I freaking love Puzzle Bobble.  It’s one of my top three favorite puzzle games, right on up there with Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and plain ol’ Tetris.  It’s actually a spin-off of the arcade classic Bubble Bobble, but this is one case where the spin-off ended up being more popular than the original game it was based on!  The series was originally called Bust-A-Move in the US, but I’m so glad they changed it back recently because I hated that name.  Puzzle Bobble just makes more sense.  Also, this is one type of game that gets heavily imitated on cell phone devices.  I bet Taito wished they would’ve gotten some kind of stricter patent or something (not sure how that works), but their game isn’t entirely original itself either.  Anyway, the newest game in the series: Puzzle Bobble Everybubble is now available on Switch!

If you’re not familiar on how to play, the concept is simple.  You aim an arrow at the bottom of the screen and fire bubbles upward.  When three or more of the same color connect, they pop.  Depending on the level, you may need to pop a certain number of bubbles, clear the board, or do so in a time limit.  The game is over when the bubbles reach the bottom of the screen.  Certain bubbles have powers and properties that do different things when hit.  If you clear a color that connects to a cluster below it, you may make them drop for more points.  New to the series is the ability to make power-up bubbles drop so you can save them for later.  And that’s the basic gist of it.

There are three main modes in the Switch game.  Story Mode has you progressing through levels one by one.  Hidden in this mode is Baron’s Tower, which is pretty much like an endless mode where you pop bubbles until they reach the bottom.  In this mode you can also post your scores to an online leaderboard and unlock harder difficulties.  The next mode is Vs. Mode, where you can challenge a CPU player or up to three other local players to a match.  And finally is a really cool new mode for the 45^th anniversary of Space Invaders.  Yes, the same folks who made Puzzle Bubble also did Space Invaders.  Taito is just plain cool.  Anyway, in Puzzle Bubble Vs. Space Invaders, they mix the gameplay of both titles so you move left and right and fire bubbles upward to match colors to make them disappear, all the while the bubbles are inching closer to you in Space Invader fashion.  Aliens in bubbles can fire at you, and if you get hit you’ll be stunned for a bit.  All of these modes can be done with up to four players.

The game does have a few problems.  I think it could’ve used more modes or fleshed out the ones they have.  For instance, instead of having you compete against one CPU player at a time in Vs. Mode, how about they let you compete a bunch in a row?  Also in Story Mode, the stages get really TOUGH very quick!  You have to really master this game to finish them.  And finally, the game feels more multiplayer centric.  Like in the Space Invaders mode, it’s nearly impossible to finish a stage with one player.  But otherwise, I still love this game.  It pulled me away from Tears of the Kingdom for a bit, so that’s saying something.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  You’re just popping colored bubbles.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may need help with the tougher puzzles and levels.  Puzzle Bobble Everybubble is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews