If you’re anything like me, you’ve never heard of the original Bubble Ghost. The original 1987 puzzle title was created by Christophe Andréani for the Atari ST, and its last port would be for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1990. That’s over thirty years without an entry to keep Bubble Ghost in the public consciousness, so Nakama Game Studio’s 2025 remake didn’t have the nostalgia for a previous title to help carry it. Bubble Ghost Remake had the difficult job of reinventing a forgotten classic for the modern era, and I think the game knocks it out of the park.
To start, Bubble Ghost Remake is a visually striking game with a clear children’s book-like aesthetic. While the original game went for a “horror for children” vibe that saw players traverse a haunted house, the 2025 remake feels more like a bedtime story. Characters are incredibly cute across the board. The titular ghost (now called “Heinrich”) evokes “Casper the Friendly Ghost” with his new design. The game’s enemies are also a nice blend of threatening and goofiness which younger audiences will enjoy. The game’s different environments are distinct and beautiful. Bubble Ghost Remake’s levels switch between overgrown gardens to steampunk laboratories.
The children’s book aesthetic carries over into the game’s storytelling. The game puts you in the shoes of the inventor Heinrich Von Schinker: a renowned inventor trying to reunite with his wife after returning from a war. Instead of traversing a haunted house, you explore his old mansion that has since fallen to ruin, and his old pets and inventions have run amok. Heinrich, now a ghost, is guided by a mysterious bubble on a quest to find his wife while dodging all manner of obstacles. It’s a simple story that’s presented in a very endearing way. There are also a number of collectibles scattered throughout the game that expand upon Heinrich’s history to add more to the game’s narrative.
The game’s child-friendly aesthetic serves another function: to disarm you so the game’s difficulty hits you like a semi-truck. Bubble Ghost Remake is, and I can’t stress this enough, a hard game. There are multiple difficulty options available, but the standard difficulty option will be difficult enough for most players. The goal for each level is to guide a bubble through a variety of obstacles and traps by blowing on it. The bubble will pop if it touches any of these obstacles. It will pop if it so much as grazes the walls, ceiling, or floor of a level. If you’re too far from the bubble because you wanted to scout ahead and better plan your next move, the bubble will pop. I don’t say this to make the game seem unfair. It isn’t unfair. Bubble Ghost Remake just expects a certain degree of skill from the player. The game pushes you to master how you control the bubble. Heinrich’s ability to phase through the environment and enemies also allows a certain degree of freedom when maneuvering the bubble through levels. The game also has a healthy variety of hazards and level gimmicks to throw at you and your precious bubble. Playing Bubble Ghost Remake never felt stale, and it always felt like my skills were being tested.
Bubble Ghost Remake is a great remake of an Atari Classic. With a healthy variety of levels and a consistent difficulty curve, Bubble Ghost Remake is sure to be a joy for all fans of difficult puzzle games. I give it an 8/10.
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Related: Reviews by Josh Freeman
I love games and love talking about games. Some of my favorites include action games (both 2D and 3D), metroidvanias, roguelikes, shooters, and Indies.
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