Feelgood Bubble Bobble clone
At first glance, Acter World might look somewhat familiar to anyone who has played a lot of retro arcade games and if you investigate further you will find out that it is a clone of the classic platformer Bubble Bobble, just tarted up with anime-style graphics and with a female protagonist in place of the adorable dinosaurs, Bub and Bob. Story-wise, Acter World sees you playing as Princess Lina as she defends the royal palace from marauding wizards and monsters. In gameplay terms, this translates into exactly the same thing that Bubble Bobble offers, with Lina jumping her way around the 32 single screen levels, blowing bubbles at the various enemies which wander around. Once all the enemies are captured in this way and their bubbles popped, you can move on to the next identical level. In true arcade platformer style, various bonuses occasionally drift by and if collected, they provide extra lives, time or the ability to blow out two bubbles simultaneously. In pretty much every respect, Acter World is an exact copy of Bubble Bobble, which makes its appeal questionable. However, it must be said that as copies go, it is a good one and which replicates the charm and fun factor of the original almost perfectly. The graphics are similarly cute and appealing, with some nice monster sprites but little else to make the game stand out, while the tunes and effects are likewise pleasant if unspectacular. If you have played and completed Bubble Bobble and are simply craving for more, then this is a good bet but newcomers are best advised to stick to the original, as it offers more challenge, more personality and a two-player mode. Check out Rainbow Islands and New Zealand Story for other classic platforming fun.
