Puzzle Bobble / Bust A Move (1994)

Game: Puzzle Bobble

Release Year: 1994

Time to complete: 1hr
Played on: Neo Geo CD

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Presentation: 8

Difficulty: 5

Fun: 7

Rating on a 1-10 scale

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You would have to have been living under a rock, raised by wolves, or (insert phrase here) to have missed this one. Versions of "Puzzle Bobble" or "Bust A Move" landed on pretty much every console in existence from 1995 to 2001. Interestingly enough, the Neo Geo has the distinction of being home to the very first version of Puzzle Bobble (if you don't count a limited Japanese JAMMA release entitled "Bubble Buster"). The thing that surprises me most about this title is that Taito, the publisher, was not in the habit of supporting the Neo Geo. Also odd is that it was only released on the MVS and CD hardware with no AES version. 

Any how, it's a good time to be had breaking bubbles. Gameplay takes a reverse approach to most puzzle games of the era by shooting bubbles up the screen to create groups of matching bubbles. Once a group of 3 or more is made, they pop and you can get to the bubbles above, with the ultimate goal being to clear the board. Its really a very nice tie-in to the Bubble Bobble franchise gameplay unlike Dr. Mario and Dr. Robotinic, that had essentially nothing to do with the action games from which they were spawned.

The game has nice crisp graphics, sounds, and animations, that do a nice job of maintaining the charm of the Bubble Bobble world. There are two modes of play available on the CD version (I assume the same is true on the MVS release). The first is a standard 2 player side by side mode that lets you take on a friend, or in my case my lovely wife, and dump bubbles on their side when you break a large chain of bubbles on yours. The second way to play is in a single player, 30 level mode, where each board is constructed in a different pattern of bubbles. It's not the most difficult thing to play through, and is fairly enjoyable, but, as with most games in the genre, the real fun lies in the the 2 player mode.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this game, but it does lack some of the intensity of Magical Drop and the mechanics of Tetris. Overall a fun ride, but does feel a bit dated 18 years later.