ST Format


Bubble Dizzy

Author: Jon Pillar
Publisher: Codemasters
Machine: Atari ST

 
Published in ST Format #44

Bubble Dizzy

Dizzy, the bouncing egg, has been bunged overboard by the unkemptly-bearded Captain Blackheart for reasons of dramatic narrative thrust. Fortunately equipped with a scuba kit, Dizzy has to ride various bubbles back to the surface while avoiding the unsociable monsters of the deep.

The egg has to pick up pearls and extra bottles of oxygen while it is egged on (Sorry, unavoidable really) by an aggravating electronic tune.

Verdict

Bubble Dizzy is a prime example of a super idea that sadly falls flat as a game. Your basic vertical-scroller, the twist in this game is that the bubbles pop after a random amount of time, tumbling you all the way back to the ocean floor. So, you have to guess when they're going to go, and just before they do, you have to hop onto another one.

Bubble Dizzy

Unhelpfully, the bubbles appear randomly as well, so - yes - advancing through the level is more a matter of luck than judgment. There are ledges and friendly creatures you can jump onto for a breather, but acute frustration is likely to set in after you've fallen all the way back about twice.

If you're into this sort of thing, though, there's a host of other games involving Dizzy the bouncing egg. Codemasters released the Dizzy Collection and Dizzy's Excellent Adventures a while back - Bubble Dizzy is not the best of the series.

Highs

The presentation is very smart. The idea is extremely good.

Lows

You'll need the patience of Job on a particularly unhurried day to get anywhere with this number.

Jon Pillar

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