Invader (いんべーだ Inbēda?), also known as Super Socket, is a recurring enemy in the Bubble Bobble series. Invaders are based off of the titular enemies from Taito's arcade title Space Invaders, and have made an appearance in most main series Bubble Bobble games.
Biography[]
Appearance[]
Invaders are mechanical creatures with two blue antennae, and are generally shown with bodies vaguely shaped like a pentagon. Their arms and legs move in a motion reminiscent of the enemy sprites from Space Invaders, and have mechanical joints. Their bodies are colored silver, and in most appearances, the bottom half of their bodies are purple in color. In Bubble Bobble Plus!, Invaders take on a more blocky appearance reminiscent of a 3D model of their original sprite from Bubble Bobble.
Abilities[]
Invaders' main form of attack is firing a laser downwards. The laser can travel through platforms, and will cause the player to lose a life if they make contact with it. Unlike most enemies, Invaders are only able to move left and right, and cannot jump in any way, though they move faster than most other enemies.
History[]
Bubble Bobble[]
Invaders first appear in Bubble Bobble, and are first encountered on Round 60. They move back and forth rapidly, firing lasers down at the player to attack. Invaders are the only enemy not encountered in the game's Super Mode, and are replaced by Hidegons in said mode.
Rainbow Islands[]
Invaders appear as an enemy in Rainbow Islands, and are only encountered on the game's final world, Bubble Island. They behave similarly to their appearance in Bubble Bobble, but are in a perpetually angered state, like the other enemies encountered in the world.
Parasol Stars[]
Invader returns as an enemy in Parasol Stars, appearing in the game's penultimate world, Bubble Star, a world based off of the original Bubble Bobble. The Invaders in this game have a slightly different appearance than most of their other incarnations, having a much wider body, differently shaped antennae, and having red orbs at the end of their arms, resembling the enemy sprites from the original Space Invaders. Despite this, they behave nearly identically to their original appearance in Bubble Bobble.
Bubble Bobble Part 2[]
Invaders appear as enemies in Bubble Bobble Part 2, having the same behavior as their previous appearances. In this game, they are completely yellow and lack antennae.
Bubble Bobble Junior[]
Invaders appear as an enemy in Bubble Bobble Junior, returning to their original design. A new related enemy known as an Invader Crate is introduced, resembling a large UFO. Invader Crates constantly spit out Invaders to attack the player, only stopping upon being defeated by being hit with bubbles multiple times, or being hit with a Special Bubble.
Bubble Symphony[]
Invaders appear as enemies once again in Bubble Symphony, behaving much like their previous incarnations. A Giant Invader appears as the boss of the TV Machine and Central Park worlds in a boss battle that serves as an homage to Space Invaders, summoning rows of Invaders in a manner reminiscent of the original arcade title's gameplay. Two new varieties of Invaders based off of the different enemy types in Space Invaders appear during this boss fight, one resembling the Invader design used in Parasol Stars, having flat antennae and a more box-shaped body, and another with closed eyes that lacks arms and antennae.
Puzzle Bobble[]
An Invader appears in the console version of Puzzle Bobble as the eighth opponent encountered in Player vs. Computer Mode. They also appear outside of this mode in all versions of the game, being trapped inside the red bubbles featured in normal gameplay.
Bubble Memories[]
Invaders make yet another appearance as enemies in Bubble Memories, behaving similarly to their past appearances. In this game, they have orange antennae as opposed to the usual blue color seen in most games.
Classic Bubble Bobble[]
Invaders appear once again in Classic Bubble Bobble, with very little changes to their behavior compared to previous installments of the series. A giant Invader named Lemon appears as the boss of the Night Area.
Bust-A-Move Millennium[]
An Invader makes a minor appearance in Bust-A-Move Millennium, acting as the cursor on the main menu.
Bubble Bobble: Old & New[]
Invaders appear as enemies in Bubble Bobble: Old & New, mirroring their appearance from the original Bubble Bobble. In the game's "New" mode, they receive a redesign, having a much more square body shape, and are now completely white in color like the sprites from the original Space Invaders. They even sport fangs as shown in the intro and their sprites.
Bubble Bobble Revolution[]
Invaders reappear in Bubble Bobble Revolution, once again retaining their behavior from the series' previous installments. The boss of Steam Works, the game's fifth world, is a giant UFO piloted by three Invaders. In this game, they have a slightly different appearance than previous entries; possessing a light blue body, red eyes, green arms, and orange antennae.
Rainbow Islands Revolution[]
Invaders appear as enemies on Bubble Island in Rainbow Islands Revolution, mirroring their appearance in the original Rainbow Islands.
Bubble Bobble Double Shot[]
[[File:BBDS_SuperSocketScene.png|thumb|Invaders in space in Bubble Bobble Double Shot Invaders appear as enemies yet again in Bubble Bobble Double Shot. The game's seventh boss is a giant Invader, whose eyes and plate at the bottom of its body change color. The player must use the Bubble Dragon of a corresponding color to shoot bubbles at the tip of a rocket at the bottom of the stage, which must match the color of the Invader's eyes and plate in order to harm it.
Space Bust-A-Move[]
An Invader makes a cameo appearance in Space Bust-A-Move, appearing in the background of the first set of levels in the game's Rainbow Land stage. They also appear in the "Retro Bubbles" and "Monster Bubbles" bubble sets, appearing trapped inside of the red bubbles in the former, mirroring their appearance in the original Puzzle Bobble, and appearing as the purple bubble in the latter set.
Bubble Bobble Plus![]
Invaders appear as enemies in Bubble Bobble Plus!, retaining their behavior from the original Bubble Bobble. They sport a blocky design in this appearance, resembling the pixellated shape of their original sprite.
Bust-A-Move Plus![]
An Invader is the final opponent faced in the Vs. Mode of Bust-A-Move Plus!.
Bust-A-Move Universe[]
An Invader appears as the boss of the Astro-Machine level in Bust-A-Move Universe, guarding a dark blue Bubble Dragon.
Etymology[]
"Invader" is an English word referring to someone who enters a country or region in order to subjugate or occupy it. The enemy's name in question specifically originates from Space Invaders, from which the enemies that Invader is based off of originate.
