Paul RobertsMay 22, 2023Maxi Geek Review, Puzzle Bubble Everybubble, Taito, Switch, ININ GamesComment

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! - Review

Paul RobertsMay 22, 2023Maxi Geek Review, Puzzle Bubble Everybubble, Taito, Switch, ININ GamesComment

With the original arcade versions of Puzzle Bobble available in the Switch eShop and even a port of the Sega Saturn versions, I hadn’t realised that we hadn’t gotten a new Puzzle Bobble game on the Switch. And just like that, Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! was announced, and I’m not going to complain about there being more. Time to see if this new entry in the series has what it takes to bust some bubbles.

Long-time Dragons and bubble blowers..and bubble poppers Bub and Bob are joined by their friends Peb and Pab on an adventure on Rainbow Island. The Island is home to a bunch of little dragons that can’t blow bubbles called Miniroons. A mysterious figure offers them a wish; they of course want to be able to blow bubbles. Not only is their wish granted, but Rainbow Island has also become completely overwhelmed with bubbles. Fortunately, our main dragons can bust a move and pop bubbles, so it’s up to them to save the inhabitants of the island and help the Miniroons to stop with the bubbles.

It’s not a deep story by any means, but what is there is cute and keeps the game from just being puzzle after puzzle. Each new area has short funny conversations with Puzzle Bobble characters as the roster grows for the VS/Online mode, and you can unlock some cute costumes along the way.

Each area holds 15 levels, with a few different special type bubbles or obstacles introduced with each area. Usually there’s at least one level per new feature where it’s more about introducing how it works, with the difficulty ramping up not long after. I get why the easier levels are there, you don’t want new players getting stuck, but also the difficulty can spike at times. Be prepared to see the retry screen a bit. You even get the option of an assist mode, as long as you’re willing to be instantly marked with a one-star score.

The different types of special bubbles tend to come and go across the levels. This is the same for the obstacles, with indestructible rocks, wooden crates and an obstacle that can only be removed by popping all the bubbles touching it. Some special bubbles and obstacles thankfully come and go, only to pop up sparingly, I say thankfully because they tend to bring progress to a halt with a sharp difficulty spike. Overall, Everybubble does a good job at juggling the right amount of special bubbles to combine as you get further into the story.

Everybubble introduces co-op for up to 4 players, which I believe is for the first time in the series. This goes for all the modes, and if you don’t have 3 other people around you can also chuck in CPU players to join in. All four players get their part of the playing field, and in co-op you can interact with the entire playfield to help each other out to clear the ever-descending level.

Once I started delving into the co-op mode with the CPU in the story, I realised that it effectively offers a new puzzle board. While single-player offers the usual sized playfield, having the other 3 fills out the screen. This results in the bubble placement needing to fill in more space and offer more obstacles, changing up the level with the added challenge of having to work together to clear the whole screen.

When using CPU players to help fill out the ranks I found them to be pretty effective with popping bubbles and firing off the odd bubble to help clear some of my area. Initially, I tried it out by having a helping hand with managing the really tough levels, only for it to mix the level up a bit and ultimately changed the dynamic of the level.

Playing alongside other people gives you the benefit of being able to tell each other what you’re going to do, whereas the CPU will just go full steam ahead. Usually, it’s helpful when they help clear some of your field just as you can help any stragglers. Although I found the furthest CPU often being the one to fall behind, which made it harder or near impossible to help them out. There were a handful of levels where other players leaping in clear bubbles would muck up the very specific actions the puzzle demanded to win the level, either requiring human players to coordinate or to tackle in solo play.

After getting into the co-op mode I realised I preferred it to tackling the levels solo, the chaos and larger fields to overcome really gives it energy. Not only does the co-op mode effectively change up the level enough it’s almost a new level, giving you more value and that’s not including the EX levels. Should you nab the three-star rank by clearing the level fast enough for every bunch of levels you unlock the tougher EX levels for that area. Unlocking these levels not only gives you something to aim for, but adds even more levels to play for those who want the challenge.

Early on you can unlock Baron’s Tower which serves as more of an endurance stage, with an ever-moving play space with more to unlock as you aim for higher scores. If you want to put your skills to the test and aim for the highest score it is an area you’ll find yourself returning to.

Alongside the story and the tower, included in the game is a mash-up collaboration of Puzzle Bobble vs Space Invaders. This isn’t a collaboration I would’ve pictured happening, but after seeing how it works it’s definitely fitting. Instead of the usual Puzzle Bobble playfield, you have a screen full of space invader bubbles. You need to clear them all while they slowly make their way down the screen. Getting hit by their lasers will stop you for a little bit.

The other change is instead of controlling the direction of bubbles, you’re moving your Dino left or right whilst only firing directly upwards. It’s a fun addition, and to get the most out of it you’ll want to add in CPU or your friends to give yourself the best chances of winning.

Finally, we come to the other mode which is VS, which is head to head, or head to head to head to head depending on how many players you want. VS is of course where it is player vs player to clear as much of their play area as possible, dumping a heap of bubbles in the opposition's field as each frantically pops as many bubbles as possible. VS can be played online or locally. As of pre-launch I had no luck landing an online match which unfortunately means I can’t speak to how well or how badly it plays, it does seem straightforward in searching for other opponents. If you don’t have any luck finding a player locally or online you can also chuck in CPU players at varying difficulties to keep you playing VS as long as you want. You can even have 2 on 2 matches if you want to change it up, I never felt like I was left wanting for more to do in Everybubble.

A long-running series like this is always placed in an unenviable position of needing to be approachable by new players as well as offering something more challenging for long-time fans. I feel that Everybubble strikes a good balance, for every easy level there’s more which left me swearing and hitting retry in determination. There’s more than enough for solo players or a group of 4, with online hopefully opening the game up to as many VS matches as you can handle. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! Might not reinvent the series, but it will remind you how fun these games can be.