Product Info

Platform

Switch

Publisher

ININ Games

Developer

Taito

Series

Puzzle Bobble

Genre

Adventure, Arcade, Multiplayer, Puzzle

Players

1-4

File Size (Minimum)

1.7 GB

Release Date (NA)

May 23, 2023

Purchase From

eShop

Puzzle Bobble, also known as Bust-a-Move, is a puzzle game where you aim and shoot to pop bubbles to clear a stage. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is the latest puzzle game that has charm, addicting gameplay and options for players to enjoy.

Pop Those Bubbles!

The story in Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! revolves around a mishap with the Miniroons. Miniroons look like miniature Bubble Dragons, but they can’t blow bubbles. Drunk, a devious wizard, gives the Miniroons a potion with the power to mimic their heroes. After drinking it, they can now blow bubbles, but things go out of control. The Miniroons overflow Rainbow Island with bubbles, causing havoc and chaos. The Bubble Dragons jump in to stop the madness and pop those darn bubbles before things get worse.

It’s not a compelling story, but it explains why players are popping bubbles this time. Besides, the dialogue and cutscenes make it charming, and there’s a little fourth-wall breaking for fun, too.

Testing Your Bubble Skills

Those who are new to Puzzle Bobble will have their billiards skills tested. Players will aim with the left stick and shoot their colored bubble off the walls and ceiling. Link three bubbles of the same color to pop them. Finish popping specific bubbles, or clear them all within the time limit or before the stacked bubbles go below the “Danger Line”.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there’s more to it. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! throws in a few quirks to challenge your popping skills. There are paint bubbles where hitting them can spray nearby bubbles a specific color based on what’s inside the bubble being popped. There are also bombs that can be hit that blow up nearby bubbles. One of the more annoying bubbles in the game is the “Change Bubble”, which changes color every one second until it pops. You have to time your throw to pop these bubbles quickly. You can also capture these power items by detaching them to save in your lineup by clearing bubbles around it. Only one power item can be saved until used, however.

Additionally, there are crates and other objects that stand in your way from popping those bubbles. You’ll have to aim and problem-solve to get around these obstacles to clear the stage. Changing up the game’s mechanics works well and provides enough entertainment to keep players popping bubbles for hours.

Different Ways to Pop

The “Story Mode” is an excellent starting point for newcomers to understand the game’s mechanics. You can earn up to three stars, depending on how quickly you clear the stage. You can also play a more difficult version of stages called the EX Stages, but doing so requires you to earn three stars on all puzzle challenges on that level. That’s not always easy to do. Having the EX version of a stage unlock when you get three stars on each individual level would be more accessible. Anyway, up to four players can play together in the Story Mode locally. Unfortunately, online multiplayer is not available here.

Players can also play in various ways in “VS Mode”. You play two-vs-two or one-vs-one in local or online multiplayer. When playing against the computer, it seems that their difficulty is quite high for normal mode, but otherwise it’s a fun challenge. As you play, your goal is to make the opposing team lose by pushing their bubbles and other overflowing objects over the Danger Line. To do so, pop as many bubbles as you can on your side and create combos that’ll spill into your opponent’s field.

Baron’s Tower is available after completing the first level in the Story Mode. Located in the center of the map, players can compete in an endless mode of bubble popping fun. The mechanics are the same; the bubbles slowly drop down towards the Danger Line. Depending on how you score will give you a rank that’s based on records worldwide.

In “Puzzle Bobble vs Space Invaders”, the gameplay is a mixture of both popular titles in one. Like Space Invaders, objects will move horizontally and down while shooting projectile lasers that will stun your Bubble Dragon avatar. Up to four players can play as you throw colored bubbles up to make a three chain to pop them. Clear all items before they reach the Danger Line to proceed to the next level. Once you fail, you’ll start all over. The game does have some challenging parts and playing with others requires a lot of teamwork to take down the invaders and their bubbles. When you feel like you’ve made an error and want to restart or even quit the minigame, there’s no option for that. Instead, you will have to lose on purpose. It’s weird: there should be an option to at least quit the game.

Colorful World of Bubbles

The world of Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is colorful and vibrant, and each level is uniquely different with new characters, music, and bubble problems. Moreover, completing a level gives you additional avatars to play as, like the Chack’n. The music is whimsical and fun, too. When you are in the danger zone, where it seems like you’ll get knocked out, the music swaps to a frantic tune that puts more pressure on you, but it still matches the overall aural aesthetic of the game. It’s a cutesy, happy looking and sounding game perfect for all ages. Plus, it plays just as well in handheld mode as it does on a TV. Unfortunately there’s no touch screen capabilities with this title. Nevertheless, choose whatever is more comfortable for you.

It’s All Rainbows and No Unicorns

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is an addictive puzzle game that anyone can play. There are plenty of play options and enough challenges to test the more skilled Bubble Dragons out there. While it has some missing pieces, it’s still bubble-popping fun for all. Time to pop some bubbles!

A Nintendo Switch code provided for this review. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is available for the Nintendo Switch on the Nintendo eShop.