Price: £34.99 eShop (Limited Edition physical live £45) (copy provided for review)
Developer: Taito/ININ
Publisher: Strictly Limited
Players: 1-4
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Puzzle Bobble is a timeless classic up there with Tetris, something I'm always happy to boot up for a gentle dose of puzzling (the SNK emulated version for preference). The original was so good, there hasn't been much need for an upgrade, although there have been plenty of variants over the years.
Taito continues to breathe fire into the cute dragons Bub and Bobs' output, after Bubble Bobble 4 Friends hit the Switch a couple of years ago, also developed by ININ. Now, Bust-A-Move, as it was also known, gets a dusting off as a Switch exclusive.
The HD visuals are pin sharp, the multiplayer modes and online leader boards add to the challenge, but at the end of day, this is a tightly-focused delight where popping the matching coloured balloons is key. Get four in a row and off they pop, but you need to angle your shots to avoid other bubbles, and maximize a score by cleaning out large quantities of bubbles with one well-placed shot.
Take a Trip With Puzzle Bobble
The further you play in the adventure mode, the trickier things become with more colours, bonuses and traps to vary the gameplay and make you think a bit more while trying to beat the Switch opponent. It only takes a mistake or misfire or two and it is easy to get into trouble, desperately cycling bubbles for the one that will get out of a mess.
But once you get into a rhythm, worldly distractions vanish as the bubbles bounce off the walls and slot into perfect placement, with everything feeling like very trance-like. And the cast of mini-dragons have a range of suitably trippy accessories to jazz up their on-stage presence.
Alongside the multiplayer modes, there's a Baron's Tower endless mode, and a Space Invaders variant to offer something a little fresh, but doesn't grab as a must-play. But overall, there's plenty on offer here, doing Taito's original proud.
Playing against the Switch can suck some of the fun out of Puzzle Bobble EveryBubble, as the CPU opponents vary between too dumb and too smart, and the level progression can also feel inconsistent.
But any venture across the pastel delights of Rainbow Island is a worthy one, and if you haven't enjoyed Puzzle Bobble in any of its previous forms, this is a must, especially if you have a family to play with.
Score 4/5
