Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure
I'm pretty sure a lot of people expected a WiiWare update of this game after Bubble Bobble Wii (Plus outside of Japan) came out, but who could have suspected it would be released only a few weeks later? Well, it's coming out in Japan tomorrow for 800 points and I don't think I need to tell you I'll be downloading this and providing my impressions soon.
The game is titled Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure and looking at the screens it appears the kids have grown a bit taller and instead of a score you're ranked according to time and height scaled. Hopefully it will be as fun as Bubble Bobble Wii/Plus has proven to be!
Check our screenshot gallery below and let us know your thoughts about the new graphical style.
Additionally Japanese Wii owners get access to two other WiiWare releases: Game of Life (including virtual spinner -- woo!) and MADSECTA (Onslaught in the rest of the world). Addtionally they get two Virtual Console releases: Space Invaders the Original Game for the PC Engine (port of the SNES/PSX game of the same name) and Dragon Slayer II for the Megadrive.
4-6 WiiWare/VC releases a week has been the norm in Japan for quite some time; will we ever see that in the West?
Source: Nintendo of Japan
User Comments
1. Cheezy
02 Mar 2009, 12:44 GMT
First! Looks like a very cool game, Rainbow Islands is really fun. I actually prefer it over Bubble Bobble
2. djshep1973
02 Mar 2009, 13:05 GMT
Wow, the original Rainbow Islands is one of my all-time favourite games, so if this is anything like as much fun as that, this will be a must-download!
Happy days are here again! Well, when it gets its release over here, any-road...
3. Bass X0
02 Mar 2009, 13:25 GMT
Same here. Always enjoyed this more than Bubble Bobble. This is my mothers favorite game ever. Unless its somehow really bad, then I'll download it for sure.
4. wanderlustwarrior
02 Mar 2009, 13:39 GMT
4 - 6 would be nice, but at the LEAST, i'd like to know what comes out before the morning it comes out. doesn't Japan get their info at the beginning of the month?
5. KnucklesSonic8
02 Mar 2009, 14:02 GMT
Hopefully it comes stateside.
6. RagingShadow
02 Mar 2009, 14:35 GMT
@Cheezy
Congrats your first. Here's your trophy and you can go spend the rest of your life being a "FIRST!" spammer/troll.
Damn, when will we get 6 GOOD titles in one update?
7. Ratengo
02 Mar 2009, 14:54 GMT
Rainbow Islands already in the shop channel within 15 hours?! Oh...! I have not expected that game to come so soon, but it will be an immediate download for me then, yay!
Until the game arrives, I can spend the time by playing any of such games on the Wii: Bubble Bobble Wii, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, Gradius ReBirth, Mr. Driller World, Parasol Stars or Super Smash Bros. Hm, when will all these be coming to North America and Europe…? Hehe!
Long live the Japanese Wii shop channel!!
8. Bahamut ZERO
02 Mar 2009, 16:00 GMT
Shrugs
Really dont care. Buuble Bobble>>>>>>>>this. For me.
9. Popyman
02 Mar 2009, 16:25 GMT
What IS Rainbow Island?
"MADSECTA"
^ Why do I find that so funny?
10. KDR_11k
02 Mar 2009, 17:00 GMT
Heh, Onslaught gets released in Japan last despite being made there...
11. Ferret75
02 Mar 2009, 19:57 GMT
@Popyman:
It's like Bubble Bobble, except you go UP instead of down.
And instead of firing bubbles, you fire rainbows.
Personally, I think the graphics are kinda odd.
12. Corbie
02 Mar 2009, 20:41 GMT
Can't wait to see Sean's impressions of Rainbow Islands. I love the game so this is one I'd love to see come to the US.
13. Terra
02 Mar 2009, 21:10 GMT
First impressions should be a good read for this, especially if this turns out great. So far, Square-Enix/Taito seem to be doing quite well on WiiWare so far. I only hope other big publishers start doing more for the service like they, Hudson, Capcom, Telltale and Gameloft (smaller one i know but still) have done.
14. Objection_Blaster
03 Mar 2009, 02:26 GMT
@Raging Shadow-Unless the only thing they say is "first", you don't need to get so bent out shape. As for the game, I've never heard of it and I don't think I need to.
15. Sean Aaron
03 Mar 2009, 07:44 GMT
@ wanderlustwarrior: That only appears to be true of Virtual Console titles; WiiWare listings appear in Shop News a day or two before release.
@Ratengo: Now now, let's not gloat!
I've just downloaded the game and the space-conscious won't be happy to learn it's a hefty 295 blocks, so definitely not a graphical facelift and extra levels a la Bubble Bobble Wii.
As to what the game is, it's the sequel to Bubble Bobble! As others have indicated it's an unusual platformer in that you progress vertically from platform to platform by casting rainbows you can walk up. You get power-ups to allow you to cast these faster and in greater numbers; jumping on a rainbow causes it to fall which takes out your enemies below it. It's a fun mechanic and unique in gaming history (no direct sequel ever came out that I'm aware of beyond a graphical tarting-up on the PSX Bubble Bobble disc).
16. calculon
03 Mar 2009, 12:41 GMT
I'm probably the only one but I think the graphical update sucks. Plus the backgrounds are too busy. I preferred the less overwhelming approach of the original.
Oh well, it's not like I won't buy it (unless the game play sucks too) I love Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands
17. Ratengo
03 Mar 2009, 17:47 GMT
@Sean
I have downloaded the game and I do agree with you that 295 blocks take too much space, even though no additional levels or different game play modes are included. Until now, I have played to the fifth level and I find Rainbow Islands for WiiWare only an okay game. However, I am looking forward to read your impressions about the game and it also makes me wonder if Towering Adventure is a promotion for the upcoming PCE version of original Rainbow Islands on the Japanese Virtual Console...? We will see!