Puzzle Bobble
1994 · Puzzle · Arcade
Overview
Puzzle Bobble (1994), known internationally as Bust-a-Move, is Taito's Bubble Bobble spin-off, in which the player fires coloured bubbles to make groups of three before the ceiling comes down.
Deep Dive
The player aims a launcher at the bottom of the screen and fires bubbles at the cluster above. Groups of three or more of the same colour burst, along with any bubbles hanging from them. The ceiling drops at intervals, and the arcade version has 30 levels. It uses the characters and themes of Bubble Bobble.
Developer Story
Kazuhiro Kinoshita and Seiichi Nakakuki designed it, and Taito released it in Japanese arcades in June 1994, with a Neo Geo MVS version that December. Conversions followed for the Super NES, Neo Geo CD and 3DO in 1995.
Did You Know?
- Its working title was Bubble Buster.
- The Neo Geo version was Japan's second-highest-grossing arcade software of 1995, behind Virtua Fighter 2.
- It inspired many clones, including Snood, Frozen Bubble and Bubble Shooter.
Sources & further reading
- Puzzle Bobble — Wikipedia
