Gubble

Last updated

Gubble
Gubble - PlayStation US cover art - Zenimax.jpg
Developer(s) Actual Entertainment (Macintosh, Windows) [1]
Goo! (PlayStation) [2]
Publisher(s) Actual Entertainment (Macintosh, Windows, iOS) [1]
Mud Duck Productions [3]
Midas Interactive Entertainment [4] (PlayStation)
Platform(s) Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation, iOS
ReleaseWindows
Macintosh
PlayStation
  • JP: September 17, 1998 [6]
  • EU: April 12, 2001
iOS
  • EU: December 20, 2010
  • NA: December 20, 2010
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Gubble, also known as Goober in select regions, is a Microsoft Windows and PlayStation game developed by Actual Entertainment (Eric Ginner, Mark Robichek and Franz Lanzinger). [7] The non-violent gameplay was a key aspect mentioned in the game's promotional material. [5] The game has a soundtrack of instrumental songs composed by Seppo Hurme (who also goes by Fleshbrain). [8]

Contents

Most of the gameplay requires the player to solve a series of real-time puzzles in which they use tools, such as a hammer or a screwdriver. The main character, Gubble D. Gleep [9] (an alien), uses the tools in a humorous way to remove things like nails and screws from the playing area.

The opening storyline to Gubble (only found in the instruction booklet) follows that space pirates have fastened zymbots (the game's levels) to the fictional planet Rennigar, with Gubble D. Gleep being sent on a mission by a robot to remove them.

Gubble was later re-released for iOS.

Gameplay

Gubble is composed of 10 cities (functioning as worlds); across these are various levels known as "Zymbots", which are usually maze-like in appearance. They are each filled with several enemies and tools. In the PC version of the game, each zymbot is named the same as that of the city plus an additional letter added to the end. For example, the game's first zymbot, which is in a city named "Rennigar", is called Rennigara, while the seventh is called Rennigarp. These zymbots may include bonus levels within them, such as minigames or "special zymbots", which are generally more difficult.

Tools

Tools are made to resemble those of a carpenter. A hammer, drill, screwdriver, socket, saw, and a sledgehammer are just a few of the tools used to deconstruct a level. Tools can be found within a zymbot and are used to remove the several nails, screws, hex nuts, etc., which hold a level together.

Legacy

Gubble 2 was released in 1998 for Windows 95 and Windows 98. With similar gameplay to the first Gubble game, Gubble 2 contains 124 levels (or zymbots), and features new tools and enemies. [10] One notable difference is that in Gubble 2, Gubble walks around the mazes, instead of hovering. From 2000, the game was fully playable online at PlayMachine.net, using pay-per-play tokens [11] (PlayMachine.net was an attempt to bring game arcades online). The game came with ZymEdit, a piece of software to edit, or make new, levels for the game. [12] The game has another soundtrack of instrumental songs composed again by Seppo Hurme. [8]

Gubble Buggy Racer was released in 2000. In the game, the player competes in buggy races across 8 different worlds (or tracks). The player can choose from Championship, Single Race or Time Trial modes as well as two player Head to Head or Deathmatch options. Unlike the non-violent gameplay of Gubble and Gubble 2, Gubble Buggy Racer contains a variety of super weapons to defeat the opponents. [13] [1] The game contains the same soundtrack as Gubble 2.

Gubble HD is an enhanced version of the original Gubble game that was released in 2007 on PC (as a 10th anniversary edition) and 2010 on the iPad. It contains new scoring, HD graphics, and three difficulty levels. At the same time as the iPad release, the original Gubble game was released on iOS. [14]

The original Gubble game was released on the PlayStation Store in September 2011. [15]

In 2012, Actual Entertainment started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a game titled Gubble 3D. [16] [17] It raised $1,249 of the $80,000 aim. [18]

By 2014, Actual Entertainment was developing Android endless runner game Gubble Vacation Rush. [19]

In 2017, Lanzinger Studio (the new name of Actual Entertainment) started development on Gubble 20th Anniversary Edition. [14]

As of 2020, Lanzinger Studio was developing a remaster of Gubble 2 for modern computers, supporting Windows 10, widescreen monitors, and not requiring a disc drive to play. Their website also mentions work into a remake of the original Gubble in the Unity engine. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hitman is a stealth game franchise created by Danish developer IO Interactive. The player controls the contract killer Agent 47, who travels the world to assassinate various targets who are assigned to him.

Ridge Racer is a racing video game series developed and published for arcade systems and home game consoles by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. The first game, Ridge Racer (1993), was originally released in arcades for the Namco System 22 hardware, later ported to the PlayStation one year later as a launch title. It was met with several sequels and spin-off games for multiple platforms, the latest being the mobile game Ridge Racer Draw & Drift (2016) and the latest mainline game, developed in-house, was Ridge Racer 7 (2006). Gameplay involves the player racing against computer-controlled opponents to be the first to finish in a race. Drifting is a core aspect of the series and is used to keep speed while turning corners; Ridge Racer pioneered the real-life technique in video games. The series is considered influential to the racing game genre.

<i>Stardust</i> (1993 video game) Shoot em up computer game for the Amiga

Stardust is a single screen multidirectional shooter video game for the Amiga, released by the Finnish company Bloodhouse in 1993. The game is an Asteroids clone with enhancements, such as power-ups, shields, a high-energy techno module soundtrack, vivid use of colors and the occasional tunnel section that revolves around a sphere. The game's graphics drew critical acclaim for the aforementioned tunnels and the liberal use of ray-tracing. The company has since merged with Terramarque to form Housemarque.

<i>Crystal Castles</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Crystal Castles is an arcade video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1983. The player controls Bentley Bear who has to collect gems located throughout trimetric-projected rendered castles while avoiding enemies, some of whom are after the gems as well.

<i>Wings</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Wings is a World War I video game developed and published by Cinemaware. It was released for the Amiga in 1990. The action sequences are similar in style to those of the 1927 silent film Wings.

<i>Silent Hill 3</i> 2003 video game

Silent Hill 3 is a 2003 survival horror game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami. The game was released from May to August, originally for the PlayStation 2. The third installment in the Silent Hill series and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game, it follows Heather, a teenager who becomes entangled in the machinations of the town's cult, which seeks to revive a malevolent deity. A port for Microsoft Windows was released later in November, and a remastered high-definition version was released as part of the Silent Hill HD Collection, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012.

Secret Agent is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Apogee Software. The first episode is shareware, while the remaining two are sold directly by the publisher. Secret Agent uses the same game engine as the earlier Crystal Caves.

<i>Toki Tori</i> 2001 puzzle-platform game

Toki Tori is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Two Tribes and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color. The game follows a young chick, Toki Tori, and his quest to rescue his younger siblings, still in their eggs. To progress through the game, the player must pick up each egg on a level using a set number of tools, with new tools being introduced as the player progresses through the four worlds. This usually involves careful planning and creative thinking.

Actual Entertainment was a video game development and publishing company founded in 1996 by Franz Lanzinger (Chairman) and Mark Robichek (President). They were primarily known for their development of the Gubble series. Actual Entertainment was acquired by Lanzinger Studio in December 2016.

Prince of Persia is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is centered around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia.

<i>Earthworm Jim</i> Video game series from 1994

Earthworm Jim is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four games were released in the series: Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2, Earthworm Jim 3D, and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy, with the first game released in 1994. The series had lain dormant for almost a decade before Gameloft remade the original game in HD for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Interplay announced Earthworm Jim 4 in 2008; little to no information surfaced until May 2019 and August 2020, and development was believed cancelled by the rights owners by 2023, as it had never left pre-planning stages.

<i>Club Drive</i> 1994 video game

Club Drive is a 1994 racing simulation video game developed and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. The premise takes place in 2098 at the Club Drive amusement park, where driving became legalized after being deemed illegal for safety reasons years prior due to the invention of indestructible vehicles which allowed the ban to be lifted. Gameplay consists of three modes for one or two players, each with their own adjustable ruleset.

Mini Motor Racing is an isometric racing game developed by The Binary Mill for iOS and Android platforms. In May 2013, the game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform as Mini Motor Racing EVO and in December 2019 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR as Mini Motor Racing X. It was released on the iTunes App Store on December 8, 2011, and on the Google Play Network on May 11. The game features vehicle, race and environment physics, vehicle upgrades, day and night tracks, Career, Quick Race and Multiplayer modes along with Game Center leaderboards and achievements. Mini Motor Racing also uses Apple's iCloud to store and sync progress across iOS 5 devices.

Asphalt is a series of racing video games mainly developed and published by Gameloft. The series typically focuses on fast-paced arcade racing set in various locales throughout the world, tasking players to complete races while evading the local law enforcement. Gameplay includes teaming up with allied racers and gang groups to assist in police pursuits and shootout races against rival groups such as crime families and terrorists.

<i>Choplifter HD</i> 2012 video game

Choplifter HD is a video game developed by inXile Entertainment and released in 2012-2013. It is a 3D polygonal remake of the 1982 game Choplifter by Dan Gorlin. inXile hired Gorlin to serve as a design consultant for the game. As in the original game, players fly missions in a helicopter, defeating enemies and rescuing people. Originally released for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game was subsequently ported to the Ouya as well as Android devices. Choplifter HD was lauded for being true to the original, retaining the gameplay the series was known for, but was criticized for its high level of difficulty.

<i>Asphalt 3: Street Rules</i> 2006 video game

Asphalt 3: Street Rules is a racing video game developed by Gameloft Shanghai and the third major game of the Asphalt series following Asphalt: Urban GT 2. It was released in 2006 on Java-based mobile phones, followed by a 3D version in 2007 on other mobile phones and was also released in 2008 for Nokia's N-Gage 2.0 platform and in 2009 for Android. It is It was notably the first mobile game to be played at the World Cyber Games competition.

<i>Sonic Generations</i> 2011 video game

Sonic Generations is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game follows Sonic and his sidekick Tails as they form an alliance with their past selves. It features two gameplay styles: "Classic", which plays from a side-scrolling perspective like that of the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, and "Modern", 3D levels similar to those in Sonic Unleashed (2008) and Sonic Colors (2010).

<i>Detective Grimoire: Secret of the Swamp</i> 2014 video game

Detective Grimoire: Secret of the Swamp, also simply called Detective Grimoire, is a murder mystery point-and-click adventure game developed by SFB Games and published by Armor Games, which was released on iOS platforms on January 2, 2014. It was later released on Android, PC, Mac, Linux and Steam by SFB Games.

Bombshell is a multidirectional shooter developed by Interceptor Entertainment and published by 3D Realms. The game was released on January 29, 2016, for Microsoft Windows. The game runs on Unreal Engine 3.

References

  1. 1 2 3 LanzingerStudio.com: About page 2017
  2. ↑ Goo! - GDRI
  3. 1 2 psxdatacenter.com: Gubble North America
  4. ↑ psxdatacenter.com: Gubble PAL
  5. 1 2 Gubble.com: Product Fact Sheet 1997
  6. ↑ psxdatacenter.com: Gubble Japan
  7. ↑ Gubble.com: Home page 2017
  8. 1 2 mirsoft.info: Seppo Hurme
  9. ↑ "Gubble D. Gleep (Character)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Gubble.com: Press release 1999
  11. ↑ Gubble.com: Gubble 2 page 2000
  12. ↑ Gubble.com: ZymEdit 2002
  13. ↑ gamezone.com: Artworld UK Proudly Announce the Forthcoming Release of Gubble Buggy Racer
  14. 1 2 Gubble.com: Gubble history 2017
  15. ↑ PlayStation Store: Gubble
  16. ↑ "Kickstarter: Gubble 3D". Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  17. ↑ prweb: Gubble 3D
  18. ↑ kicktraq: Gubble 3D
  19. ↑ AndroidCentral: Gubble Vacation Rush
  20. ↑ "Gubble News". www.gubble.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.