Game Boy Advance

Super Bubble Pop

This is a somewhat fun bubble-popping game which can be played by all ages, due to the excellent variation in the difficulty levels. The game-play is fast-paced and engaging at first, but after awhile the gameplay begins to pall a bit, due to the sameness of the levels, even with the powerups. Super Bubble Pop is very similar to Super Bust-a-Move, which is the superior in terms of complexity and attractiveness; however, the bubbles are easier to see in Bubble Pop, which is a plus.

Designing a good puzzle game is a puzzle in and of itself. If the game is too easy, players won't play it. If it's too hard, players won't play it. If it's too difficult to learn, Joe Gamer won't learn it. Since most puzzle games don't have the greatest graphics, they generally need to feature the following three aspects of play: strategy, quick thinking, and multiplayer mayhem. Based on those three aspects, Super Bubble Pop fizzles.

Super Bubble Pop on the Game Boy Advance attempts to emulate the presentation found in its console versions, though it has a significantly more stripped-down look. Curiously, this works to the advantage of the GBA version. Super Bubble Pop on the consoles actually has too much flash for its own good, and the more subdued presentation on the GBA makes it much, much easier to focus on the action at hand. The focus on function over style was probably just a necessity to keep things running right on the Game Boy Advance, but it works to the game's benefit.