"Console Archives BUBBLE BOBBLE" Brings the 1987 Disk System Original to Switch 2 and PS5

HAMSTER's Console Archives series adds its next title today: BUBBLE BOBBLE, the classic Taito platformer where two dragons named Bub and Bob blow bubbles to trap enemies and rescue their kidnapped girlfriends across 100 stages. It's out now on Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 for $7.99. The original arcade soundtrack is still one of the most fondly remembered game scores of its era, and it's along for the ride here too.

What's actually being re-released

This one's worth a closer look for collectors. The 1987 Famicom release of BUBBLE BOBBLE wasn't a cartridge — it was published for the Famicom Disk System, Nintendo's disk-based add-on. There's no ROM cartridge version of the original Famicom BUBBLE BOBBLE; if you go looking for one, you'll only find the Disk System card. (The 1993 sequel, BUBBLE BOBBLE 2, was a standard cartridge — easy to mix up if you're searching by name alone.)

That distinction matters if you ever want to track down the original hardware: playing an authentic Disk System copy requires a Famicom console plus the Disk System add-on, not just a cartridge slot. The disk card originally retailed for ¥3,900 (with a ¥500 rewrite option at Nintendo's in-store kiosks), and often shipped with a small carrying pouch — a detail that occasionally shows up in "complete" listings today.

Where to find the original

Sealed and complete-in-box copies of the Disk System original do turn up through Japanese secondhand channels. Suruga-ya listings for BUBBLE BOBBLE on Famicom are a good place to start — search results will mix in the 1993 sequel and other ports, so look for listings labeled ディスクシステム (Disk System) to make sure you're getting the 1987 original.

Other versions of BUBBLE BOBBLE

BUBBLE BOBBLE has seen several follow-ups and ports over the years, and these are usually easier to find than the Disk System original.