Bubble Shooter 2 Review

Absolutist released what seemed, out of the box, as nothing more than a clone of Puzzle Bobble v2. The seemingly endless barrage of puzzle games on Palm has left me swirling in delight, and grief, since I’m the person that likes a large amount of genre variety. Bubble Shooter 2, which I mistakenly call it Puzzle Shooter 2, due to its evident resemblance to PB v2, is a watered-down version of Taito’s game.

Bubble Shooter 2 can be played in a minute, but to clear the board, it will take time and some lengthy planning. The goal is to clear the board by combining more than two bubbles of the same color, so they fall to the bottom of the screen. Bubbles beneath a row that is falling, if not connected to another row, will follow in falling.

By tapping the screen, you can shoot the bubbles anywhere on the board. Bouncing off of walls helps you maneuver into corners that were most likely hard to reach. To add to the game’s difficulty, new rows of bubbles will appear after one of the colored balls’ meter runs out. The game ends when the bubbles reach the bottom of the screen. From here, depending on the score that you achieved, you will either make the high score board or not.

There are a total of four game modes to choose from through the options menu. Strategy gives you no time limit. Arcade mode differs from strategy by the time restriction given. Every few seconds, the meter lowers by one bubble. In sniper mode, you must clear bubbles in as few shots as possible. Your meter depletes as you fail to clear bubbles. The final game mode is marathon, where gray bubbles will complicate your task of clearing the board.

Bubble Shooter 2 is a mix of a couple genres, including puzzle, strategy, and shooting. The game’s replay value extends because of the number of game modes, which is somewhat impressive for Palm. Though the concept in all of the games is the same, it varies enough to keep you occupied. It doesn’t beat Puzzle Bobble v2, but it’s a nice, cheaper alternative.