How do you play Bubble Gun?

Move with WASD or the arrow keys, aim with the mouse, and left-click to fire bubbles at the cartoon enemies swarming your arena.

What is the goal in Bubble Gun?

Survive the growing swarm by popping enemies before they overwhelm you, using the drainage grates to clear space as you go.

What are the controls for Bubble Gun?

WASD or arrow keys move your character, left-click shoots a bubble toward the cursor, and dodging is handled entirely by your movement.

What happens to bubbled enemies in Bubble Gun?

They pop after taking enough hits, and their gooey remains may slide into drains, which clears room for you to keep moving.

How many enemy types are in Bubble Gun?

The jam prototype features five enemy archetypes with distinct behaviours, ranging from underwater lunges to horn sneezes.

Can I look at the source code for Bubble Gun?

Yes. Bubble Gun is open source on GitHub, so you can study how its KAPLAY.js action systems are put together.

What are the best tips for Bubble Gun?

Circle-strafe to kite enemies into your fire, burst down the toughest monsters first, and use cleared drains to reposition.

Bubble Gun

Surf slick floors, blast bubbly projectiles, and dunk cartoon monsters down the drain in this top-down survival shooter.

Gameplay overview

Jam-fueled bubble shooter

Bubble Gun was created for Global Game Jam 2025 and channels twin-stick survival classics. Guide your bubble-slinging hero around the arena, soaking enemies with charged blasts. Each foe pops after enough hits, and the gooey remains slip down drainage grates—keep dodging and shooting to survive the growing swarm.

Built with KAPLAY.js, the prototype features expressive pixel art, upbeat audio, and five enemy archetypes with unique behaviors ranging from underwater lunges to horn sneezes.

Your objective

What you are trying to achieve

Bubble Gun is a survival arena shooter: keep your bubble-slinging hero alive while soaking every enemy that swarms toward you. Enemies pop after enough hits and their remains slide down the drainage grates, so the goal is to manage the crowd and keep the arena clear for as long as possible.

Controls

From the How to Play list

Action	Input / gesture
WASD / Arrow keys	Move your character.
Left-click	Shoot a bubble toward the cursor.
Avoid	Dodge enemies and incoming projectiles.
Bubbled enemies	Pop after enough hits and may slide into drains for bonus space.

Beginner guide

Your first few minutes

Bubble Gun has just two verbs—move and shoot—so your first sessions are about learning to kite rather than stand your ground.

Move with WASD or the arrow keys and keep circling, because strafing in circles drags enemies into your bubble streams.
Aim with the mouse and left-click to fire a bubble toward the cursor.
Focus your bursts on tougher monsters before they close the distance.
Dodge incoming projectiles instead of trading hits, since the arena rewards clean movement.
Notice which enemies slide into the drains, because that frees up space to reposition.
Learn the enemy archetypes, as underwater lunges and horn sneezes behave very differently.

Advanced tips

Stay afloat

Strafe in circles to kite enemies into your bubble streams.
Focus bursts on tougher monsters before they close distance.
Use cleared drain tiles to reposition—sliding foes free up precious space.

Why play it?

Global Game Jam charm

Quick sessions packed with cute enemies and snappy bubble FX.
Accessible controls—just move and shoot—but escalating enemy variety keeps the pressure on.
Open-source code on GitHub for anyone exploring KAPLAY.js action games.

Our take

Why Bubble Gun is a playful arena shooter

Bubble Gun takes a familiar twin-stick setup and gives it a light, playful twist with soap bubbles and cartoon sea creatures instead of bullets and gore. That contrast makes the chaos feel joyful rather than harsh, especially when enemies slide into drains in a squeaky, slapstick way.

Under the cute surface, there’s still a solid survival loop: you’re constantly managing crowd distance, kiting in circles, and prioritizing targets. It’s a nice example of how jam projects can blend strong feedback with approachable theming.

Who will enjoy it?

Players who like arena shooters but prefer colourful, non-violent themes will get a lot out of Bubble Gun. If you’re after complex progression it’s intentionally compact, but for quick, upbeat sessions it’s a great pick.

Frequently asked questions

Need a quick answer?

How do you play Bubble Gun?: Move with WASD or the arrow keys, aim with the mouse, and left-click to fire bubbles at the cartoon enemies swarming your arena.
What is the goal in Bubble Gun?: Survive the growing swarm by popping enemies before they overwhelm you, using the drainage grates to clear space as you go.
What are the controls for Bubble Gun?: WASD or arrow keys move your character, left-click shoots a bubble toward the cursor, and dodging is handled entirely by your movement.
What happens to bubbled enemies in Bubble Gun?: They pop after taking enough hits, and their gooey remains may slide into drains, which clears room for you to keep moving.
How many enemy types are in Bubble Gun?: The jam prototype features five enemy archetypes with distinct behaviours, ranging from underwater lunges to horn sneezes.
Can I look at the source code for Bubble Gun?: Yes. Bubble Gun is open source on GitHub, so you can study how its KAPLAY.js action systems are put together.
What are the best tips for Bubble Gun?: Circle-strafe to kite enemies into your fire, burst down the toughest monsters first, and use cleared drains to reposition.