While Taito is probably not mentioned when gamers talk about their favorite developers, many would be surprised by the number of stand-out titles the company has under its belt.  From classics like Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders to more recent titles such as Raystorm, LostMagic, and Cooking Mama, Taito has given gamers a lot since the 1970s.

From what I gather, RIR is a remake of the original Rainbow Islands arcade title.  The sparse storyline found in the instruction manual (nothing is mentioned in-game) explains that RIR takes place seven years after the events of Bubble Bobble.  To summarize Bubble Bobble, Bub and Bob (who had been transformed into dragons) defeat the evil Doranku to rescue their girlfriends and return themselves to their human forms.  During the last seven years, Bub and Bob have become powerful “rainbow magicians,” and have set out to explore their native Rainbow Islands for treasure.  However, upon returning, Bub and Bob find that Doranku has returned, and has taken the islanders captive.  Bub and Bob must then venture forth to reclaim the Rainbow Islands and put an end to Doranku… forever!  While the story isn’t very deep, I did find it interesting, mainly because Bubble Bobble is one of my favorite games on the NES.   Aside from the brief story provided in the manual, the game itself is pretty devoid of any storytelling. 

The adventure begins by selecting a character (Bub or Bob), after which players are immediately thrown into the game without a tutorial (again, the manual comes in handy).  There are seven islands with four levels apiece, with a boss at the end of each island.  The gameplay in RIR is built completely around the touch screen.  Bub and Bob are controlled by tapping the screen and dragging them in the desired direction while trying to avoid obstacles such as enemies and spikes.  To dispatch on-screen enemies, Bub and Bob make use of “rainbow magic” by drawing lines on the screen that become beautiful rainbows.  Rainbows can be drawn through enemies (if you’re accurate), or above enemies, after which tapping the newly formed rainbow will send it crashing down on top of the enemy, turning them into assorted items such as extra life, power-ups, and fruits and veggies to power the S.T.A.R. meter.  Additionally, rainbows can be strategically drawn to form barriers through which some enemies cannot pass.  In later stages, however, enemies pass right through the rainbow barriers.

Players have a life gauge, letting them know how many hits they can take before they have to start the level over.  Next to the life gauge is a rainbow meter, which determines how much rainbow power Bub or Bob has remaining (which regenerates over time), and a S.T.A.R meter, which is powered by the fruits and veggies collected from enemies, enabling Bub or Bob to unleash devastating rainbow magic.  Once the S.T.A.R. meter is filled, players can hold L or R and draw either circles or triangles around enemies.  Drawing a circle creates a bubble around the enemy, allowing players to tap and drag the encapsulated enemy into other enemies on screen.  The triangle creates a rainbow trap that sucks in nearby enemies and destroys them.  These special techniques aren’t very useful, and I didn’t use them much when I played.

At the end of each stage, players are treated to a host of fruits and veggies to power their S.T.A.R. meter for the next level.  After completing the final stage on each island, however, a boss battle ensues.  Boss battles range from drawing lines on the boss until it dies, or drawing lines over an object on the screen that in turn inflicts damage to the boss.  An example of this is a dragon boss who floats on the top screen, out of reach of the stylus.  Players use rainbow magic to charge cannons that are located on the bottom screen, which in turn shoot the dragon on the top screen.  Boss battles are typically challenging only because they occur right after the fourth stage of each island (which is usually the hardest) without allowing players to power up or replenish their life gauge.

While I really enjoyed the idea of the tap-controlled system, it tends to get hard to manage when enemies are close to Bub or Bob, and attempts at drawing rainbows result in moving the character into the enemy instead, or vice-versa.  Also, the constant and active use of the stylus really did a number on my hand, which was in pain for a duration of time after each trip to the Rainbow Islands.  Even more, two of the seven islands feature levels that move horizontally as opposed to vertically, which resulted in the stylus blocking the view of the action, making it difficult to see incoming enemies or obstacles.

The overall look of Rainbow Islands Revolution was appropriate, even if it wasn’t impressive.  As the game is geared towards children, bright, vibrant colors dominate the Rainbow Islands.  This is even more appropriate when colorful “rainbow magic” is unleashed on the screen.  The islands each have their own theme, covering tropical, military, and graveyard themes, to name a few.  The enemies in each area match their respective theme, as seen by the spooky werewolves, bats, and ghosts seen on the graveyard island.  The use of the top screen as an additional display of the action makes the levels seem vast and open as well.

Some players might notice that all the music found in Rainbow Islands Revolution is the same song, remixed in a variety of ways.  While I enjoyed the melody in the first few islands, it tended to get on my nerves after a while, especially in the more difficult stages, where I had to spend a lot of time.  There was one island, however, that had no background music, and instead relied on sound effects to keep the player aurally stimulated.  This was definitely a welcome break from the rest of the game’s music.

Rainbow Islands Revolution is also surprisingly chock full of secrets and unlockable content.  When selecting a character (Bub or Bob), two blacked out characters can be seen below, which are Bub and Bob’s girlfriends from Bubble Bobble.  Also, if players want to torture themselves, they can explore each island meticulously for giant gems which can only be obtained by finding a rare item dropped by enemies.  If seven gems are found on each island, an eighth island appears, leading the way to more adventure and a better ending.

Overall:  6/10