Bust-A-Move Universe

Genre: Match-3 Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Bust-A-Move Universe, released in 2011 for Nintendo 3DS as a launch title for the platform, is an entry in the long-running Bust-A-Move AKA Puzzle Bobble series, where players control a device shooting multicolored bubbles from the bottom of a screen, targeting bubbles at the top half of the screen to try to match them to clear them.

The presentation here is good, making good use of the 3DS’s stereoscopic screen to give the view depth with 3D backgrounds, even if the actual gameplay still largely consists of 2D pixel art images. These visuals are backed by a remix of classic music from the series, which is also good, albeit nothing especially new.

That’s kinda’ touching on one of the major issues with this release – Bust-A-Move Universe offers players very little that’s new or pushes the franchise forward in any way. In fact, in a few ways it represents a major step backwards for the series.

There are a few attempts to push the game’s 3D elements to the forefront, such as having power-ups you can bounce into the middle of the field of bubbles rather than bumping into it from the bottom. However, this element of the game is gimmicky and doesn’t add much to the core gameplay of the series.

One thing I’ll note I was disappointed to see missing this time around was the Nintendo DS entry in the series’ excellent use of touchscreen controls, which added a need for skill in precision aiming. Here, things are once again back to traditional gamepad controls, which is fine, but seems lazy and underwhelming.

However, even beyond that, this game is extremely feature poor. You only have a traditional Puzzle mode and a time-limited Challenge mode. That’s it. There’s no endless mode, no limited-move mode, no versus computer mode, and perhaps most disappointing of all, no multiplayer mode whatsoever. Seriously, multiplayer has been a part of this series since all the way back in the NEOGEO days, how could they fail to include it here?

In the end, this is still an enjoyable Puzzle game, and it features the same strong core gameplay that has always made this series a delight. But Bust-A-Move Universe is so feature-poor, so lacking in stuff that’s bare-bones basic for the series, and missing the advancements of prior games, that it’s hard to see it as anything but a disappointment. If you’re a fan of the series or Puzzle games in general, you may still find this to be an enjoyable game, but do not buy it unless you can get a good price for it, because it is a lazy, anemic release. Both the Nintendo 3DS and the Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble series deserve more.

tl;dr – Bust-A-Move Universe is a Match-3 Puzzle game. Like other entries in the series, you’re aiming colored bubbles at others on-screen to try to match them up, and like those other games, the core gameplay here is still a lot of fun. Unfortunately, this release is horribly feature-poor, lacking even a basic multiplayer mode. If you absolutely need Bust-A-Move on the Nintendo 3DS, this gets the job done, but it seems like a terribly lazy and lackluster entry in the series.

Grade: C

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