Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day famously sang a plea to wake him when September ends. What's so good about the end of September, though? As it turns out, the last day of September will be very good for Bubble Bobble fans this year. That's when Bubble Bobble 4: The Baron's Workshop launches on Steam, complete with the first level editor in the series' history, 200 built-in levels, and 4-player local co-op.
"Isn't there already a Bubble Bobble 4 Friends?" you might be wondering. Yes, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends first arrived on Nintendo Switch in 2019. When the PlayStation version appeared a year later with 100 new levels, the title was changed to Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back. The Switch version received the new levels in a free update alongside the PlayStation game. Almost a full year after The Baron is Back came to town, the Steam version is coming along with an exclusive level editor and a fresh subtitle of its own.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron’s Workshop features:
- The Baron’s Workshop – Exclusive to the Steam version, create, share and download new Bubble Bobble stages with players around the world. Unlock various blocks, enemies and gimmicks as you play through the main campaign.
- 1-4 player couch co-op.
- 4 Friends – With 100 stages to take on!
- Arcade of the Future – Play 100 more super-difficult stages with no continues for pro Bubble Bobble players.
- Original Arcade Mode – A faithful port of the classic Bubble Bobble for 1-2 players, with scanlines and screen ratio options for a truly authentic arcade experience.
- Global online leaderboards – Challenge your friends’ best scores across every game mode.
To get fans excited for the level editing feature, Taito has released a Japanese video that explains how the feature works. The video contains some interesting details such as the fact that players can save 30 of their own custom levels. That's not quite enough slots to make your own 2.5D version of the original Bubble Bobble, sadly, but it's not a bad number. If you're hoping to glean more information from the video, be sure to turn on the English subtitles that YouTube provides.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron's Workshop will arrive on Steam on Thursday, September 30. The regular price will be $39.99, but it will be on sale for 15% off during launch week.
Speaking of Bubble Bobble, don't forget that the upcoming Taito Egret II Mini arcade cabinet will feature the three true Bubble Bobble arcade games: Bubble Bobble, Bubble Symphony, and Bubble Memories. The Egret II Mini is due out in Japan on March 2, 2022, and will include 40 arcade games.