Ever since I first encountered Puzzle Bobble in a small-town movie theater arcade, I’ve been hooked on its cute presentation and addictive bubble-busting game. I originally knew it as a weird international title called “Bust-a-Move”, but the various works of Puzzle Bobble have spanned almost every Nintendo platform, from the SNES and N64 to his GBA and 3DS. was His latest game, Puzzle Bobble EveryBubble, features over 700 stages, several competitive multiplayer modes, and a Space Invaders crossover mini-game, plus a story mode with his four-player co-op. Added. The result is a robust package that serves both seasoned and amateur puzzlers alike.
The world and characters of Puzzle Bobble come from Taito-developed Bubble Bobble, which appeared in arcades in 1986 and on the NES in 1988. Coincidentally, the puzzle spin-off became more popular than the single-screen arcade his platformer. The premise of EveryBubble is that a tiny dragon named Minirune was given the ability to blow infinite bubbles, resulting in a bubble-filled arena in the Rainbow Islands. It’s up to the Star of Puzzle Bobble, Bubb, Bob, Peb and Pub. Allow your neighbors to clean up different areas of the map by bursting bubbles in the distinctive way of Puzzle Bobble.
The basic gameplay revolves around lining up vertical or ricocheting shots using the bubble cannon at the bottom of the screen to clear bubbles at the top of the screen. Shoot 3 or more bubbles of the same color from the cannon and he will shoot one at a time and the bubbles will pop and fall off the screen. It works well in that the early levels teach the basics and later levels introduce new mechanics and bubble types that are employed in terrifyingly tricky ways, but overall the difficulty curve slopes nicely. I’m here. Eventually, you’ll start encountering bombs, paintballs, rocks, crates, and other elements, so you’ll have to not only aim accurately, but also strategize in what order you’ll clear the bubble stacks.
Each of the 8 regions on the Overworld map contains 15 regular stages and 15 EX stages. Within these stages, you can earn up to 3 stars depending on how fast you complete them. Time limits for 1-, 2-, and 3-star ratings are displayed before the level starts. To unlock the more challenging EX version, he needs to earn a 3-star rating in every regular stage within a given region, but after finishing the first few areas, this is not an easy task. What makes Puzzle Bobble EveryBubble unique is that you can have up to 4 total players in each level, including a combination of human players and computers. The most interesting thing is that the stage dimensions and bubble placement change depending on the number of players. This means different experiences depending on the size of your group.
While story mode cutscenes are mostly window dressing, there are a few other ways to pop the bubble. The Baron’s Tower in the center of the world map offers high score challenges with unlockable difficulty levels and online leaderboards. In the VS section, you have the option to play online against random global opponents (with a rating system), or you can play against specific opponents using a password system. Local play has 1v1 and 2v2 options, allowing you to choose any of the characters you unlocked in story mode. Another addition is called Puzzle Bobble vs Space Invaders and you guessed it. It is also possible to play with up to 4 people. Oddly enough, there’s no leaderboards or keeping high scores, so it’s a bit of a distraction from the standard Puzzle Bobble fun.
In the Memory Album section of the main menu, you can see unlocked characters and allies, and listen to some of the open music tracks. The soundtrack is generally pleasant, though some of the high-pitched sound effects feel more jarring than cute. The colorful worlds, characters and bubbles make for a vivid visual experience, though there is some stutter between screen transitions.
Puzzle Bobble EveryBubble emphasizes cooperative multiplayer, but that doesn’t detract from its value as a solo experience. The variety of levels and mechanics makes each stage feel like its own puzzle, and the unlockable EX stages offer a mighty challenge for such. I wholeheartedly recommend it, especially considering the amount of content within the story mode and how EveryBubble scales based on player count. You could use a few more options in VS mode, or use extra features in the main menu, but overall, this is a puzzle game worth transitioning to.
