Hello there, it has been a while, but I am back with a new entry in the Retro Revival feature, talking about old games that have a new lease on life. Here I will be exploring HD Remasters, emulated ports and compilations, in part or as a whole. Today I will be covering a special double pack of puzzle games, originally released on the SEGA Saturn. Puzzle Bobble 2X and 3X (Bust-A-Move), brought to new systems via the Zebra Engine under the S-Tribute Banner.
Disclaimer: the games discussed in this feature have been purchased by me, so the opinions given within are all my own. There has been no sponsorship of the content within this feature. Links to the different versions of the game will be provided at the bottom of this feature where possible.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general gameplay experience for the game, alongside some background details and personal thoughts. As this is a double pack I will talk about the games separately, then the package as a whole.
About the game
Puzzle Bobble 2X (also known as Bust-A-Move 2 Arcade Edition) is a bubble popping puzzle game, where players must match three colored bubbles on screen to pop them. There is the option to play the original Puzzle Bobble 2, the enhanced Puzzle Bobble 2X and access the Edit Mode. When playing either Puzzle Bobble 2 or 2X, the player will be able to access three game modes, there is the Puzzle Mode, VS CPU and VS Human.
In the Puzzle Mode, the player challenges sets of 5 stages across a variety of settings. During a puzzle stage, the player must clear away all of the bubbles on screen to win. However, there is a constant pressure that will keep players on their toes, as the ceiling will drop after a set number of bubble shots. Each time this happens, the bubbles will be closer to the bottom and if they pass, the stage will be failed and the player must use a credit to continue.
When the player has cleared a set of stages, the next one must be chosen from the main map. The player will start with the choice of A and B, then branch off to additional lettered sets, with the last “letter” curiously being the question mark. To make it to the end of the Puzzle Mode adventure, the player must clear all 30 stages. At the end of the game, the player will be given a code to access “Another World”, providing a whole new 30 stage challenge.
If players select the Puzzle Bobble 2X version of the game, the puzzle mode will provide players with three options to select from. There is Practice, which gives players a 5 stage sampling of the Puzzle mode. Then there is the Normal and Hard challenges, these have their own set of stages, increasing the total number of playable stages. “Another World” is also present here, giving even more playable stages for the player to challenge.
Next are the VS modes, in CPU challenge, the player will get the option of Practice, Normal and Hard. In Practice, only be 3 stages can be challenged, as a sample of Versus mode. The Normal option has the player challenge 12 stages as Story mode. Battle it out against opponents, including classic Bubble Bobble foes to get their opponent to fail first, attacking by clearing large bubble groups. The Hard mode has the same, but the difficulty is increased.
The Player VS Player option is the competitive element of Puzzle Bobble, where two players can battle it out head to head. In the options menu, players can set the number of rounds in VS Player mode, offering 1, 3 and 5 round options. Players can battle it out freely as much as they like in this mode, with the option for a second player to jump in during single player. When this happens, the players will battle it out with the winner taking over the game.
Last for Puzzle Bobble 2X is the Edit Mode. In this mode the player will be able to make their own stages, offering either standard or wide stages. The player is able to make a total of 30 stages, alongside the option to play the creations. If all 30 slots are filled up, they can be played like an extra challenge mode. There is even a special credits screen for players who play their creations, which can be achieved by creating and clearing 30 stages.
Onto Puzzle Bobble 3 (Bust-A-Move 3), which just like Puzzle Bobble 2X, offers the same bubble popping puzzle action as its predecessor. This game differs to the previous release, as there is only one version of the main game to play, but there is still plenty to get stuck into to. The big selling point for this version of Puzzle Bobble is the colourful cast of characters. At the main menu, players are able to select from Arcade, Challenge and Collection modes.
In the Arcade Mode, the player can select the same game options as Puzzle Bobble 2, offering a Puzzle Mode, VS Computer and VS Human option. The Arcade mode is mostly the same as the partner game, with three options to choose from. This time they are Practice with 5 sample rounds, Normal which is the standard game and 2.5, which provides a selection of stages from Puzzle Bobble 2. There is also the “Another World” option available again.
During the Normal and 2.5 modes, players must make their way through the sets of stages, going through the different letters from A to a question mark again. What makes this version special, there are special endurance stages, where the player needs to build up a meter on the left side of the screen. this is achieved by clearing the screen multiple times. If the player is able to clear the screen entirely, they will get a bonus of 100,000 points.
These special challenge stages are the only ones that appear for that letter, which will be shown by Bubble Bobble enemies surrounding them on the map. There are 5 of these endurance stages, which can be passed if the player doesn’t wish to challenge them. Just like Puzzle Bobble 2, if the player is able to make it to the end, they will get an ending after clearing all 30 stages. The “Another World” stages add even more challenges for players to take on.
The VS Computer mode plays out in a manner similar to Puzzle Bobble 2, with the player challenging a selection of opponents in head to head battles. In this version, players can select their character, with each of them having a special attack. There are 10 opponents this time, with most of them referencing other video games and arcade attractions. This mode has the options of Easy, with three battles and the Normal/Hard having all opponents.
Player VS Player in this game has the players select one of the playable characters, battling in head to head competition in round based matches. Like the companion release, the rounds can be set to best of 1, 3 and 5 in the options menu. A second player can also interrupt an on-going single player game, challenging the player at any time. When this happens, the winner will be able to take over the single player game and continue playing.
Away from the Arcade Mode, there is a special challenge mode for players to test their skills. Here, the player will be able to select their character and move through 5 challenge stage sets. These challenges include an endurance stage, a speed challenge and an accuracy challenge. If the player fails a stage, they will just move onto the next. Depending on the performance of the player, a rating will be awarded with a letter grade attached to it.
At the end of the Challenge mode levels, the player will be given a grade. The lowest possible grade that can be earned is 1 and the highest is 20. The player will earn points based on the ratings that they have earned, with E giving no points up to 4 points for the A rating. Last is the Collection mode, which is a special celebration mode. In this mode, there is more than 1000 stages to challenge, created by fans across Japan, greatly expanding the content on offer.
Now, as this is an emulated collection of games, there are many quality of life additions and features added to this pack. The main one is the addition of special in-game features, allowing for access to secrets that would otherwise be unavailable. These include easy access to the “Another World” stages, the ability to play as any character and more. There is even a secret character that looks like a mix between Sonic the Hedgehog and a rabbit.
There is also a selection of visual settings that players can use to adjust their experience. The visual features available include screen size, scanlines, anti-aliasing and more. This is a good addition for those who are looking for a specific style of look to their game. Finally there is a rewind feature, and quick save/load, which gives a greater control over the experience. The rewind can help those who are struggling, or to fix some errors made during play.
Personal Thoughts
I am a big fan of the Puzzle Bobble series, having played it in many forms over the years, including the SEGA Saturn versions. So when this game was released, it made me happy to be able to experience this version again. I have a deep affinity with the SEGA Saturn, due to the experiences I had as a kid that stuck with me for the longest time. Due to this I have been enjoying the different S-Tribute releases from City Connection.
Puzzle Bobble was a series that had consistent releases throughout the 90s and 2000’s, starting to slow down during the 2010’s. The releases for this series have slowed down, becoming more sporadic compared to the glory days. This makes the re-release of the Saturn version of Puzzle Bobble 2X and 3 refreshing, as they risked being lost to time. Thankfully, to be able to play this, it costs a lot less than a Saturn console and Discs.
Puzzle Bobble has been responsible for creating many different clones of the match 3 bubble popping puzzlers. These games have been often imitated, but never beaten as Taito perfected the formula quickly. There is a tremendous amount of content, with over 2000 stages across the two games in the single player modes alone. Then there is the two player mode, offering a lot of fun for game nights with friends and family.
Then we have the quality of life improvements for the games, offering the definitive way to experience these games on modern systems. The extra characters for Puzzle Bobble 2X, quick access to the “Another World” stages in both games, give players more bang for their buck. All of this powered through the Zebra Engine, which has the potential to revive more games, so there may be hope for other classics to get a second chance.
This is an excellent multi-pack of games, providing a fantastic puzzle game experience across all current gaming platforms. If you have a PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PC you can pick this package up and have a great time. Especially the Nintendo Switch version, as this is one of those games that is great for gaming on the go. It may even be supported on the Steam Deck, giving more ways to experience the best bubble popping puzzlers.
If you have played and enjoyed the clones of this, like Bubble Witch Saga and Bubble shooter for mobile, then you should definitely pick this up. There is so much that can be enjoyed with this release, all for a pretty modest price point. The S-Tribute series offers a pretty diverse selection of games, with this being just one excellent example of the work that City Connection have done. So check it out if you want to experience what may be puzzle perfection.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then take a look at the other content available and see what catches your eye. There are reviews, sometimes news and features that cover a variety of games. There is the lost gems series, special Gaming Oddities and more coming in the future. So stick around for a while and check out the other content.
Link to Nintendo Switch Version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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