Bubble Busting Fun!
Bust-A-Move Universe is one of the launch titles for the 3DS. Bust-A-Move Universe is a puzzle game that may not be very long, 3 hours or so, but is still worth playing. A lot of viewers may know this game as Bubble Bobble, Puzzle Bobble, or another Bust-A-Move game.
The Story
The story is mostly about the green Bubble Bobble dinosaur guy who must go to different planets to save his friends and stop the enemy on each planet. The enemy is the boss of the level.
The Graphics
The graphics in Bust-A-Move Universe give a very cartoonish feel to the game, and are sometimes a little pixilated. When the player does something right, nice pictures are presented on the screen and a graphic of the main character playing pops up to reward the player for doing good. The 3D effect is well done in this game. When the player turns on the 3D effect and pops the bubbles, the sprites will pop out and give the illusion of 3D. This 3D effect is a very nice eye-catching experience.
The Gameplay
At the beginning of the game, the player is given a bubble that is one of the following colors: orange, yellow, green, blue, red, purple, black, or white. The player is to make three bubbles in a row, of that color, and then strike other bubbles of that color to get them to pop. Then the player is given a bubble of another color and does the same thing. After scoring enough points the player is rewarded with special abilities, which help the player in times of need when things get difficult. As the player continues the game, the puzzles become harder and present more and more challenges along the way. The challenging levels may make the player want to restart that level, and if the player does restart that level, he/she forfeits the points already earned.
During some of the levels the player will see a key in one or more bubbles. The player wants to destroy the bubbles around the key so that he/she can obtain the key to help friends who are captured. If the bubbles are holding the ceiling up and are destroyed before the key is obtained, the key will disappear and not be available to the player. After all the keys are obtained, the player is able to save the friend. The friend then gives the player abilities that make it easier for the player to defeat the boss of that level.
The player also has a chance to challenge him/herself to a game of 100 - 300 seconds or nonstop seconds, to see how big a score he/she can get in that time period. After completing parts of the game, the player will learn that there are achievements in the game. A lot of the achievements challenge the player's skills.
The Music
The music is not the strength of this game. The music has a few tracks but is basically the same from level to level, with just a few differences to give the overall feel of the background the player is seeing during the experience.
Thoughts
This game is a great game for the puzzle loving fan's 3DS library, even though it's a short game. Especially when killing time if one were waiting for a bus or a plane, this game adds enough challenge and enjoyment for any player who wants to try something new or different.