The APPera

Taito brings us a classic puzzle to the iPhone. Don’t just stand there, Bust-A-Move!

Bust-A-Move ($4.99)

The original “Bust-A-Move” (in some areas, known as “Puzzle Bobble”) game is reborn on the iPhone, bursting with bubble-popping fun for both 1 and 2 players! This one’s not a joke, Taito got it right again!

My Take

Ok, this is the one port I extremely looked forward to.  Taito seems to get the whole idea on the iPhone porting business.  Even though the game is already established, you still have to fine tune it to work on any given system. As I owned a NeoGeo Cabinet, I played Puzzle Bobble on a 27″ monitor in Vs mode with my daughter.

It’s a game everyone enjoys and any platform can handle the port.  It’s this company, Taito , out of all the big boys, always take extra care of their prized games.  I got through playing Snood (and deleted it) and I immediately thought, “uugh where’s Bust-A-Move?”  The game is and will always be that good.  The size is right, the colors are right.  It’s a perfect fit for the iPhone/iPod touch.

Presentation

The artwork and sounds are the same as I remember.  The chimes, graphics, colors all of it has been preserved, not remixed.  I’m very thankful they didn’t mess with this too much.  The load time in the beginning is a little lengthy, but once loaded there’s no problem with the gameplay.

The UI is a little confusing, I didn’t know about the Vs mode until I accidentally touched and dragged the select screen. I was not expecting it since I am used to seeing all my options in one screen set.  It’s a nice touch to the game, but I think a static select screen would be a better fit.

Game Play

Bust-A-Move is a spin-off of the one of my favorite 80’s games, Bubble Bobble.  It is still a very popular two player co-op game, sought after on other platforms and I still have my copy for my old schoolNES .  In Bust-A-Move, it’s just you as Bub, slinging colored bubbles up to a fixed matrix, aiming for a three-match to eliminate and clear the board.

What makes the game so unique is the stickiness of the bubbles when they come in contact with each other.  So for those tight spots, you better aim it with precision or the colored bubble will stick to another, throwing your strategy in a tail spin. When the bubbles stack up and go past the red line, it’s game over.

The game comes with a story mode, with a large amount of levels. Challenge mode, which is essentially “endless” mode but with powerup bubbles that help you keep the bubbles in check.  Vs. Mode is interesting, it’s done via Bluetooth.  There’s enough variations to keep this in your library for a while.

The Cons

I think the Bluetooth Vs. mode is a mistake.  I’m not sure if WiFi or Bluetooth is the stronger signal, but Bluetooth limits your users to the 2nd Gen touches and 3G iPhones or better.  I am a fan of the game, but this is something I wonder who pulled the trigger on and made that decision.

Secondly, it needs some social network interaction for the challenge mode.  I’m talking about challenging others for how many bubbles are eliminated or how long you can last on a certain level of play.  Don’t get me wrong, the game is good.  It can be better.

Conclusion

It’s a golden ticket for a 5 dollar game worth of purchase.  If you are a chick, or know one or is dating one, show her this game.  Chicks dig this game.  It’s a fact of life, deal with it.  If you want to imply your geek-hood on a hotty, Bust-A-Move is an awesome ice breaker over Snood and all the rest of the pretenders that cloned Bust-A-Move’s gameplay.  Yes I said it and I dare you to try it out!

But kidding aside, this is a port done perfectly. The two control options: slingshot and tap work wonders! There are some ports that require huge revisions, and some with little tweaks. There’s no general rules for ports than knowing your classic inside out and know what to do with it. So far, Taito is nailing them down one by one.

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