Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron Is Back!

Modernising a classic game doesn’t always work out for the best, yet ‘Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back!‘ perfectly recreates the arcade gameplay of the past whilst utilising modern mechanics. Whether you’re playing on your own or with up to three other people locally, you’re certain to have lots of fun despite possibly getting frustrated when trying to tackle the Hard mode. The unlockable abilities enhance the gameplay, allowing you to strategically gain bigger combos and more points. The new Baron content adds many hours onto the game, bringing back a familiar foe in order to tickle those nostalgiac nerves and increase the tension.

Considering how my only complaint with this relates to the quirks of the original arcade game’s emulation, (the lack of local hi-scores, irritating stuttering when changing options, etc), I’d say that Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is an excellent retro revival that’s absolutely worth checking out, even if the price point does make it rather tough to recommend for a digital purchase. Luckily, a physical PS4 version is out now, and if you’re willing to spend the $40, you will get a quality arcade throwback out of it worth your time.

Its four player co-op mode might be the only reason that motivates you to set up with your family in front of the TV and have fun together.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back! is another great entry in this long running arcade series. This latest version adds a good amount of new challenging levels to the package giving you and up to three others 200 levels in total to play through. The lack of online multiplayer is disappointing and depending on how fast you can finish the levels you may or may not feel like you got your money’s worth. If you don’t have any local friends to play it with then you may want to wait on a sale but if you do then you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this game playing alongside them.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back is a great addition to a classic arcade style game that challenges your thinking and your reflexes at the same time. It has that bite-sized, addictive “one more stage” quality with a sizeable amount of content to boot. It certainly works better as a multiplayer game than a single and can provide lots of chaotic good times with the right group playing it. The core concept is relatively simple, but it is a challenge to master.

A free update to this year's Bubble Bobble 4 Friends doubles the amount of levels and brings an original character back into the fold. But does the new content bring enough to the game? Or could this actually be a multiplayer masterpiece?

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back is a great package for fans of the old days as well as introducing a new audience to the cuteness of Bub and Bob. Bubble Bobble 4 is a feel-good arcade game that offers a balance of casual and challenging modes that are sure to please a wide audience of gamers. It’s good to have this dinosaur duo back on top form.

As the title suggests, this game game is extremely fun with friends, but forgettable if you are planning to play alone.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron Is Back! is a fantastic revival of a classic arcade game that has stood the test of time beautifully. If you're a fan of the series then this newly improved modern interpretation will be sure to delight.

As a single player game Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is utterly pedestrian, lacking the frantic pace of the original. Most of the repurposed features such as power ups and jumping on bubbles detract rather than enhance the experience, but add in some friends and it's still fun, especially if you want to be devious and sabotage the other players.