Bubble Ghost
Encyclopedia
Bubble Ghost is a French 1987
video game created by Christophe Andreani and published by ERE Informatique
.
. If the bubble hits any walls or obstacles, then it will pop and the player loses a life. Obstacles include lit candles, electricity and fans. These can be all controlled by the ghost, who can wander around the level freely and blow
at things - such as the bubble to add speed, the candle to put out the flame, or switches to turn them on or off.
The ghost is controlled using the mouse: moving the mouse moves the ghost. A press on the left button of the mouse makes the ghost rotate to the left. A press on the right button of the mouse makes the ghost rotate to the right. A press on a keyboard key (Shift) makes the ghost blow.
The game is made of 35 halls (levels). Each time the player makes the bubble exit a hall, he wins 1000 points + left bonus. Action on animation may add 5000 points to the player. The bonus is re-initialized at every new hall. A new bubble is added to the player account each time the bubble exits towards the top of the hall.
The original Bubble Ghost was created by Christophe Andreani (design, programming) on an Atari ST
computer. The game has been adapted for other computers throughout the world.
Some years later, ERE Informatique
was bought by Infogrames
. Infogrames published a new version of Bubble Ghost with updated graphics, Bubble + (Bubble Plus).
A Nintendo
Game Boy
version was published in 1990. It was the first French game adapted for the Game Boy.
The original concept of Bubble Ghost was reused and modified in 2008 in the game Soul Bubbles
for the Nintendo DS
.
Hall #4: An advertisement for the French telematics server Pinky by Godefroy Troude, and a wink to the video game Mercenary by Paul Woakes published by Novagen
.
Hall#5: The face of the author slightly modified.
Hall#11: The face of the author appears with glasses (if the ghost is blowing in the ear, glasses disappear) and a wink at the video game The Pawn published by Rainbird.
Hall#15: Another wink to the video game Mercenary by Paul Woakes published by Novagen
.
Hall#28: Two more winks to the video game The Pawn published by Rainbird.
(editor and compiler: Megamax C
) and 68000 assembly language
on an Atari 1040 ST
computer. The graphics were made with the Degas Elite
drawing software. The digital sound of the introductory page of the game ("Welcome to Bubble Ghost") was built using ST Replay. This is the author’s voice. The other sound effects use the synthesizer inside the Atari ST
.
Here are some notes from the author when creating the game:
Following US magazine has published Bubble Ghost review:
Following French magazines have published Bubble + (Bubble Plus) review:
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
video game created by Christophe Andreani and published by ERE Informatique
ERE Informatique
ERE Informatique was one of the first French video game companies, founded in 1981 by Philippe Ulrich and Emmanuel Viau. The company hired freelance game programmers that received royalties for their creations. Initially, the company published titles for the Amstrad CPC, Spectrum and Oric home...
.
Gameplay
Bubble Ghost is a 2D arcade game. The player controls the ghost using the computer mouse and makes him blow at a bubble. The objective is to guide a bubble throughout a number of halls in a haunted houseHaunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
. If the bubble hits any walls or obstacles, then it will pop and the player loses a life. Obstacles include lit candles, electricity and fans. These can be all controlled by the ghost, who can wander around the level freely and blow
Exhalation
Exhalation is the movement of air out of the bronchial tubes, through the airways, to the external environment during breathing....
at things - such as the bubble to add speed, the candle to put out the flame, or switches to turn them on or off.
The ghost is controlled using the mouse: moving the mouse moves the ghost. A press on the left button of the mouse makes the ghost rotate to the left. A press on the right button of the mouse makes the ghost rotate to the right. A press on a keyboard key (Shift) makes the ghost blow.
The game is made of 35 halls (levels). Each time the player makes the bubble exit a hall, he wins 1000 points + left bonus. Action on animation may add 5000 points to the player. The bonus is re-initialized at every new hall. A new bubble is added to the player account each time the bubble exits towards the top of the hall.
Releases
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
computer. The game has been adapted for other computers throughout the world.
Some years later, ERE Informatique
ERE Informatique
ERE Informatique was one of the first French video game companies, founded in 1981 by Philippe Ulrich and Emmanuel Viau. The company hired freelance game programmers that received royalties for their creations. Initially, the company published titles for the Amstrad CPC, Spectrum and Oric home...
was bought by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
. Infogrames published a new version of Bubble Ghost with updated graphics, Bubble + (Bubble Plus).
A Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
version was published in 1990. It was the first French game adapted for the Game Boy.
The original concept of Bubble Ghost was reused and modified in 2008 in the game Soul Bubbles
Soul Bubbles
Soul Bubbles is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS handheld console. It was developed by the French studio Mekensleep, and was published by Eidos Interactive in PAL regions and North America in 2008...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
Miscellaneous
Some graphic parts of the Bubble Ghost halls have a specific meaning:Hall #4: An advertisement for the French telematics server Pinky by Godefroy Troude, and a wink to the video game Mercenary by Paul Woakes published by Novagen
Novagen Software
Novagen Software Ltd was a British software developer which released a number of computer games on a variety of platforms from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s....
.
Hall#5: The face of the author slightly modified.
Hall#11: The face of the author appears with glasses (if the ghost is blowing in the ear, glasses disappear) and a wink at the video game The Pawn published by Rainbird.
Hall#15: Another wink to the video game Mercenary by Paul Woakes published by Novagen
Novagen Software
Novagen Software Ltd was a British software developer which released a number of computer games on a variety of platforms from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s....
.
Hall#28: Two more winks to the video game The Pawn published by Rainbird.
Technical information
The game was programmed in CC (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
(editor and compiler: Megamax C
Megamax C
Megamax C was a K&R implementation of C for the Atari ST, Apple IIGS and Macintosh computers. The package included a one-pass compiler, resource construction kit and documentation...
) and 68000 assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
on an Atari 1040 ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
computer. The graphics were made with the Degas Elite
DEGAS (software)
DEGAS and DEGAS Elite are bitmap graphics editors created by Tom Hudson for BatteriesIncluded.- File formats :- External links :* - See also :* NeoChrome* List of raster graphics editors...
drawing software. The digital sound of the introductory page of the game ("Welcome to Bubble Ghost") was built using ST Replay. This is the author’s voice. The other sound effects use the synthesizer inside the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
.
Here are some notes from the author when creating the game:
Press
Following French magazines have published Bubble Ghost review:- SVM Science et Vie Micro #45, December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Tilt #49, December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- ST Magazine #14, November/December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Micro News #6, November/December 1987 (Atari ST version)
- Le Tatou #10, December 1987 (Atari ST version)
- 1ST (FirST) #4, December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Jeux et Stratégie #48, December 1987 (Atari ST version)
- Génération 4 #2, December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Tilt #52, march 1988 (Amstrad CPC version) Download magazine
- Tilt #57, September 1988 (Amiga version) Download magazine
- Génération 4 Hors série #2, oct/nov/dec 1990 (Game Boy version) Download magazine
- Génération 4 #31, march 1991 (Game Boy version) Download magazine
Following US magazine has published Bubble Ghost review:
- VideoGames and Computer Entertainment, USA, April 1991 (Game Boy version)
- Antic Vol.7 #7, november 1988 (Atari ST version) See review
- ST-Log Issue 24, october 1988 (Atari ST version) See review
- ST-Log Issue 26, december 1988 (Atari ST version) See review
Following French magazines have published Bubble + (Bubble Plus) review:
- Génération 4 #22, May 1990 (Atari ST and Amiga version) Download magazine
- Micro News #35, May 1990 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Tilt #79, June 1990 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
External links
- Screenshots of the levels #01 to #12 of Bubble Ghost
- Screenshots of different versions of Bubble Ghost
- Photos of the various packages of Bubble Ghost
- Screenshots of the Game Boy version (French)
- Review and remakes of Bubble Ghost (French)
- Bubble Ghost on the Amiga at the Hall of Light (HOL)
- Christophe Andréani Internet Website: www.andreani.net