Faerie Bubbles: A Gift from the Faeries

Baelia, the Grey Faerie had her own frustrations with the game. But more on her later, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning...

Much to my surprise (and most of Neopia’s, I presume), the faeries behind this game put much of themselves into it - quite literally. Utilizing their magical powers, the water, earth, fire, light, air, and rainbow fountain faeries all came together to devise this game, representing themselves as these bubbles, being sure to express their unique personalities all the while. One fateful day, they met at the grove, all with the same goal of creating something memorable for Neopians to enjoy for years to come.

- The Air Faerie stepped up first; always the most popular, she decided that any combination in her name should surround her bubbles with friends, much like she was accustomed to living.

- The Water Faerie insisted her bubble show off her leadership skills by causing other bubbles of the same kind to follow her combo’s lead.

- The Light Faerie wanted her bubble to show dedication to making a difference by leaving a mark on others, whether it be good or bad.

- The Dark Faerie, of course, made sure her bubble embraced and encouraged individuality, even if that individuality led to complete ruin.

- The Fire Faerie, if we’re being honest, basically just wanted to drag others down with her, but her bubble ended up being one of the most useful!

- Always the follower, the Rainbow Fountain Faerie ran up, deciding that her bubble should feel included (as she always wants to feel), and would change into whatever bubble it approached.

One by one, the faeries had customised their own bubbles, reflecting their individual personalities!

Working together with their different personality bubbles, these six faeries devised puzzles to challenge players. When they completed twenty levels, they stepped back to admire their work.

Joyously proud of the game they created, the faeries thought they had covered everything. They were mostly correct; however, someone lurking in the clouds thought differently. Baelia, the Grey Faerie (remember her from before?), looked on in dismay, for once again, she had not been invited to join in the fun. “I’m just as much a faerie as the rest of them,” she sadly thought.

Her sadness quickly turned to anger, as she devised a plan to be included in the new game. First, she sneakily activated some cheats within the game (oh don't worry! They're perfectly legal! But more about those in a minute). Figuring the way to get her revenge on these faeries was for users to easily defeat their little game, these cheats served to help the players achieve this goal. As the faeries slept that night, Baelia snuck into their workshop in the grove and threw in the cheats she had worked on that day while the faeries celebrated. There were 4 in total and, as it turns out, they can either be very helpful or an absolute disaster!

- ‘Stardust’ - will get you a Nova bubble. ALWAYS useful!

- ‘Bubbles’ - all the bubbles on your screen will change to the same type of bubble. Fabulous right?! Well only sometimes; if the earth or dark faerie bubbles decide to make an appearance, then it IS okay to cry, you know.

- ‘Slumberberry’ - moves the bar back to the top of the page. For emergencies ONLY!

- ‘Faerieland’ - will get you a Rainbow Faerie bubble - particularly useful in conjunction with the ‘Bubbles’ cheat!

The next day, the faeries woke with no idea of what had happened the night before, thinking their game was in the same condition they left it. They felt no need to make any last minute checks - they were too excited for the grand release of their wonderful game! Faerie Bubbles was presented to the Neopets community, and everyone rejoiced.

Baelia did not join in the celebration, however. She was too busy sweet-talking Miles, the Draik scholar in charge of the Wheel of Knowledge. With its incredible reputation for being the source of the most desired information, she figured what better place to include her cheats! In no time at all, her cheat codes were strewn to the Neopets world, and the news spread like wildfire. Within hours, users were utilizing these codes in the game!

Seeing that it was too late to redo the game and disappoint the Neopians, the other faeries decided to let the codes be, allowing the players to use them without consequence. Seeing the error of their ways in failing to include the Grey Faerie once again, the faeries each apologized, vowing to be more mindful of how they treat her in the future.

It is, indeed, a touching story. Fast forward thirteen years to now, 2017, with me furiously playing this game that users once rejoiced over, desperately trying to achieve 2000+ points for the coveted avatar (see it below - how pretty is that?!). If there’s one thing I’ve learned since its release, it’s that the Grey Faerie was absolutely wrong in thinking her cheat codes would help me to easily beat this game (although, if I’m going to give credit where it’s due, they really do help!). In the spirit of the faeries in valuing friendship and inclusiveness, allow me to share the wisdom I have learned about this game thus far, in hopes that you and I can both master it someday.

I figure you’re probably wondering how best to use those cheats we spoke about earlier huh? Well, hopefully this handy guide will be some use!

- Level 14 - At the beginning of this level, type ‘stardust’ to create a nova bubble - another fabulous invention by the Grey Faerie herself. Aim the bubble towards the right side of the screen, which causes several bubbles to pop! Then use the rest of your shots to clear the level.

- Level 15 - At the beginning of this level, type ‘bubbles’ and then cross your fingers and toes that the bubbles don’t prefer the earth or dark faerie! If they do, press reset as you wipe your tears. If the bubbles give a nod to any of the other faeries, shout “HALLELUJAH!” and type ‘faerieland’. Clear the screen in one shot, earning yourself a hefty bonus!

- Level 19 - You’re nearly there! Try to save the ‘slumberberry’ code for this level. Take a deep breath, stay calm, and try to aim accurately, using the code if (well, usually when) the bubbles approach the bottom of the screen. If you finish level 19 with a score of 1750+, then you can finish the game when you start level 20 as you’ll earn enough for the avatar.

Personally, I also use a ruler on my screen as well to help me line up the cannon, so that my bubbles align as I intend them to. Besides these tips, this game is truly a mix of luck and skill. I’ve found that practice makes perfect, and improvement only comes to those who put in the work. Of course, I sound positive now, but you can bet I was as bitter as the Grey Faerie when I lost after earning 1974 points. Good luck with playing the game of the faerie’s personalities - they have truly made a worthy game for Neopians to enjoy!