Perhaps more than any other, the 8-bit era was notorious for silly plots being tacked onto a clever game. It could be a huge disservice to suggest Bobby Bearing is a prime culprit, but the evidence is rather compelling. Bobby is … some kind of robotic sphere thing. He lives in the isometric land of Technofear with his fellow robotic sphere things. Alas, an impish cousin has led his brothers astray, beyond the family home, and onto the dangerous plains. Our Bob must rescue them before it’s too late.
Death in the game is actually impossible – the only way to lose is running out of time (which ticks away more rapidly with every setback). However, it’s sometimes possible to get Bobby irretrievably stuck, which demands an instant, heavy-handed restart. Another annoyance comes from the hidden switches that crucially trigger moving blocks, but can’t actually be seen.
Yes, completely agree with this review. It is a great game, good on the Amstrad CPC as well. Hidden gem almost, first time I’ve ever heard anyone else mention it.
BB was a welcome relief after the finely tuned movement of Spindizzy. No falling off walls or walkways here, just roll around the map at break neck speed. Very nice animation of your ball getting squashed (we’ve all been there) and the sheer desperation as you watch your time suddenly speed up as it ticks down to 0.