Bubble Bobble Revolution is a 16-bit sequel for a 64-bit handheld. The game keeps the 2D, jump-and-blast gameplay of the original, adding a few twists to make the experience more modern.

The first thing you'll notice about the game is that it's played across both of the Nintendo DS's screens. This is an intriguing feature shared by only a few others, including Sonic Rush and Mario & Luigi 2. Exploring the bottom half of the stage will have Bobblun (or Bubblun – both are playable) visible on the bottom screen. Jump up a few platforms and you'll appear on the top screen. Screens change frequently during boss battles and the levels leading up to bosses, leading to a lot of cross-eyed action.

Fans won't be surprised by the controls. They feel like any platformer of the 8- and 16-bit eras. Movement is only limited by the design of each level, which has you going up most of the time. Platform jumping is just what you'd expect. Bubbles turn your enemies into balloons. Pop 'em (by jumping into them), and enemies will leave behind a nice piece of fruit. Collect fruit to increase your point total. It's not necessary to finish the game, but let's not forget about the series' roots. When it started, points were all anyone cared about.

Players can blow roughly a dozen bobbles onto the screen at any given time. They'll move ahead a few feet, then float up into the air. Bubbles will float up immediately after hitting the side of a platform – a strategy that's important to note when trying to reach a certain area, and also when trying to avoid enemy attack. You can ride on top of bubbles by pressing and holding the jump button. Bobblun will continue hopping until he reaches a platform, or until the bubble bursts, whichever comes first. Enemies who get in the way can also kill your chance of a long bubble ride.

Boss battles are a challenge against the biggest enemies in the game. The first is a giant mechanical thing that shoots multiple blasts in a 180-degree side angle. He can fire from the front or back, and if you are near him when he does, the attack will almost definitely make contact. That's one life piece gone, and you only have three. Bosses have several, and it'll cost several bubbles to take him down.

Just when you think you've figured out his strategy, he starts to bum-rush Bubblun in an attempt to thwart your blast-dodging skills. It'll work, unless you see it coming. It's very difficult to jump over a blast, then jump a second time to avoid touching the boss. He is impervious to jumps, but you will lose another life piece for touching him – whether he was the one attacking or not.

Though there is some fun to be had with the game, the "cross-eyed" nature of the action is more frustrating than exciting. I encourage developers to use both screens, but only when it enhances the experience in a cool, unique, and/or innovative way. All it does here is give you another screen to look at. If the game had been developed for a console, where only one screen is available, it would've done what's always been done: the camera pans up as you go up.

But it’s not the screen changes that keep Bubble Bobble Revolution from living up to the original. Stages are frustrating, not challenging. Turning enemies into bubbles is easy. Getting to them, however, can be a royal pain. There are some levels where you'll have to more or less jump in between a platform and two walls to get through to where an enemy is located. Doing this is the only way to finish the stage, and this part of the mission goal is never made clear. It's a trial-and-error sort of thing.

Only a diligent player would stick that out. Others will get bored wondering what the heck they're supposed to do next in a sequel to a game that was very simple and straightforward. The original Bubble Bobble drew a lot of casual players. That's not who these frustrations cater to. Ghost bubbles replicate your character and allow you to teleport to other locations, alleviating some of these issues. But the game does not attempt to explain how this works (a simple message saying, “press the R button to teleport,” would have accomplished a lot).

Bubble Bobble Revolution needed to be different, more expansive, and take advantage of at least one of the Nintendo DS's unique features in order to get noticed. It does a decent job in some areas. I hope that if another Revolution is in the making, the challenge is more straightforward, and the stages are more like the original.

Gameplay: 6.0
The original still rocks, and is included with Revolution as a bonus. They could’ve made better use of the top screen (it’s used to display the title – what a waste of battery life!), but the gameplay is pure classic fun.

Bubble Bobble Revolution, the new mode, is a more modern version of the first. Levels are bigger, take longer to beat, and have a greater variety of enemies, including bosses. It’s also frustrating, an element not present in the original.

Graphics: 5.0
With the exception of the dual-screen play, a feature only the Nintendo DS can offer, Bubble Bobble Revolution could’ve been made for any other system, even the Game Boy Advance. Its graphics are about what you would’ve gotten from the SNES. They’re not awful, but they won’t impress too many players either.

Sound: 6.0
Decent (but repetitive) music tracks that increase in tempo as the action intensifies.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You’d think a game like Bubble Bobble Revolution – with only a half-dozen enemies, only a few control actions, and a basic platform level design – would be easy. But it’s more often frustrating than anything else. Sure, part of the challenge is supposed to be figuring out how to get close enough to an enemy destroy, or how to defeat a relentless boss. Meanwhile, other games include tutorials that say the top button on the D-pad means “up.” Either you get a game that’s frustrating and confusing, as is the case here, or one that’s dummied down. Couldn’t we instead have more games that fall somewhere in between?

Concept: 7.0
Dual-screen play, new bubble techniques, and new boss battles. Bubble Bobble Revolution is conceptually sound (except for the microphone fan-blowing – that blows), but it’s not quite a revolution.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Multi-card play isn’t user- (or trial-) friendly. Players will have to take a chance on the game before knowing whether or not they’re going to enjoy the multiplayer experience, and that’s never a good thing. Some games have too much data to be sent from one DS to the next. But I can’t imagine that’s the case here, not when several graphic-intensive 3D titles (like Mario Kart) allow for single-card play.

Overall: 6.0
Bubble Bobble Revolution is a fun game that’s worth buying just for a handheld version of the original. However, if you still have it for the NES, you might want to try before buying. The new game is frustrating, repetitive, and not as memorable as the first. It’s a step forward – a direct rehash of the original would not have been cool. But some series take time to evolve. For now, the original Bubble Bobble is still the best.