Bubble Bobble sequel by Taito: Bub and Bob as humans climb islands with rainbows. Colorful, addictive, brilliantly creative. Overlooked but one of NES's great platformers.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer2 players3+
Co-op
Description
Platformer featuring Bubby and Bobby scaling colorful towers by throwing rainbows at enemies. Published by Taito, released in the USA in 1991. Bubby in side-scrolling view throwing rainbows to transform enemies into platforms and creative bosses. American version of Taito's Rainbow Islands on NES.
Rainbow Islands review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The rainbow cast by the hero constitutes the entire visual vocabulary: it serves as platform, weapon and bridge, and its coloured curve permanently crosses vertical screens. The islands, insects, toys, ghosts, each adopt a complete theme, and the continuous ascent demands a reading always directed upward.
The main refrain loops from the first screen to the last, a radical choice inherited from the series' previous instalment, and its cheerful major-key arrangement becomes inseparable from the ascent. The writing holds in few voices, a skipping melody and a simple bass, with an acceleration signalling urgency as the water rises.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Creating rainbows to climb, crush enemies or reveal hidden bonuses: this poetic, clever mechanic is the whole originality of this Bubble Bobble sequel. Climbing ever higher before the rising water keeps a joyful tension going. Colourful, inventive and brimming with secrets, a charming platformer that rewards skill and curiosity.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
North American run of the Taito platformer, a Bubble Bobble sequel whose NES version was distributed by Taito America in modest volumes. The value of this NTSC-U edition has climbed with the lasting fondness for the Bubby and Bobby duo and the reputation of a port faithful to the arcade's rainbows. Desirability rests on the relative scarcity of boxed complete copies on an American market where the title circulated little.
Is Rainbow Islands still worth playing in 2026?
A spiritual sequel to Bubble Bobble from Taito, Rainbow Islands has Bubby and Bobby climb vertical towers by creating rainbows that serve as both platforms and weapons to crush enemies. The bright concept, the hidden bonus system and the rising water that presses the player give a unique charm and tension. The colourful art direction and the unsuspected depth still appeal just as much. For a retro arcade platforming fan, someone curious about a Taito classic or a collector, the title keeps a timeless inventiveness and cheer.
