bobble Revolution contains its classic heritage, and yet it's nowhere to be found in Islands. Was there not enough time to incorporate it? Meh, go figure. The sound doesn't exactly fare any better, with repetitive music and bland samples.
The game does try to differ with unique modes, including Story and Score Attack, but with the faulted gameplay and the basic presentation, the game never really gets over the rainbow. Rainbow Islands Revolution isn't nearly as much of a failure as its dinosaur-brethren compatriot, but it's still a lot to ask for at a $30 price tag. Rent it first and see if you can get used to things. Me? I've already moved back to Space Invaders, and I'm hoping that Taito doesn't try to muck up the works on New Zealand Story. Fingers crossed.
