I’d be very surprised if anyone reading this hasn’t at least played a clone of Puzzle Bobble at some point in their life. It’s an immensely simple concept to get to grips with but also very enjoyable. The aim is simple. With an aiming reticule sitting at the bottom of the screen with a coloured bubble residing at its tip, you must direct these coloured bubbles to ones of the same colour thus clearing the board. Of course if you miss the place you were aiming for, then the bubble resides wherever it lands adding to your problem. As time goes on, the bubbles get nearer to the bottom of the screen, edging closer to game over. It’s a concept many have no doubt seen before but Puzzle Bobble was one of the pioneers for this, and for good reason thanks to being extremely accurate and good fun.
The single player puzzle mode demonstrated here is perhaps the strongest mode available in Puzzle Bobble Live. Providing 135 different puzzles and the promise of more on their way through downloadable content, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. Each level may only take a couple of minutes to complete, assuming you know what you’re doing, but it’s amazing how quickly time vanishes while playing this. For those of you who may have played Taito’s recent iPhone titles, the level structure may be familiar as each completion allows you to choose a new path to take ensuring that you don’t have to constantly play the same levels over and over again. Besides matching coloured bubbles there are also a few power up bubbles. They range from power ups which can clear all of one colour, to a fire bubble that destroys all bubbles it touches. There’s also one rainbow bubble which transforms all attached bubbles into the same colour as the bubble that first hit. Some of the puzzles are rather challenging, especially if you’re playing on Hard, and there’s always a strong sense of satisfaction when you manage to complete a level within very few moves. I found myself frequently returning to previously completed levels, simply to try to perfect it.
For the sole gamer there are also CPU battle modes and an infinity mode but the real strength comes from the multiplayer mode. With both local and online multiplayer, there is plenty to keep the competitive gamer busy. The battle mode is particularly enjoyable with action becoming very frantic at times. Odds are you’ll never actually clear the board often because it’s in your interest to initiate large chains which is then sent over to your opponent. It’s a surprisingly tactical move once you realise it’s best to build up dangerously large combos just to try to wipe out your opponent. In many ways it reminded me of the brilliant Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, also available on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Puzzle Bobble might be a formula you’ve seen many times before, and may well own on other systems, but for 800 points it’s well worth a look. It’s the sort of game you’ll plan on playing for five minutes to kill time, then suddenly realise it’s the middle of the night and you’re still trying to crack that one last level. It’s cute, charming and devilishly addictive!
VideogameUK verdict: 8/10
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