Soul Bubbles

Story

The Player controls a young shaman apprentice, who leads unguided souls. It is your job to carry their spirits within a protective soap bubbles across hostile environments. The player completes the level once all living spirits have been moved to the Gateway Cube, however additionally the player is required to collect stardust and calabash to unlock new worlds. There are eight worlds and 40 levels, the first levels teach the player how to manipulate the bubbles and there are two bonus levels that can be unlocked. Each of the eight worlds have a distinct style and introduce new puzzles, each level provides it's own challenges, making every level unique.

"HELP - Lost spirits in danger! You are their only hope: draw protective bubbles around them and safely lead them through a kaleidoscope of worlds to safety."

Gameplay

You control the shaman with the stylus, however the movement isn't restricted and you're able to move anywhere on the screen instantly. The player initially has only a small area of visibility and you must blow the bubble near dark areas to expose the entire world. There are three different masks that offer different abilities: Bird mask:  Create bubbles by drawing them with the stylus Tiger mask: Cut bubbles and stitch them back together again, allows access to small passageways and can destroy certain elements of the scenery that obstruct the bubble Elephant mask: Pumps the bubbles to reduce their size Bubble physics are a unique element of Soul Bubble's gameplay. The physics offer logical advantages and disadvantages depending on how you decide to manipulate the bubbles. For example, large bubbles are heavy and slow. They have greater air resistance and won't fit down narrow passageways. They can easily be split apart by the geometry and are a large target for enemies. The opposite is true of smaller bubbles. However each type has it's benefits for solving different kinds of puzzles.

Features

Using your stylus - Cut, join, deflate, expand and blow bubbles that interact realistically to the environment. In some levels, bubbles can be filled with water to extinguish fires or gas to create explosions. Follow the star dust for guidance as well as making the spirites glow brighter. Explorer 8 Spirit Worlds with over 40 challenging levels. Uncover secret paths, bonus levels and secret awards throughout all of the worlds. three golden calabashes hidden in each level - Find enough to unlock the last world.

Development

Mekensleep began development of Soul Bubbles in 2004 and was released in 2008. Gish was cited as a popular source of inspiration for the game, due to it's similarly unique use of physics, along with a classic game from the 80's, Bubble Ghost. The team responsible for game design consists of Olivier Lejade and Omar Cornut, with the help of experienced game developer Frédérick Raynal. Raynal left the team in spring of 2006, to start working at Ubisoft.

Japanese Version

Interchannel will be bringing the game to Japanese shores on the 16th of July 2009, under a new name of "Awatama". Rather than simply bringing the game over to the Far East unchanged, there are some subtle changes to certain levels, whilst the main character has been tweaked considerably, along with the box art. There will also be a second save slot included this time round.