Soul Bubbles Review

Very few games get released that stand out these days. Aside from the mega titles of Metal Gear Solid IV, Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty 4, Soul Calibur IV and so on (see a theme going on with all of the 4’s?), there really are not many games to point to as stand out material. On the Nintendo DS this is especially true. That is why it is so odd that not only does this title come from Eidos, but it is also exclusive to only one retailer: Toys R Us.

Soul Bubbles is a game where you blow bubbles on a screen and are tasked with returning them to their home. Inside of the bubble are souls and enemies throughout the game will attempt to attack these souls. It will be your job to both guide them to safety and protect them by poking these enemies with the Nintendo DS stylus.

To guide the soul bubbles you will have to blow them. In order to do this you again put the stylus against the DS screen, except you want to put it at the opposite side that you want the bubbles to go. You then slide the stylus along the screen in that direction to “push” the bubbles with the air that is released from the character that you control with your stylus movements. It’s really that simple and there is not a whole lot to say more than that.

As far as the graphics go in Soul Bubbles, they did a very good job. The developers not only took advantage of the Nintendo DS touch-screen but also its graphic capabilities. The 2D sprites are rendered nicely and the painted backgrounds add to the sense that this is a unique experience created by people that love games. There really is not a game I could compare this to and that’s a good thing. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that the storyline is not all that interesting.

All said, Soul Bubbles is a unique, refreshing title for the Nintendo DS. It came out of left field and unfortunately few will get to enjoy it as it is limited to the shelves of Toys R Us. Whether you have a kid in mind or are looking for a summer title to hold you over until the fall onslaught of games, Soul Bubbles is a good reprieve.