Article

Pop'n TwinBee Rainbow Bell Adventures is retro platforming chaos

22 June 2026

A kid friendly AxelGamer look at Pop'n TwinBee Rainbow Bell Adventures, the colourful Konami platform game with bells, flying heroes, bright stages, and proper retro chaos.

I have been checking out Pop’n TwinBee Rainbow Bell Adventures, and it is one of those retro games that looks cute at first, then suddenly starts going totally wild. It is a Konami game from 1994 for the Super Nintendo family, and it takes TwinBee away from the usual shooting game idea into a side scrolling platform adventure. That already makes it interesting, because it feels like the same bright world has been tipped sideways and turned into a running, jumping, bell chasing playground.

The first thing I noticed is how colourful everything is. Some old games look a bit muddy now, but this one still has heaps of bright clouds, soft backgrounds, funny enemies, and shiny bells floating around. It does not try to look scary or serious. It looks like a Saturday morning cartoon where everyone is flying around with tiny wings and getting into trouble. That makes it feel really friendly, even when the level design starts being tricky.

TwinBee and the other flying heroes are cool because they do not move exactly like normal platform characters. They can jump, float, and shoot, which makes the game feel different from something like Mario or Kirby. You are not just stomping on things. You are trying to stay in the air, grab bells, avoid silly enemies, and work out where the stage wants you to go. Sometimes I like games more when they feel a bit weird, because it means you have to learn their own rules instead of playing on autopilot.

The bell collecting is probably the most TwinBee thing about it. Bells are not just decorations. They make the screen feel busy and tempting, because you always want to grab one more thing before moving on. That is also how games trick me into making bad decisions. I will see a bell in a risky spot and think I can totally reach it, then I bonk into an enemy or fall somewhere silly. It is annoying, but in the funny retro way where you laugh and try again.

What makes Rainbow Bell Adventures fun for a kid channel like AxelGamer is that it is easy to understand but still has skill. You can look at it and get the idea straight away. Run across the stage, collect things, fight enemies, find the goal. But actually doing it neatly is much harder. The floating movement can make you overshoot platforms if you rush. Some enemies appear in awkward places. There are moments where the screen feels packed with stuff, and you have to stay calm instead of just pressing every button.

I also like that it is connected to arcade style games but does not feel exactly like one. Older TwinBee games were more about flying upward and shooting through waves of enemies. Rainbow Bell Adventures is a platformer, so it gives you more time to explore the stage and notice the world. It still has that arcade energy though. The colours are loud, the sounds are cheerful, and everything feels like it wants you to keep moving. It is not a slow game where you walk around reading heaps of text.

Because it came from the Super Nintendo era, the game has a different vibe from modern platformers. Modern games often explain everything with tutorials, menus, markers, and pop ups. This one feels more like it says, here is the level, now figure it out. I actually enjoy that when I am in the mood. It can be less polished, but it also feels more like discovering a toy box. You mess around, fail a bit, learn a trick, then suddenly a stage that looked confusing starts making sense.

I would not say it is the easiest retro game ever. The movement can feel slippery if you are used to newer games, and some parts need patience. But it is not mean in a grim way. It is cheerful chaos. Even when something goes wrong, the game still looks so happy that it is hard to stay mad for long. It is the sort of game where younger players can enjoy the colours and silly action, while older players can enjoy learning the strange platforming physics.

The best part for me is how different it feels from the games I usually play. It is not Minecraft building, Roblox exploring, or Plants vs Zombies battles. It is a colourful Konami adventure about flying characters, bells, bright levels, and old school platforming tricks. That makes it a nice change for AxelGamer, especially because retro games can show how many strange ideas gaming already had years ago.

If you like Kirby because it is colourful, or Star Fox because it has proper retro energy, Pop’n TwinBee Rainbow Bell Adventures is worth a look. It feels cute, chaotic, and clever all at once. I like games that make me say what is even happening, then make me want another go straight after. This one does that really well. It is not just a random old game. It is a reminder that retro platformers can still feel fresh when they have their own personality.