Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered

Introduction

Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered is a fan-made radical enhancement—with all-new graphics—of the Commodore 64 version of Taito's Bubble Bobble, originally developed by Software Creations and published by Firebird in 1987. 

The game was met with critical and player acclaim upon release and is still regarded today as a great classic for the C64, as well as one of the best games ever released on the platform.

The project was started in January 2025 by Davide Bottino, retro games creator of Toki C64 Remastered fame and journalist at Zzap! Magazine Italia, with the goal of improving the graphical fidelity of the C64 version while preserving its classic gameplay. Here's what Davide says:

"Bubble Bobble was love at first sight. I was 11 years old when, at a friend’s house, I first saw that little cassette from a newsstand bootleg edition called Bolle Bolle. It only took a moment: those vibrant colors, the lively graphics, the quirky characters, the tons of bonuses and power-ups to collect, the catchy music that got stuck in your head, and the stellar gameplay. Whether playing solo or co-op, every game felt like an epic adventure, with hours flying by in the desperate yet wonderful attempt to clear all 100 levels. The C64 version was my first encounter with Bubble Bobble, and it’s with this version that I built my fondest memories.

Years later I stumbled upon the fabled arcade cabinet. It was a revelation. The game was even faster, more frantic, with a bonus system that responded almost magically to the player’s actions. Thanks to emulation, over the years I’ve been able to revisit both versions and study their differences. The C64 version remains an incredible technical achievement for its time—a solid recreation of the arcade original and an excellent game for our beloved breadbin, still enjoyable to this day. However, to be fair, it’s not a "perfect" port by any stretch. The simplified mechanics mean that the spirit of the original didn’t fully carry over, and while the graphics are overall very nice, they could have been more faithful to the coin-op and better optimized for both modern monitors and CRTs. Player characters could use a slight speed boost, too.

That’s why Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered was born. My goal is to bridge the aesthetic and stylistic gap with the original, making the game shine like never before on modern screens while staying true to its soul. And who knows? If the team grows with passionate and talented coders, we might even enhance it under the hood. That would be the ultimate dream! If there’s one thing Bubble Bobble taught me as a kid, it’s that teamwork always leads to the best things."

Key Enhancement Goals

Technically speaking, Bubble Bobble C64 Remastered is a hack of the original program, NOT a complete rewrite, featuring fully redesigned sprites and backgrounds. The new graphics, directly converted from the arcade version, offer greater detail and fidelity to the original look and feel, while being optimized for both CRT and modern monitors, to offer the best possible experience on real hardware end emulators alike.

Development Status

v1.1b

Fixed a two-button control issue when playing on real hardware with two players simultaneously. 

v1.1a

This is a small but important maintenance update, focused on polish and correctness.

Changelog:

• Fixed corrupted graphics for the projectiles of Invader and Drunk
• Fixed sprite flickering in the Secret Room
• Fixed Game Over text glitches after continuing a game
• Fixed typos in the intro text and credits
• Stylistic improvement: intro text color changed to red, now matching the original arcade coin-op

v1.1

Version 1.1 introduces gameplay refinements and quality-of-life improvements made possible by new editing tools created by Victor Widell.

• Gameplay Adjustments
  • 58 out of 100 levels received adjustments and optimizations to enemy and bonus placement, bubble airflows and platform layouts to improve arcade fidelity and overall playability.
    The most noticeable changes affect the following levels:
    • Level 24 – One row has been freed to give both enemies and the player more room to maneuver.
    • Level 28 – Fire bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 32 – Central arena widened to match the arcade version; avoiding enemies is now easier and the level plays better overall.
    • Level 35 – Bubble airflows adjusted: it is now finally possible to move underneath enemies without dying, exactly like in the coin-op.
    • Level 53 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 62 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 65 – Water, fire, and lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 67 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 68 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 77 – Water and lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 78 – Water bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 80 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
    • Level 94 – Lightning bubbles enabled (previously missing).
• Controls
  • Optional Two-Button Controls added (Button 2 to jump), recommended for joypad users. Starting the game with Button 2 disables “Up to Jump” and maps jumping exclusively to Button 2.
• Bonus SID Soundtrack
  • New arcade-faithful soundtrack conversion by Aldo Chiummo, includes 12 tracks. Available as a bonus via SID player (not integrated into gameplay). Provided in two optimized versions: SID 6581 and SID 8581.

v1.0

Version 1.0 was released October 6 2025 with the following improvements.

• Completely Redesigned Graphics

• Bub, Bob, enemies, the final boss… everybody got a full makeover: redrawn and animated pixel by pixel, straight from the arcade original!
• Most levels have been completely redesigned; the rest got a nice polish or color tweak. Some even proudly strut in 3 colors instead of just 2!
• Food and bonus items are 100% juicier and some even got swapped out for fresher ones!
• “Pon” is back when you pop bubbles (because yes, it matters)!
• And the font? 100% Taito arcade approved!

• Miscellaneous Fixes and Improvements
  • Popped enemies drop the right goodies (yes, peaches and grapes!).
  • Secret Doors and Teleport Doors each have their own graphics now.
  • Fixed several inaccuracies (potions, bombs making the screen flash green, big and small diamonds colors not matching...).
  • ...And more!

• Continue System Fix
  • Forget the old split-second continue! Now you can press the button anytime after Game Over — credits permitting.

• New Intro
  • A beautiful fan-made loading picture kicks things off in style.
  • A brand new rendition of the iconic arcade tune to get you in the mood.

Important Notes

⚠️ Unofficial / trainer versions

Please be aware that trainer or cracked versions of the game available on CSDB contain known issues and may exhibit incorrect behavior that is not present in the official release.

For accurate gameplay, proper behavior, and support, please use the official version published here, which is a free, respectful update to the original 1987 conversion, and tested on real hardware.

Unofficial versions are not supported and any reports or complaints related to unofficial versions cannot be taken into consideration. Thank you for your understanding.

⚠️ Two-Button Control & SID Compatibility on Real Hardware

The Commodore 64 relies on the SID chip to read the paddle inputs. The second joystick button is wired to pin 9 and is detected via the POT X signal.

If you experience issues with the second button, your system is likely using a SID replacement (such as SwinSID or similar) that is not fully compatible with the original SID’s handling of paddle inputs.

This is not a bug in the game. Any C64 software that reads the second joystick button through POT inputs will exhibit the same behavior on such hardware.

For proper control functionality, an original SID or a fully compatible replacement is recommended.

⚠️ PAL System Required

This game is a hack of the PAL version of Bubble Bobble for Commodore 64 and is designed to be played on PAL systems only. 

Running the game on NTSC machines or NTSC emulation may cause issues such as inconsistent or incorrect game speed and audiovisual glitches.

For the intended and optimal experience, please play the game on PAL hardware or use a PAL-configured emulator.

Credits

Bubble Bobble Remastered Team

• Graphics, Gameplay Fixes & Coordination: Davide Bottino 
• Reverse Engineering, Coding & Editor: Victor Widell

• Intro screen: Simon Marson
• Intro Music & Bonus Soundtrack: Aldo Chiummo
• Intro code: Antonio Savona

• 2-Button Control Mod: Salvo Cristaldi

Original C64 Version Team (1987)

• Coding: Stephen Ruddy
• Graphics: Andrew R. Threlfall
• Music: Peter Clarke

Disclaimer

This project has been created in good faith and with the utmost respect for Taito and their work. It is an unofficial hack of the existing official Commodore 64 port from 1987, with the goal of enhancing and celebrating a video game classic while preserving the spirit of the original game. The project is entirely free of charge and is not for profit. It has not been created or authorized by Taito and does not intend to infringe upon any intellectual property rights. It is a tribute to the game and its cultural legacy.