Play Rainbow Islands Online

Rainbow Islands arrived on the Game Boy Color in 1999, a Taito Corporation release that brought its colorful platforming to the handheld. It was a time when developers were figuring out how to translate arcade-style games to the smaller screen, and this was one of the attempts. You play as one of the Bubble Bobble brothers, now older, on a quest to save the Rainbow Islands.

You control your character through a series of single-screen levels, climbing upward to escape the rising water below. Your main tool is the rainbow, which you shoot to create temporary platforms, trap enemies, and collect the diamonds needed to progress. The core loop involves careful placement of these rainbows to navigate the environment and defeat foes, with each island presenting a unique theme and boss. The game moves at a brisk pace, and the difficulty comes from managing the constantly rising water level while solving the platforming puzzles. It feels like a race against time where a single mistimed jump can send you back to the start.