Parasol Stars Review (Switch)

We’ve seen a marked change in retro Switch release recently. It used to be that these sorts of games would be released via Arcade Archives or one of the other retro companies but more and more they are becoming larger scale releases. Taito has released a couple of retro collections, but Parasol Stars is being sent out on its own into the ever-expanding Switch market for a modest price.

For the uninitiated, Parasol Stars is the third game in the Bubble Bobble franchise, it’s also as different to Bubble Bobble as the second game in the series, Rainbow Islands. The biggest thing that sets this one apart in terms of history is that Parasol Stars was never released in the Arcade and instead went to console such as the NES and PC Engine. The Switch release is seemingly a new version (it’s certainly not the NES or Amiga version), so we assume it’s based on the PC Engine release and updated. Information is mysteriously vague on the subject.

In terms of gameplay, it’s very much in the classic single screen arcade platformer mould of the time. Players need to eliminate all enemies on a stage to progress and collect fruit and sweets to pick up points. You are armed only with your trusty umbrella which can be used to pick up enemies and then fling them at others.

It won’t be long before you’ll see rain drops falling onto the stages. These provide an unlimited source of projectiles to throw and if you collect enough can unleash a flood of water that surges along all the connecting platforms taking any enemies with it on the way. At the end of each world, you then face off against a cartoon styled boss where you’ll need to grab lightning bolts to fire out of your parasol in order to defeat them.

Generally, controlling your character is a little awkward but nothing out of the ordinary for games of the time. You can only really walk and jump but Bub and Bob are a bit sluggish and have the worst leaping power imaginable. But then it’s all about using the Parasol and setting up chains of enemies to be dispatched for high scores.

In terms of modes and options the game is limited. You can play through both the US and Japanese version of the game with unlimited continues or play the normal mode which adds in a rewind and save function but gives you limited lives and continues. There is also a challenge section where you can rank on an online leader board. There are a few cheat options that can be activated as well as various display options and borders. More in the way of museum content would certainly be welcome. Alternate console versions of the game would have been nice but sadly it was not to be.

Overall, it’s nice to see Parasol Stars taking its turn in the spotlight and it’s certainly reasonably priced. It is perhaps the weakest of the three Bubble Bobble games but then we certainly still have good memories of it, and it holds up well. If you are a fan of retro arcade games, then this is still one of the best and we are keen to see what else gets spotlighted as we move into the later days of the Switch.

Overall 7/10