As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.”  And springtime is usually when the weather brings more rain.  But Taito’s got you covered with two umbrella themed classics in Parasol Superstars.  Included are two games: Parasol Stars, a classic Bubble Bobble sequel, and the never-before-released-overseas arcade game Spica Adventure. So let’s check them out!   It’s available on most current consoles but reviewed on Switch here.

Parasol Stars

I’ve already reviewed Parasol Stars so I’ll just post a link here for you to read.  Long story short, it’s a TG-16 classic and basically Bubble Bobble with technique.  Extremely fun game and worth the price in any collection alone.

Spica Adventure

Up until now, this was only in Japanese arcades and mobile devices.  It’s like a cross between Parasol Stars and The NewZealand Story, as it adds some scrolling platforming into the mix.  You play as a girl flying in space, but crash land into a planet after getting her view blocked by a piece of paper.  When she sees a robot handing out those same papers, she decides to go on a murderous rampage with her umbrella.  Gameplay-wise it’s a lot like Parasol Stars.  You’ll use your umbrella to attack and zip forward.  Or you can open your umbrella to glide and block and repel attacks, as well as float on water.  In typical Taito fashion, there are multiple paths and I love how some of the stages make reference to Space Invaders, their most well-known classic.  Only bad thing is that this game is a bit short and shallow, and there’s no two player mode like in Parasol Stars.  And those are all the games.  Definitely great for classic Taito fans.

Kid Factor:

Parasol Superstars is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  Defeated characters just fly off the screen or fall down.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, but not necessary just to play.

Tags: Game Reviews