Deleted Stages

This is a sub-page of Proto:Bubble Symphony (Arcade)/Stages.

Legend

Prototype-Exclusive Stages#

These stages were used in the prototype but were cut from the final game.

Stage 000: Opera House
Stage Map
Stage Data
112,88
Special Bubbles
N/A

This stage, probably one of the first ever created, is fairly straightforward: There are four Pulpuls on the main stage and a single Knightron in the rafters. The most difficult part is the time limit.

Stage 011: Fish
Stage Map
Stage Data
32,128
Special Bubbles
N/A

Slightly more complex than Opera House, this stage has five Pulpuls and two Zen-chan. The hardest part is getting inside the fish.

Stage 012: Pachinko
Stage Map
Stage Data
72,120
Special Bubbles
50.00%

As the name suggests, this stage is based off of an older-style pachinko machine. There are seven Zen-chan: One in each of the "cups" in the middle, one in the drain, and two in the ball dispenser. The last one is just kinda hanging out in the upper-right corner.

The player can use the plentiful Rainbow Bubbles to hit enemies from above; this is especially useful for the Zen-chan in the cups.

Stage 064: Present For You
Stage Map
Stage Data
72,152
Special Bubbles
N/A

Some present. This stage is similar to Stage 44 in the original Bubble Bobble, only with one fewer Hidegons and an additional floating platform. These hyped-up Hidegons have a +3 speed modifier and don't stay in their bubbles for long, so it's best to deal with them individually or in small groups.

"K.K" may be either Kunio Kuzukawa, credited as a software designer in the final game, or Katsumi Kaneoka, credited under hardware.

Of the six boss stages in the prototype, only two made it into the final game. In the prototype, stage 091 is used as Round C-10, 092 is Round E-10, 094 is Round B-10, and stage 098 is Round F-10.

Unused Stages#

Complete Stages#

The following 14 stages are more-or-less finished but aren't included in any of the prototype worlds:

A fairly straightforward stage not modeled after anything in particular. There are two Mightas and a Monsta on either side. Not much else to say.

One of three unused stages with a proper name, this is a cat...'s head! Unfortunately, this cat has come down with a bad case of Monstas bouncing around and ricocheting off its eyes, whiskers, ears, nose, and mouth.

This stage is designed after a Ferris wheel, with five Hidegons already riding and four waiting to ride the wheel. Thunder bubbles help the player to defeat the Hidegons trapped in the Ferris wheel's cabins.

The level in this slot in the final game is Stage H-1: Piston Rod.

The player will have to deal with four Hidegons and a single Magician in this bespectacled stage. The Hidegons are in the temples of the glasses and can be dealt with from below, but the Magician is on the guy's nose and requires a careful drop from above.

No prizes for guessing what this stage is modeled after. Four of the Pulpuls spawn out of the cup, but two Pulpuls quickly make their way into the trophy's handles. The best way to deal with those is by dropping a Rainbow Bubble on 'em.

Enemy showcase stages with terrain based on that enemy were a common sight in the original Bubble Bobble, particularly the NES port. Specifically, stage 24 of the NES version is also modeled after and populated by the Pulpul enemy. Bubble Symphony's take on that stage uses different, asymmetrical art for the Pulpul, adds another Pulpul to the mix, and knocks two holes in the floor and ceiling.

As the large "DORA" blocks suggest, this is a showcase for the Dorabos, with three Banebous thrown in for good measure. The most difficult part of this stage is exiting either entrance area, which, due to the way the air flows, requires precise bubble placement in a very tight space repeated multiple times.

This stage's terrain is a crude drawing of a bubble dragon blowing a bubble. Six of the eight original Bubble Bobble enemies are present here: While the lack of a Drunk is understandable, considering their code is incomplete, Hidegons' exclusion is a little peculiar.

Standard bubble jumping stage. Two Uni Bos and two Jesters are on the left and right sides of the stage's structure. This is another stage with a proper name, though what "Main" is referring to is unclear.

Nine enemies here: Six Zen-chan (Three on either side), two Monstas, and a Dorabo in the middle. If the Zen-chans fall into the pit, they'll reappear in the cubbies on top of the screen, where they'll be much harder to defeat. It's best to trap as many of them as possible before this happens.

A stage populated entirely by Knightrons. Gaining access to the main stage requires jumping into one of the pits. Knightrons patrol the uppermost platforms, so getting in without dying requires either precise timing or waiting for a Rainbow Bubble to bounce on.

A deceptively annoying stage. The Pulpuls are easy to deal with, and the two Zen-chans on the far left and right sides can be defeated from below, but the Banebous require falling into their pits with exact timing. Doing this while they're enraged is difficult and the stage has a pretty low time limit, so it's best to defeat them before taking on the Zen-chans.

Seven Banebous and two Pulpuls are snugly fit into the stage's five containers, including the two frosty mugs of nothing at the bottom. While said containers are a little snug, the player doesn't have to go into any of them - the plentiful Thunder Bubble spawns makes all nine enemies easy pickings.

There are two stages named "Jumping Stage" in the prototype. The first is used as Stage A-2 and was renamed "Step Cabinet" in the final version, while this one, the second one, was scrapped. This is actually an alternate version of a stage that was unused in the prototype but was later used in the final version: "Narrow Staircase". The platforms in this version are spaced further apart, and the platform at the top was split in two.

The level in this slot in the final game is Stage C-1: Honeycomb.

Unfinished Stages#

The following stages have complete layouts but use placeholder stats for stage data...

...and for enemy placement:

Stages 008, 048, 058, and 078 use Set 2; all other stage use Set 1.

Stage 005: Jewely Storage	Stage 007: Food Storage	Stage 008: Shunned Cavern
Stage 009: Locked Room	Stage 014: Kitchen	Stage 024: Adepts Room
Theme: Clown face.	Theme: Fiddler crab.	Replaced by Stage F-8: Hide Talisman.
Stage 025: Large Hall	Stage 027: Party Room	Stage 029: Colosseum
Theme: The human mouth.	Replaced by Stage E-3: Zone-V.	Theme: Light bulbs.
Stage 035: Inviolate Area	Stage 039: Sacred Chamber	Stage 041: Specter Cell
	Theme: Taiyaki, or maybe a submarine.
Stage 044: Chantry	Stage 046: Intricate Path	Stage 048: Private Alter
Theme: Train locomotive.	Theme: Dolphins.	Replaced by Stage E-8: Zone-L.
Stage 049: Goblins Lair	Stage 050: Passway	Stage 052: Forgotten Room
Theme: Four-way intersection. Replaced by Stage G-2: Gelidium Jelly.
Stage 053: Trophy Room	Stage 058: Boudoir	Stage 078: Administration
Theme: Mountain top.	Theme: Questionable mathematics.	Theme: Silver Hawk ship from the Darius series.
Stage 079: Secret Corridor	Stage 081: Laboratory	Stage 083: Weapon Storage
Replaced by Stage G-9: Watchtower.	Theme: Eighth notes. Replaced by Stage C-3: Waterwheel.	Theme: Angry face.

Stages 001, 002, and 003 are outliers: They use placeholder stage data, but have their own sets of enemies. However, the position data of these enemies uses an older format dating back to the original Bubble Bobble:

• In the older format, the X and Y coordinates in the ROM would be multiplied by 8 prior to placement.
• In the newer format, the X coordinate is multiplied by 2 and the Y coordinate is used as-is.

For instance, position data of 100E would be calculated as (128,112) in the old system, and (32,14) in the new system. The low values that the new system generates result in the game placing all of the enemies in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Stage 001: Druagas Grave
Stage Map

This blank room is less of a stage and more of a place to test out the movement patterns of flying enemies. Maybe bubbles, too.

Stage 002: Observatory
Stage Map

This is an early version of the also unused Stage 007, Food Storage. The platforms in this version have more equal vertical spacing but are spaced further apart horizontally, and the platforms on the second and third tiers are shorter. Air flow data in this and the following stage only consists of upward currents.

The level in this slot in the final game is Stage O-4: Tree Hollow.

Stage 003: Treasure Storage
Stage Map

An earlier version of Stage 083. The only differences in layout are the air flow paths and the eyebrows drooping down one tile lower. Six Pulpuls fly around and make a mess of things while a Monsta patrols and a Zen-chan ambles along.

The level in this slot in the final game is Stage P-2: Wall Painting.