Barubi (バルビ) is a marble-like entity who serves as an aquatic final boss in two Sonic Wings games.
Description[]
Barubi is spherical, appearing as either fuchsia or blue. It hovers over an undersea column and dispatches similar, smaller spheres.
Sonic Wings Special[]
Stage: Bermuda Triangle
Barubi is one of six possible final bosses in the game, and one of two possible bosses of the Bermuda Triangle along with the far rarer Manbou. Barubi floats above its column spinning and detaching smaller spheres to attack. The first spheres are about the size of the player's aircraft and are easily deflected by artillery fire. After taking some damage, the column breaks off, and Barubi sends out much smaller spheres which surround the player's plane and are actually more dangerous than the larger ones.
If Barubi is not defeated, the player receives a textless ending in which an Inufuku wanders across the screen.
Sonic Wings Special for Android[]
Barubi is the sole final boss and behaves as it does in the original game.
Inspiration[]
Barubi is referred to as "Balbi" and "Varbi" in the data for Sonic Wings Special. All three names are valid romanizations of the katakana バルビ.
Barubi is likely named for the recurring sand flea enemy Baruhi/Barubi Deka in the Darius series. Aside from the name, the two seem to have little in common.
Barubi could possibly be inspired by a crystal sphere allegedly discovered in 1968 by Ray Brown within a pyramid-like structure near the Bahamas.[1] Although the crystal pyramid has been proven a hoax,[2] photos purported to be of the sphere show a clear crystal ball about the size of a tennis ball. It contains fractures which supposedly produce images of pyramids and a human eye within the crystal.
