While many times people think of sequels as generally improving on the groundwork set by exceptional titles, there can obviously be times where it feels like a series can peak at the beginning, only losing ground in some way from that point. Among the classic arcade franchises I’ve loved over the years, for me the Bubble Bobble series falls into that trap, opening with an outstanding classic that they couldn’t ever quite improve upon, or even break even with as they made a variety of follow-ups. This collection happens to feature two such sequels in one pack, and while they share some of the same cheery spirit of the original, they do vary in effectiveness.

Starting with Parasol Stars, which is actually Bubble Bobble III, I’ve shared a review on it before, and while it is pleasant enough I also think it suffers from refusing to move away from the format of the original enough. You won’t be playing as dinosaurs blowing cute bubbles anymore, you’ll instead be two parasol-wielding kids who’ll use their variety of tools to accomplish many of the same things, just in different ways. The happy soundtrack is at least fun, and being able to tackle it with a friend is nice, but in too many ways this ends up feeling like a knock-off of itself that doesn’t hold up as well as the original.

Keeping the parasol as a weapon, but going in a very different direction, you have Spica Adventure, which really takes the big swing I’d been hoping to see in Parasol Stars and runs with it. Playing out more like a side-scrolling platformer, it really feels like it manages to blend together classic running and jumping level designs with some Bubble Bobble-style charm that’s appreciated. While it can feel a little easy, don’t be fooled. As you progress and are able to choose between branching paths, the difficulty does manage to sneak up on you and can take you by surprise. In terms of harnessing Taito’s legacy while doing something that feels really fresh, this is definitely the game in this two-pack that gives you the better bang for the buck. If you happen to be a fan of classic arcade gaming, this manages to have a common thread but also a decent amount of variety that should make for some fun gaming sessions.