Original Release: In Chang Electronic, Arcade, 1999
A blatant knockoff of Puzz Loop with the addition of nekkid anime girls
Funny Bubble (Arcade, In Chang, 1999)
Where to Buy: Arcade Museum, eBay
How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Guide
Review by: Master-B
Funny Bubble is essentially a knockoff of Mitchell’s somewhat obscure late 90s title Puzz Loop, which basically took Puzzle Bobble and changed it from “shit keeps falling” to “shit keeps getting conveyer belted at you along long spiraling paths.” It’s actually a pretty fun derivative, and since Funny Bubble straight up rips it off it happens to also be fairly fun to play (if not the most original thing in the world).
It even bites off Puzz Loop’s VS mode for two players, which was the most fun bit though I dunno how much luck you’ll have convincing someone to play this with you (and could possibly wind up arrested if you try). That leaves you with a confusing choice of “Stage Mode” or “Level Mode.” It turns out Stage Mode is both the easier and better choice, it breaks the game up into smaller and more varied segments, complete five to get your nudie pic. Level Mode I’m not even sure how long you have to play, but you’re stuck with one particular loop for a long time as it gradually gets faster and faster.
Then of course you got your hornt content, which is the whole reason they bothered knocking off Puzz Loop. The approach is a little strange, even for these sorts of arcade games. Each level features an anime girl reclining in the buff, but there are only a few of these that the game keeps cycling through. Your reward for reaching checkpoints is basically just a smaller but unobstructed shot of these same background pics. Not particularly inspiring.
The publisher is a bit of a mystery, it’s attributed in-game to “In Chang Electronic” which has a listing in South Korea but does not appear to have made any other games in their time. The only arcade flyer floating around refers to an “Omega Soft.” Some versions are apparently published by notorious arcade pervs Comad, and it’s unclear if that was a distribution deal or Comad just straight up made their own bootleg of the game. It does fit Comad’s profile in terms of development style, but they were more fond of ripped-off digital stills rather than anime art, so who knows. Maybe “The Dark Side of Adult Arcade Games” on VICE will get to the story someday.
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