This page is only applicable to the following home conversions of the game:
- The Japanese Famicom version.
- The North American NES version.
- The European and Brazilian Sega Master System version.
It does not apply to the European NES version, which was developed by Ocean (see the Versions for more information.)
Changes from the arcade[edit | edit source]
- The graphics are simpler, contain fewer colors, and are generally smaller than their arcade counterparts.
- With the exception of the Japanese release for the Famicom, the music has been changed in order to prevent a lawsuit from the copyright owners of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
- There are only eight islands: seven initial islands, and one hidden island. Toy Island and Magical Island are removed from the game. Some elements of Dragon Island are combined with Monster Island. A new island, based on the game KiKi KaiKai is added.
- Please note that the original European release of this game on the Sega Master System contains a bug which prevents players from accessing the eighth island. This bug was corrected in the Brazilian release of the game
- There are fewer items to obtain than originally found in the arcade version.
- There is no bonus to collecting the small diamonds in color order, and there is no silver door.
- Players can collect bonus items which last until the game is over at the end of every island, but there is only a 50% chance of receiving one at random, and only if the player elects not to converse with the character who greets them after defeating the boss.
Items[edit | edit source]
| Yellow potion | Red potion |
|---|---|
 The yellow potion increases the speed at which Bubblun and Bobblun generate rainbows. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, the effect is permanent until a game over occurs. |
 By collecting the red potion, you can generate two rainbows at a time. The second rainbow will begin where the first one ends. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, the effect is permanent until a game over occurs. |
| Yellow star | Red star |
 When a yellow star is touched, it turns into seven stars that radiate upwards. Any enemy that is hit by a star is defeated as if they had been crushed by a rainbow. |
 Similar to a yellow star, red stars turn into sixteen stars that radiate outward in all directions. Any enemy hit by a star will turn into a small diamond.or powerup. |
| Shoes | Clock |
 Collecting the shoe allows Bubblun and Bobblun to run faster. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, the effect is permanent until a game over occurs. |
 When you collect the clock, all enemies are frozen in place for a short period of time. |
| Star emblem | Star tiara |
 In addition to amassing 5000 points, you will be awarded one extra life for collecting the star emblem. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, there is a chance that it may award you two extra lives. |
 Upon collecting the Star tiara, small stars will rain down from the top of the screen, killing every enemy that they touch. |
| Thunder cross | Fire cross |
 Collecting the Thunder cross causes a large bolt of lightning to sweep through the screen, killing every enemy that it comes in contact with. (Changed to a crystal in the North American release.) |
 When the Fire cross is touched, a large explosion occurs, killing every enemy visible on the screen at the time. (Changed to a crystal in the North American release.) |
| Silver star rod | Gold star rod |
 After collecting the Silver star rod, stars will explode from every rainbow that is jumped on top of. |
 By collecting the Gold star rod, stars will explode from the Bubblun or Bobblun's feet whenever they jump up. |
| Peacock feather | Rainbow drink |
 Possession of the peacock feather will summon a fairy who will orbit around the player, killing every enemy that she comes in contact with. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, the effect is permanent until a game over occurs. |
 Drinking the Rainbow drink causes four rainbow orbs to radiate out and then back in from the player, killing all enemies that touch them. |
| Magic ring | Magic cloak |
 When you obtain a Magic ring, your player will flash, indicating that he can survive one collision with an enemy and continue playing. It has the same effect even if you obtain this after collecting a large diamond. |
 If you grab a Magic cloak, your player will begin to flash for short period of time. During this time, you are invincible and may run into enemies in order to kill them. |
| Book of wings | Crystal ball |
 This book grants Bubblun and Bobblun the ability to jump in mid-air by granting them a pair of wings which lasts until the end of the level, or until they die, whichever comes first. If you obtain this after collecting a large diamond, the effect is permanent until a game over occurs. |
 During the second half of the islands, the final boss will be invisible unless you collect the crystal ball, positioned somewhere in the fourth round of the island before you reach the boss. |
Islands[edit | edit source]
The basic arrangement of each island is the same as in the arcade. Each island contains four rounds. Each round is broken up into a number of segments that are exactly two screens tall. When you reach the top of one segment, the screen will stop scrolling upward until you advance through the top of that segment. The number of segments that make up a round tends to increase as the game goes on. At the end of the fourth round, there is a boss that you must defeat in order to advance to the next island. However, when the boss is defeated, there is an additional sequence if you managed to collect all seven of the small diamonds before you reached the boss.
In this sequence, you will converse with a person who will provide you with that island's large diamond. Then you are given the option to talk with them, or select a treasure chest. If you choose to talk with them, they will tell you something about the story, or give you a piece of advice about the game. If you choose to select a treasure chest, you are asked to choose between the left or the right chest. Only one chest contains an item, and the correct chest is random each time.
Insect Island[edit | edit source]
As in the arcade, this island is populated by worms, bees, beetles, and spiders. Use these early rounds to familiarize yourself with how they are broken up into smaller sections.
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Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
The boss is a large spider. He bounces back and forth along the ground in whichever direction you are. He has no special attack other than to collide with you. It's actually possible to defeat the spider very easily if you jump up to the top platform on the left. The spider won't be able to jump up to you, and you can continuously drop rainbows on top of him while he bounces beneath you.
Bobby: Gosh I was caught by the enemy when I fell. Oh well.
Bubby: You're really a goof. I was worried.
Bobby: Sorry, But anyway I heard something good. If you collect the Diamonds in all seven colors, something wonderful will happen.
Bubby: What's the wonderful thing?
Bobby: I don't know!? I will go ahead and check. See You!
Combat Island[edit | edit source]
Tanks, planes, helicopters and cannons are still the primary opponents throughout Combat Island. Remember that these enemies can shoot at you, so you have to watch out for their projectiles. You can use your rainbows as a shield.
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Round 8
The boss is a large helicopter. The helicopter moves back and forth, and will eventually change it's height after a while. It drops bombs to the floor. Lure it to the bottom, and then head to the top and drop rainbows on top of it until it is defeated.
Girl: Thank you for helping me. I'll give you a big diamond for this
Bubby: What is your name?
Girl: Me? Sally. Will you do me a favor?
Bubby: Well... Yes. What is it?
Sally: I want you to find my grandfather who was kidnapped by an evil monster.
We were seperated on the way here. Perhaps he was caught by the evil monster.
Bubby: Oh, I am sorry. I will help you! I will find your grandfather.
Sally: Promise?
Monster/Dragon Island[edit | edit source]
This is the first island that is a bit of a departure from the arcade version. While the ninth and eleventh rounds occur outside of a castle, the tenth and twelth rounds appear to occur inside, in a manner similar to Dragon Island. Although there are still werewolves, frankensteins, bats and vampires attacking you here, the cyclops and ghosts from Dragon Island also appear. In addition, there are sections of platform that are on fire, which prevents Bubblun or Bobblun from jumping on them or they will lose a life. There are also cattle skulls on the walls that shoot projectiles unless they are struck by a rainbow.
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Round 9
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Round 10
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Round 11
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Round 12
The boss is a large vampire named Fangs. Fangs moves a short distance in your direction, and then comes to a stop. Then he releases three bats from his cape which fan out, before continuing his pursuit of you. Stand about half a screen away from him and let him come to you while you attack him with rainbows. You can especially score a lot of hits very early in the battle when he first appears.
Fangs: Ha-ha-ha-ha. I will bite your neck!
Bubby: Oh yeah? get a whiff of this!
Bubby took a piece of garlic from his pocket and started eating it. Bubby exhaled his smelly breath!
Fangs: Oh, it stinks!
He defeated Fangs
Then Fangs' appearance began to change! Oh my, Fangs was actually Bobby!
Bobby: Well I was caught again when I fell...did I bite your neck? I'm sorry. Instead, I will give you some information. I heard the dark evil monster lives at the bottom of the sea!
Bubby: But how do we get there? To tell the truth, I can't swim!
Bobby: I don't know! Perhaps we'll find out later, won't we!? I am leaving now. See you later!
Robot Island[edit | edit source]
Robot Island jumps ahead from the sixth island to the fourth. Surprisingly, the entire cast from the arcade makes it in tact in this conversion. It also contains regions of ceilings and walls lined with spikes that the player must avoid, as well as pods on the sides of the screen which fire missiles across. The boss is a large robot.
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Round 13
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Round 14
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Round 15
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Round 16
The boss is a large robot named Robby. He moves very similar to the helicopter boss of the second island, but he moves much faster. In addition, he has a rocket punch attack where he shoots his fists off in the direction that he his facing. Your strategy should be the same as against the helicopter, rising to the top when he is on the bottom, and dropping rainbows on him. The only difference is that you'll have to move out of his way more often.
Robby: Hey, I was a great hero at one time. Then I started to lose control of my life and was dependent on my vices. Now, I am just a third-rate character. Go ahead young man, laugh at me!
Bubby: Hey, take it easy.
Robby: And I was earning a low salary. I couldn't even feed my family. Then I decided...I'm going to change my life. I am going to start all over again.
Bubby: Yeah, that's the best thing.
Robby: Thank you, young man. I will tell you something as a token of my appreciation. The bosses after this screen are cowardly and all of them use magical powers to hide. If you don't get the crystal ball, they won't appear. Be careful!
Doh Island[edit | edit source]
As with the arcade, the fifth island serves as the first theme island. In this version, every island from this one on is an homage to a previous Taito game. This island contains elements from Arkanoid. The boss is Doh, the evil entity that you must defeat at the end of Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh.
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Round 17
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Round 18
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Round 19
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Round 20
The boss is the face of an entity known as Doh. He remains stationary in the center of the screen throughout the entire fight. He releases groups of diamonds from his mouth which fly out in your direction. There are no platforms to rely on throughout this battle, so you'll have to create your own until you are high enough to attack him, or simply jump into the air and create rainbows that hit his chin. Eventually, the diamonds he fires will destroy your rainbows and you'll have to recreate them to continue your attack.
Knight: I was on my way to destroy the evil monster and save the village people I was captured and now feel ashamed.
Bubby: Me too.
Knight: Oh you too? But I'm sure you can make it in the end. However, you must be very careful. It is said the evil monster uses magic to disguise himself.
KiKi KaiKai Island[edit | edit source]
This is the first and only island which is completely original to this version of the game. Not found in the arcade version, it is an homage to the game KiKi KaiKai, which takes place in feudal Japan. Mixing KiKi KaiKai's overhead perspective with the straight-on view of Rainbow Island cab sometimes be disorienting, making it appear as though you can simply walk up the screen, when in fact you must continue to jump or climb rainbows. All of the enemies that appear on this island are naturally enemies that appear in KiKi KaiKai, and the music is from the game as well.
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Round 21
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Round 22
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Round 23
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Round 24
The boss of the game appears to be a giant version of Sayo, the shrine maiden hero of KiKi KaiKai. Sayo bounces continuously around the screen, bounding all the way to the ceiling. As she hops, she will occasionally swing her wand, and fire three cards forward which fan out. Her movement isn't based on where you stand, so she's a little easier to predict. Try to stand just to the left or right of where she will land, and shoot rainbows as she reaches the ground. Upon defeating her, you will discover that the boss was actually a tanooki named Manuki who merely disguised himself as Sayo. In the English version of the game, you are introduced to the real Sayo as "Cindy."
Cindy: You really are strong, aren't you. I adore you.
Bubby: You flatter me.
Cindy: Will you take me out for a date one of these days?
Bubby: Oh sure! With pleasure.
Bobby: I saw that, you Romeo! Shall I tell Betty?
Bubby: No, no, it's not what you think.
Cindy: Hmmm...looks like you already have a girlfriend. How distressing! Well, never mind. I will tell you something anyway. They say the diamond rod is in the evil monster's treasure room. The rod will give you a choice of three wishes. So you better choose wisely.
Darius Island[edit | edit source]
In this version, Darius Island is no longer a hidden island, but actually the last known island that you must visit. In some rounds, there are small objects that look like mines which must be avoided. Most of the enemies which have been transplanted from Darius appear in this version as well, along with the background music from the game. However, the boss of this island has been changed.
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Round 25
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Round 26
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Round 27
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Round 28
The Electric Fan no longer appears here. Instead, King Fossil, the giant fish that serves as the first boss in zone A of Darius, serves as the boss of this island. It starts at the top of the screen, and circles around the edge of the screen in a counter-clockwise direction. It doesn't move quickly, so it's relatively easy to stay ahead of it. However, it fires very slow bullets that make their way to your current position, so you can't remain in one place for a long time. Anticipate when King Fossil will reach the bottom of the screen, and drop as many rainbows on top of it as you can before it returns to the top.
At this point, the game will end if you did not manage to collect all seven giant diamonds from each island. However, if you did collect all seven giant diamonds, another cut scene will occur, and the eight and final island will rise out of the sea, allowing you to play through four more rounds.
(It is at this point that players of the original European release of this game on the Sega Master System will be prevented from advancing to the eighth island, even if they have met the correct conditions. Players of the Brazilian version of the game will be able to continue playing.)
Bobby: Now, I have acquired seven big diamonds. I'll go to the beach.
They went to the beach on the island.
Bubby: What's that?
Oh my. The island has been lifted from the bottom of the sea.
Bubby: It should be the island where the evil monster lives.
Bobby: Bubby, Lets go there.
Bubble Island[edit | edit source]
The final island of the game remains an homage to this game's predecessor, Bubble Bobble. Once again, all of the enemies from Bubble Bobble make their reprise appearance, and the original theme music plays as well. (However, it appears that there is a bug with the music, in the North American NES version at least, which prevents the bass line from playing correctly.) Even the two-stage boss battle is faithfully reproduced in this conversion.
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Round 29
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Round 30
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Round 31
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Round 32
When you begin the fight against the Bubble Dragon, he starts at the top of the screen, and moves very much like a fast version of the Vampire boss from the third island. He moves towards you, and stop to spit a group of bubbles at you, before resuming his approach in a new direction. You can use the middle platform on the right, the upper platform on the left, along with the lower left corner of the floor as locations to wait in order to lure him around the screen in a triangle while you find opportunities to attack. Once he is defeated, the true boss Skel appears. Skel moves continuously and bounces off the walls, floor and ceiling at 45 degree angles. He doesn't attack and his motion is very easy to predict. Stay out of his path and attack him from the sides as he passes by.
After you defeat Skel, you will be presented with the ending. In this ending, you are allowed to choose one of three wishes. To receive the best ending in the game, you must choose the wish of Friendship. Congratulations.
Secret codes[edit | edit source]
| Effect | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Stage Select | On the title screen, wait for the rainbow to animate, and enter      , then press  to select a world. (Use  in place of on the Sega Master System)
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| Maximum Power (Famicom only) | Pause the game and enter . A chime will play if entered correctly.
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| Maximum Power (NES only) | Pause the game and enter . After you unpause, a chime will play if entered correctly.
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| Sound Test (NES and Famicom only) | On the title screen, wait for the rainbow to animate, and enter , then press to select a world. Up, Left, Right, Down, A, B, A, Up
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