The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Busting bubbles with Bub and Bob
Retro puzzler will take gamers back in time
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!
(PEGI 3) Switch
★★★★✩
THE colourful world of brother dragons Bubby and Bobby has been entertaining me since childhood.
They first caught my eye in the arcades in the 1980s.
I’ve always been a sucker for platformer games, and Bubble Bobble – and its sequel Rainbow Islands – swiftly became the shining lights of an arcade visit.
Fast forward to the 90s, and the games’ chirpy, chiptune music drifting from my bedroom was always a give away that I was gaming rather than studying.
The mid 90s brought a new adventure for Bub and Bob, Puzzle Bobble – or Bust-a-move as it was known over here.
First released in Japanese arcades in 1994, it debuted on home consoles a short while later and I was hooked.
The addictive game saw players clearing clusters of bubbles from an ever-descending column.
Bubbles were burst by firing a matching bubble into the cluster, clearing all surrounding bubbles of the same colour. A carefully placed bubble could wipe out whole columns, while a misplaced bubble could spell disaster.
You had to clear them all, or they’d continue to descend until you were squished. Sounds simple? Believe me, it’s not.
There have been dozens of versions of Puzzle Bobble since then, and this latest is easily one of the best. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! feels like a genuine celebration of the series – and there are a few surprising cameos in there from visiting gaming icons.
As with every Puzzle Bobble game the true gem is the story mode, a vibrant journey through several different worlds that each contain around 15 different levels to tackle.
This time though you can take three friends on your journey, as Bub and Bob, are joined by the equally adorable Peb, and Pab as they travel through Rainbow Island to help Miniroon – a mysterious character who can’t stop blowing bubbles, and is swamping the surrounding lands with them.
Clearing levels earns you stars, with a maximum of three to be earned on each one. Maxing stars on every level in a world means you can unlock extra stages to play though.
It’s not just about bursting bubbles. As you progress through the game, the levels get tougher and there are often challenges thrown at you – such as collecting bombs to blow up boxes, or destroying wooden crates to get the bubbles hidden behind them.
The game looks wonderful, bright and brilliant graphics that look fresh and modern, with the dragon brothers – now pushing 40 – having lost none of their cute charm.
If you’re after a real challenge, Baron’s Tower which sits at the centre of the map is for you. This endless stage produces an infinite amount of bubbles, the ultimate test of skill and survival.
What’s more, the mode has an online ranking system so you can compare your score with players around the world – which can’t help but bring out that competitive streak.
The cameo I mentioned previously comes about in Puzzle Bobble vs Space Invaders, which has you clearing bubbles as the iconic aliens shoot down at you.
This mode is also playable with up to three gamers in co-op, and it is a lot of fun fighting for the highest score.
For a franchise that’s been around for nearly four decades, it’s incredible how fun and relevant this still feels.
As an introduction to the series for younger gamers, this Switch exclusive is perfect, providing lively, accessible gameplay that will instantly have them hooked.
For gamers of a certain age, Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! still proves to be a huge amount of fun, with that heady tinge of nostalgia that’s always such a pleasure to let wash over you.
■ Buy it: £34.99 from nintendo.co.uk Look out in the Nintendo eshop for the reissued 16-bit version of Puzzle Bobble/ Bust-a-move at £6.99