Gubble
Gubble is a rather rare and obscure PlayStation, PC and iPhone game that plays similar to Pac-Man. Most of the gameplay requires the player to solve a series of real-time puzzles in which he uses tools, such as a hammer or screwdriver, which the main character, Gubble (an alien), uses in a humorous way to remove the implements of these tools, such as nails and screws, from the playing area.
The opening storyline to Gubble (only found in the instruction booklet) is very vague and is only used to make the game seem slightly more rational. Gubble has been abducted by a UFO (who mistook him for another Gubble, a workman), and is instructed to remove all the screws that have been hammered into some planet if he wants to get home. The majority of the game is spent on a fictional planet and many of the puzzles (known as "Zymbots") repeat themes of a certain world (the game is split into multiple worlds).
Unlike Pac-Man, Gubble has no way of defeating Mooks. His only means of defending himself from enemies is by flying over them via a jetpack embedded in the chair-like machine he rides in. However, many later enemies have ways to counter this.
A sequel was later released with much bigger levels. The sequel is so obscure Gamespot actually thought the game was cancelled.
- Airborne Mook: UFO enemies and red balls can fly, and will damage gubble if he flies into them.
- A Winner Is You: "Congratulations!! you are a Gubble expert and you had WAY too much free time"
- Bonus Level: Two kinds-
- Bonus Zymbots contain no enemies. Gubble's main goal in these is to collect the tools until a 5-coin that he can collect appears. However, bonus levels are rather difficult to find and are usually hidden from plain view.
- Special Zymbots are usually harder than regular levels, however, to obtain One Hundred Percent Completion, Gubble should try to complete them.
- Bragging Rights Reward: Completing the game with One Hundred Percent Completion nets you a slightly different ending and a message: "Congratulations!! you are a Gubble expert and you had WAY too much free time"
- Call a Rabbit a Smeerp: The levels in this game are called "Zymbots".
- Character Title
- Cool Chair: Gubble rides one. In the sequel, he ditches it and walks around the place.
- Extra Eyes: One of the enemies is a blue caterpillar with five eyes.
- Dangerously Genre Savvy: Although Gubble can fly over most Mooks (effectively rendering him invulnerable to contact damage), some of them have developed methods to harm him while flying!
- UFOs can fly and thus damage Gubble while flying.
- Green spike enemies will jump up to pierce Gubble should he fly above them.
- Large, grey, missile-launching robots are too tall to be flown over.
- Pogo Toads are blue enemies on springs that jump around. Gubble will have to go underneath them to avoid them.
- A red set of floating, spinning balls ONLY damages Gubble if he is flying or on a tool.
- Death Course: Some of the Special Zymbots are like this.
- Flight: Gubble uses a jetpack in his chair machine to fly around.
- Giant Mook: One enemy in the final few special stages is a large orange, evil looking paper bag. If Gubble comes into contact with this thing, it will keep ramming into Gubble till Gubble dies!
- Guide Dang It: Many of the secret levels are so well-hidden that you'd probably need a guide to find them. Unfortunately, there is NO detailed guide of this game on the internet.
- Humanoid Aliens: Gubble's race.
- Law of Chromatic Superiority: There are two "walker" robot Mooks in this game, red and blue. The red ones are faster, smarter and usually tend to chase Gubble around more often than the blue ones which usually just patrol one area.
- Man-Eating Plant: One of the obstacles is a yellow flower that swallows, damages, then spits Gubble out onto a different area.
- Mecha-Mooks: The Gears (of war), red and blue "walkers", pincer drones, UFOs, Missile robots, etc...
- Nintendo Hard: Around the fourth set of levels, the gameplay starts getting really difficult...
- Odd Name Out: Most of the levels either end with a "hard A" syllable. Rennigar, Falzigar, Plumaxia, Tropiso, Melcosia, Rocobora, Saromesa, Nevisara, Carridessa, Walsamer.
- One Hundred Percent Completion: You need to complete EVERY Bonus Zymbot (and collect the 5-coin) AND Special Zymbot if you want to achieve this. Doing so just gives the player a slightly different ending as a Bragging Rights Reward.
- Power-Up: Three Kinds: one gives Gubble back half his max Hit Points, one freezes all enemies on the screen and the third allows Gubble to move faster.
- Save Point/Check Point: Very few and far-between. Unfortunately, the only way to restore all of Gubble's health was to use one of these. One of the reasons why this game is Nintendo Hard.
- Spring Coil: Pogo Toads have one, which they use to jump around the area.
- Time Stands Still: One of the powerups freezes all the enemies for a short period of time when collected.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer: Taken LITERALLY in some stages, where your only tool is a hammer.