Bubble Ghost
1987 video game
title: "Bubble Ghost" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1987-video-games", "accolade,-inc.-games", "amiga-games", "amstrad-cpc-games", "apple-iigs-games", "software-programmed-in-assembly-language", "atari-st-games", "commodore-64-games", "dos-games", "fujisankei-communications-international-games", "game-boy-games", "infogrames-games", "multiplayer-and-single-player-video-games", "piko-interactive-games", "pony-canyon-games", "video-games-about-ghosts", "video-games-developed-in-france", "video-games-scored-by-hitoshi-sakimoto", "windows-games"] description: "1987 video game" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Ghost" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1987 video game ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox video game"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | Bubble Ghost |
| image | Bubble Ghost Coverart.png |
| caption | North American cover art |
| developer | ERE Informatique |
| Opera House (Game Boy) | |
| publisher | Game Boy |
| composer | Hitoshi Sakimoto |
| engine | |
| released | |
| genre | Action |
| modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
| platforms | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Boy, SAM Coupé, Windows |
| director | Christophe Andréani |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the 1987 video game ::
| title = Bubble Ghost | image = Bubble Ghost Coverart.png | caption = North American cover art | developer = ERE Informatique Opera House (Game Boy) | publisher = Game Boy | composer = Hitoshi Sakimoto | engine = | released = | genre = Action | modes = Single-player, multiplayer | platforms = Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Boy, SAM Coupé, Windows | director = Christophe Andréani
Bubble Ghost is a puzzle video game created by Christophe Andréani for the Atari ST in 1987. The player controls a ghost who by blowing, guides a floating bubble throughout a number of halls in a haunted house, while avoiding obstacles that can make the bubble pop.
A remake by Nakama Game Studio was released in March 2025 for Windows, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Bubble_ghost_st_hall04.gif"] ::
The objective is to guide a bubble throughout a number of halls in a haunted house. 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. 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.
Ports
The original Bubble Ghost was created by Christophe Andréani (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 Game Boy version was published in 1990. It was the first French game adapted for the Game Boy, and one of the earliest games whose music was written by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
In 2025, the game Bubble Ghost Remake was presented by Spanish developers in a detailed article, followed by an interview with Christophe Andréani. Bubble Ghost Remake was released on March 27, 2025 on the Nintendo Switch portable game console, PlayStation 5 and Steam platform.
Development
The game was programmed in C (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.
Image:Bubble ghost doc01.jpg|Bubble Ghost, levels order Image:Bubble ghost doc02.jpg|Bubble Ghost, hall#9 design Image:Bubble ghost doc03.jpg|Bubble Ghost, ghost and bubble animation Image:Bubble ghost doc04.jpg|Bubble Ghost, game technical notes
Reception
| GamePro = GB: 15/25 | JXV = 14/20 The following French magazines have published Bubble Ghost reviews:
- SVM Science et Vie Micro #45, 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
- #48, December 1987 (Atari ST version)
- Génération 4 #2, December 1987 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
- Amstrad Cent Pour Cent #1, February 1988 (Amstrad CPC 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
- Player One #18, March 1992 (Game Boy version) Download magazine
- Joypad #7, April 1992 (Game Boy version) Download magazine
- Consoles + #7, March 1992 (Game Boy version) Download magazine
The following US magazines has published Bubble Ghost reviews:
- 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
The following French magazines have published Bubble + (Bubble Plus) reviews:
- Génération 4 #22, May 1990 (Atari ST and Amiga version) Download magazine
- Micro News #35, May 1990 (Atari ST version) Download magazine
Posterity
- Book - Corey Sandler, Tom Badgett, Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Boy Strategies, Bantam Books, 1991, . The Game Boy version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 49.
- Book - Anna Anthropy, Naomi Clark, A Game Design Vocabulary, Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design, Pearson Education, february 2014, . The Atari ST version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 28.
- Book - Julien Mailland, Kevin Driscoll, Minitel, Welcome to the Internet, MIT Press, june 2017, . The Atari ST version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 145.
- Book - Brett Weiss, Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990, McFarland Incorporated Publishers, july 2018, . The Game Boy version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 300.
- Book - Florent Gorges, L'Histoire de Nintendo, Omaké books, coll. « Volume 4, 1989-1999 L'incroyable histoire de la Game Boy», march 2019, . The Game Boy version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 199.
- Book - Jamie Lendino, Faster Than Light, The Atari ST and the 16-Bit Revolution, Steel Gear Press, june 2019, . The Atari ST version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 171.
- Video - Rétro Découverte, novembre 2021, with the interview with Christophe Andréani.
- Book - Jamie Lendino, Starflight, How the PC and DOS Exploded Computer Gaming 1987-1994, Steel Gear Press, 2022, . The Atari ST version of the Bubble Ghost game is cited on page 112.
References
References
- Romano, Sal. (February 10, 2025). "Bubble Ghost Remake launches March 27".
- (2025-03-12). "Bubble Ghost Remake adds PS5, Epic Games Store versions".
- (4 February 2025). "Bubble Ghost Remake".
- Retro Gamer Espana #51 author's interview
- Retro Gamer Espana #51 author's interview
- Retro Gamer Espana #51 author's interview
- Retro Gamer Espana #51 author's interview
- Andromeda. (December 1990). "Game Boy ProView: ''Bubble Ghost''".
- (2012-10-18). "Test du jeu Bubble Ghost sur GB".
- (December 1987). "Jeux & stratégie 48".
- #50 Des Tendances des Jeux Vidéo Bubble Ghost - Rétro Découverte, Youtube : "Retour sur une pépite oubliée de la GameBoy : Bubble Ghost !"
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::