Parasol Stars

~ PARASOL STARS ~

Working Designs / Taito

HuCard

1991

I was late to the party on this one. PS received mediocre grades in EGM upon its release (I think one guy even gave it a 4), but I'd heard nothing but praise for it since seeing those scores, and as I enjoyed Bubble Bobble back in the day, I believed that I would have a good time with this chip.

And I did have fun with it, especially during the levels in which I had to put some thought into how exactly I'd reach/attack my enemies. As the game goes along, it seems to focus more on stocking its stages with huge, hard-to-stun creatures than on presenting increasingly intricate board designs, which was somewhat disappointing. But the simple Bubble-Bobble-style proceedings--which feature cartoony bosses to fight, tasty-looking treats to collect, elemental weaponry to wield, and score-boosting secrets to stumble upon--kept me entertained until I reached the adventure's conclusion.

Speaking of the conclusion, I was exasperated when I discovered that this devious game has a G'NG-esque "bad ending." Thankfully, I was able to achieve the superior finish with little grief during my very next try.

I'm less forgiving of the limited soundtrack; additional good tunes certainly would've been welcome. But the biggest concern with Parasol Stars isn't really the soundtrack or the bad ending or the simple stage designs; it's the price tag. PS is an enjoyable time-waster, for sure, but it won't provide some sort of landmark experience for most people, and a price of $10-15 seems more appropriate than what I often see it go for, unless the buyer plans on logging lots of hours in two-player mode.

But to conclude with a positive, I was delighted to encounter the big boss from the original Bubble Bobble in the ninth world here. It'd been many years since I'd last seen the old goober, and the reunion was a fun one!