Ignore the lame box art and “only at Toys ‘R’ Us” status, which reeks of something that belongs in a toy box rather than a game machine. Soul Bubbles isn’t that game. It was made by gamers, for gamers – the ones who truly mean it when they say, “I want something unique.”

This Game’s Got Soul

There are three kinds of game controls: those that work, those that don't, and those that are as genius in their idea as they are in their execution. Soul Bubbles falls into that latter group, and not by refining an existing series (an impressive feat by any developer) but by starting from scratch. The closest game I can compare it to is Kirby Canvas Curse, a highly innovative (but heavily undervalued) action/puzzler that used the touch screen to create an entirely different kind of Kirby game. In a similar fashion, Soul Bubbles utilizes touch gameplay to invent something new within the developers' own original concept.

But in this game you aren't drawing lines to direct the character (as in Kirby) – you touch the screen to guide the main character's immense blowing power. Visually, he is no more interesting than TurboGrafx’s bald mascot. But mechanically he is as cool as Mario, Link or Sonic. You’ll also notice that the appearance of those in need – wandering souls that show up as tiny blue blobs – is little more than a kiddie aesthetic. The act of saving them, however, is as cool as rescuing the cartoon animals in Green Hill Zone.

The main character is known only as the Spirit Herder. Wind blowing is just one of his powers, one which comes from his mouth. He can also don special masks, given to him by an old wise man, that allow him draw, shrink, separate, and merge bubbles. These are the four action keys of the game. Seven souls are released at the beginning of each stage, and it's your job to draw a bubble around them and blow it through the spiraling, trap-filled stage. We all know the general laws of bubbles, right? Regular bubbles (the kind you're forming in this game) burst whenever they touch a sharp edge.

The game follows that rule and throws in a few more: when bashed by rocks bubbles may split in two (and will continue splitting if you don't get them out of there). The more bubbles you have, the harder they are to herd to the end of the stage where rescue awaits. Fire is a deadly force, so don't expect any bubble to stand up to it. And if a hole is too small for a bubble to fit through, you'll need to break it into two or more smaller bubbles.

A Concept That Works

This is a solid idea on paper, but it's the end result of the controls, level structure and most of all the bubble physics that make the game a total success. Soul Bubbles is a 2D adventure, but the bubbles move much more intensely than anything released on the NES or SNES consoles (or any game available for Nintendo DS). Their motions aren't always realistic: in the real world, bubbles couldn't be scrunched through tiny crevices without popping. They also couldn't bounce off hard surfaces so easily – definitely not with the force of wind that the Spirit Herder creates. These images are a cluster of remarkable, somewhat subtle effects that weren't noticeable right away. But as I made it through Soul Bubble's 40+ stages, the graphic details became more apparent, as did their importance in creating a complete and fulfilling game experience.

The bubble physics don't end with a few extensions of reality. Bubbles can also be drawn to hold water and bombs, both of which are used to solve a specific problem. You may find other uses for bubbles as well ...

A Level of Champions

Each level appears to have been created in the spirit of a grand maze. They're guided mazes, so you'll never feel completely lost. Star dust appears in each environment to guide you to the end. But if you want to uncover every bit of star dust and locate every Calabash, the latter of which are needed to unlock the final world, that's when the mazes get really good. These items are hidden just well enough to make you feel proud when one of them is discovered, but not so well that you'll get bored of searching. If you get stuck, remember to look at every part of the stage. Scan the map and use every tool at your disposal.

Speaking of maps, Soul Bubbles has one of the best I've ever seen. The map appears on the top screen at all times. To make it drop to the bottom screen, hold "down" on the D-pad. Now you can touch anywhere on the map and instantly jump to that location. This is a very intuitive navigation tool that will come in handy whenever a bubble sneaks away.

If this sounds like a kiddie game, don't be fooled: if you were 18 the first time you saw Mario and action games like Halo and Grand Theft Auto were already around, how do you think you would have reacted? If realism, big explosions and high-end graphics ruled our industry in the 80s like they do now, would Mario have been half as cool? Absolutely. But we wouldn't have known it until we played his game. The same is true for Soul Bubbles.