A Commodore 64 classic has received a facelift with today’s release of Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered. This fan-made project, led by developer Davide Bottino (Toki C64 Remastered), is a graphical overhaul of the original 1987 port. While preserving the original’s gameplay, the developers redid the visuals from the ground up to more closely align with the Taito arcade original.
Started in January, the project is a romhack of the original game and introduces redesigned graphics converted directly from the arcade. Every sprite—from Bub and Bob to their enemies—has been redrawn and re-animated. Many level backgrounds have been entirely redesigned, with some now boasting three colors instead of two (that is, 50% more colors!)
Beyond the visual polish, the remaster adds a new intro with fan-made art and a reinterpretation of the iconic theme. It also includes quality-of-life fixes, like correcting item drops, unique door graphics, and a much more forgiving continue system.
Davide’s announcement:
Bubble Bobble was love at first sight. I was 11 years old when, at a friend’s house, I first saw that little cassette from a newsstand bootleg edition called Bolle Bolle. It only took a moment: those vibrant colors, the lively graphics, the quirky characters, the tons of bonuses and power-ups to collect, the catchy music that got stuck in your head, and the stellar gameplay. Whether playing solo or co-op, every game felt like an epic adventure, with hours flying by in the desperate yet wonderful attempt to clear all 100 levels. The C64 version was my first encounter with Bubble Bobble, and it’s with this version that I built my fondest memories.
Years later I stumbled upon the fabled arcade cabinet. It was a revelation. The game was even faster, more frantic, with a bonus system that responded almost magically to the player’s actions. Thanks to emulation, over the years I’ve been able to revisit both versions and study their differences. The C64 version remains an incredible technical achievement for its time—a solid recreation of the arcade original and an excellent game for our beloved breadbin, still enjoyable to this day. However, to be fair, it’s not a “perfect” port by any stretch. The simplified mechanics mean that the spirit of the original didn’t fully carry over, and while the graphics are overall very nice, they could have been more faithful to the coin-op and better optimized for both modern monitors and CRTs. Player characters could use a slight speed boost, too.
That’s why Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered was born. My goal is to bridge the aesthetic and stylistic gap with the original, making the game shine like never before on modern screens while staying true to its soul. And who knows? If the team grows with passionate and talented coders, we might even enhance it under the hood. That would be the ultimate dream! If there’s one thing Bubble Bobble taught me as a kid, it’s that teamwork always leads to the best things.
Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered is available now for free download! Will you be playing? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
Source: Dave’s Retro Forge itch.io
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