Puzzle Bobble
| Puzzle Bobble | |
|---|---|
Box art for the Japanese Neo Geo CD release
|
|
| Developer(s) | Taito Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Taito Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Seiichi Nakakuki |
| Composer(s) | Kazuko Umino |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Neo Geo CD, Game Gear, SNES, WonderSwan |
| Release date(s) |
Arcade
|
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo |
| Display | Raster, standard resolution |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| EGM | 7.8/10 (SNES) |
| Next Generation |
  (3DO)
|
Puzzle Bobble (Japanese: パズルボブル Hepburn: Pazuru Boburu?), also known as Bust-a-Move in North America, is a 1994 tile-matching arcade puzzle video game for one or two players created by Taito Corporation. It is based on Taito's popular 1986 arcade game Bubble Bobble, featuring characters and themes from that game. Its characteristically cute Japanese animation and music, along with its play mechanics and level designs, made it successful as an arcade title and spawned several sequels and ports to home gaming systems.
Two different versions of the original game were released. Puzzle Bobble was originally released in Japan only in June 1994 by Taito Corporation, running on Taito's B System hardware (with the preliminary title "Bubble Buster"). Then, 6 months later in December, the international Neo Geo version of Puzzle Bobble was released. It was almost identical aside from being in stereo and having some different sound effects and translated text.
When set to the US region, the Neo Geo version displays the alternative title "Bust a Move" and features anti-drugs and anti-littering messages in the title sequence. The Bust-a-Move title was used for all subsequent games in the series in the United States and Canada, as well as for some (non-Taito published) console releases in Europe.
At the start of each round, the rectangular playing arena contains a prearranged pattern of coloured "bubbles". (These are actually referred to in the translation as "balls"; however, they were clearly intended to be bubbles, since they pop, and are taken from Bubble Bobble.) At the bottom of the screen, the player controls a device called a "pointer", which aims and fires bubbles up the screen. The colour of bubbles fired is randomly generated and chosen from the colors of bubbles still left on the screen.
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