Puzzle Bobble (or Bust-A-Move to all my UK brethren) is classic arcade franchise that has been around since the 90s. Now Taito has teamed up with ININ Games and bestowed upon the world a brand new entry in the series. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is out now on Nintendo Switch and I can safely say it's probably the best Puzzle Bobble game I have ever played!
The Story of Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! brings Bub, Bob, Peb and Pab to Rainbow Islands, where Miniroon, a mysterious character similar to Bub, lives. One day, Miniroon suddenly starts blowing bubbles, covering the whole island in them and causing problems for its residents. It's time for our four friendly bubble dragons to step in and help Miniroon stop his bubble blowing blunders! The story is silly and fun and will keep you entertained throughout.
If you have ever played a Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move) game before you will instantly feel at home with the gameplay on offer here. You fire your bubbles from the bottom of the screen, upwards towards a clump of bubbles above. Simply match three balloons of the same colour to remove them from the screen, it's a simple gameplay loop, but it's highly enjoyable and not always as straightforward as it seems.
Whilst the gameplay is familiar, there have been multiple improvements made compared to the classics. You can now retain a variety of special bubbles that you can use at the perfect time during stages, and it appears that the bubbles slowly descend based on the time left instead of based on every time you take a move.
There are also multiple modes on offer, Story mode is here, and this time you can play through it with upto 4 friends for the first time in the franchise. There are numerous areas to play through in story mode, each including 15 stages and 10 EX stages which are optional for the more hardcore players.
Of course Puzzle Bobble wouldn't be complete without a great VS mode either. Take part in local matches or play online to test your mettle in 1 on 1 or 2 vs 2 modes. It's alot of fun, like always, but they really missed a trick by not allowing 4 players to compete against each other in a single game! There is also an unlockable survival mode for those looking for a greater challenge. Lastly there is also a special Puzzle Bobble VS Space Invaders game mode that has been included to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Space Invaders release. This mode see's you working together to stop the aliens advance. You can throw your bubbles to block their attacks and block them in. It's a really fun mode to play with others and is a nice break from the more standard Puzzle Bobble gameplay loop. Graphically the game looks great too, with bright, colourful graphics popping from the screen. The load times are also quick so there isn't much waiting around between games. Audio wise the game features so nice tracks but it's nothing memorable compared to the classics.
While the Puzzle Bobble franchise has failed to hold up to the first few games released in the franchise, I'm pleased to say Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! really feels like a great new addition to the franchise, one that I would highly recommend. The gameplay is enjoyable across the variety of game modes on offer and the addition of four players in the story mode gives you a reason to get your friends involved!
TOTAL SCORE: 8/10
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! was released onto the Nintendo eShop on 23rd May 2023. The game is priced at £34.99 and can be purchased HERE.
A copy of the game was provided for this review. A huge thanks for that.
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