As we reported previously, City Connection have brought a compilation of Bust A Move and Puzzle Bobble sequels( including arcade versions and Saturn “S-Tribute” versions) to modern consoles. Following its release, here’s our Puzzle Bobble & Bust A Move Switch review.
Bust A Move in Europe, Puzzle Bobble in Japan, Whatever you call it, the game remains the same. Shoot bubbles at other bubbles and get 3 the same colour together to make them pop.
While Bust A Move remains as playable as ever (and it’s probably one of the best puzzlers of the 32-bit era), the gameplay mechanic of these sequels remains mostly unchanged from the original game.
There are, however, a few bells and whistles worth taking note of, Bust A Move 2 and Puzzle Bobble 2 introduce a player vs CPU mode, which for my money is the most fun way to play the game.
Puzzle Biobble 2X even introduces a level editor (albeit in Japanese only.)
The aesthetic of Puzzle Bobble 3 and But A Move 3 is based around a Japanese arcade, which is utterly charming. The third games also make minor gameplay tweaks, such as the introduction of rainbow bubbles, which change to the colour of bubbles popped around them.
All versions of the game included in this compilation are solid and fun to play. Unless you’re a Japanese speaker or you’re really keen to try out the level editor, you’re unlikely to play the Puzzle Bobble versions much, but the thoroughness of the compilation is appreciated. Much like Hamster with their Arcade Archives, City Connection are doing a stellar job of bringing classic games to contemporary hardware, making games that were once prohibitively expensive and hard-to-find-imports available to be delivered straight to your console for a few quid.
While this is an impressively comprehensive collection, if you’re a casual fan of the series or a newcomer, you’re probably just as well buying the Arcade Archives release of Bust A Move 2, as that should provide all the Move Bustin’ that most will need.
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