The Puzzle Bobble series has had so many entries it makes your head spin. But Everybubble is possibly the finest yet – simply because it sticks to the basics and does those very very well. In terms of gameplay it’s …
The Puzzle Bobble series has had so many entries it makes your head spin. But Everybubble is possibly the finest yet – simply because it sticks to the basics and does those very very well.
In terms of gameplay it’s as simple as it gets – at least at first glance. You control a cannon which fires off single bubbles, and have to aim them upwards into a well containing other bubbles. Once you match up at least three of the same colour they disappear.Â
You can bounce the bubble off the sides of the well – but once a whole bubble crosses the dotted line at the bottom of the screen it’s game over.
The game is split into three modes, and they all follow these core rules – with some minor tweaks.Â
By far the most interesting is the campaign mode, which sees you trying to complete set objectives – such as clearing the entire well or popping specific bubbles. There are numerous unique types of bubbles, power ups, and traps – such as ones that turn a specific colour when touched, or bombs that clear a huge part of the well once hit.
There are so many different variations it can become a little dizzying, but things never get dull. Some levels act more like puzzles and others are more fast paced tests of your reactions.
What does get dull, and fast, are the cutscenes explaining the ‘plot’ – which are poorly translated but are fortunately easily skippable. Sadly this element does seep into the game in the form of the often ear scrunchingly annoying voice clips from the characters however.
Fortunately it’s not enough to make Everybubble’s core gameplay loop any less entrancing. Puzzle Bobble has always had rock solid mechanics and this builds on those in a way that is never overly obtuse or frustrating.
The other modes included are also interesting, including a charming Space Invaders variant and the expected versus options.
What makes all of this better is the fact you can play them solo or with up to three other people locally. All the campaign’s levels are redesigned to fit the extra players too, which makes the amount of content here quite impressive if you play with and without friends.
Ultimately we don’t think Everybubble does much wrong, and is an essential purchase whether you’ve played a Puzzle Bobble game before or not.
