Forums > Submission Feedback > dementedhut's ACA NeoGeo: Puzzle Bobble review

Puzzle Bobble is one of those franchises that I've always wished I could enjoy more than I actually do. The concept and execution are fine, but it doesn't excite me the way some games (including Bubble Bobble, even though in a technical sense that one is inferior) do. I have this one in my collection on Switch, and I'm not sure I'll ever actually play it, especially with superior versions available. Even so, I'm glad someone takes the time and care to make these foundational classics available, for posterity's sake!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Hamster's catalog may not always include high-quality games, but I do appreciate that they go out of their way to release games that no other company, in their right mind, would release outside of a compilation.

The Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move series has always been hit and miss. I haven't played every single game, but from the ones I have played it felt like the devs either ran out of ideas or intentionally stopped being creative about five or so games in. The 3D version I reviewed a few years back even somehow managed to be both boring and irritating at the same time!

The Sega Saturn port of Bust-A-Move 2 still stands as my favorite of the series, due to how hard it went with the features from the arcade version plus all the new stuff, and I have yet to play another sequel that matches its variety and creativity. But again, I haven't played all the games...

Thanks for reading!

I head spaceshit noises.