Developer: Taito Publisher: Acclaim
Released: May 20, 1998 Rated: E 7/10
Though Nintendo’s puzzle requirements had been previously handled by the likes of Tetris and Dr. Mario, Bust-A-Move, aka Puzzle Bobble, was already a major player in the genre by the time the N64 arrived. A big hit in arcades, where Taito had previously had most of their greatest successes, Bust-A-Move and its head-to-head gameplay make for an excellent transition to consoles, where both tough AI opponents and friendly two-player duels provide plenty of replay value and a consistent scaling of difficulty.
The gameplay in Bust-A-Move hits the notes of any good puzzle title, as it’s extremely easy to pick up and understand, while the ability to recognize and make strong plays, while doing so quickly, is a steady, never-ending process. Colored balls descend from the top of the playfield in differently arranged clusters, and players fire a singular ball from the bottom of the screen to make bunches of three or more and eliminate them. Represented by a cute little cartoon character managing the launcher, players can bank shots off the sides of the playfield and strategically place them for bigger combos, as balls fall out of the playfield when they are no longer attached to anything, and make for larger amounts of garbage to throw at your opponent. It’s not a concept that warrants a lot of dissection when reviewing an individual release for the series, and the gameplay itself has become more or less a part of the general gaming consciousness, especially given how many clones its had over the years.
The other, non-competitive game modes on offer here are about clearing out a pre-set screen, with a puzzle mode to be attacked at your leisure, and a time attack mode, where speed is the primary concern. With only three total game modes to come back to, there isn’t an overall huge package of content in this port to sell it as an especially great home version. In fact, the “Arcade Edition” in the title is doing quite a bit of expectation tempering, as if not to expect that there is much more to do here than simply playing it on the cabinet. Bust-A-Move’s gameplay is excellent, however, even though Tetris or Pokemon Puzzle League are hard to overtake as the top option for N64 puzzle titles. Bust-A-Move is a solid formula that’s hard to screw up, even if it’s ported in a pretty bare bones fashion, like it is here, but fans of the series will get just as much out of this first in a pair of N64 versions as they will out of most other versions.
Continuing Legacy
Bust-A-Move has become one of the most prolific series in gaming at this point, with at least one version of the game being available on just about every platform since the series’ inception. Despite being a spin-off, it has easily surpassed Bubble Bobble as the identifying series of Taito’s adorable dinosaur mascots, Bub and Bob, and even when they aren’t at the forefront, players will likely recognize Bust-A-Move for its repeated forays into absolutely bonkers cover art, usually at the behest of its western publishers rather than Taito themselves. It’s also one of the most cloned gameplay formulas in history, with both Snood and Worms Blast being well-known copies, along with numerous other low-budget recreations you’ll find in mobile game stores and online flash game sites.
Additional Information
Saves: Controller Pak
Compatible With: None
Players: 1-2
Print Guides: None
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 80.56%, based on 9 reviews
Other Releases: EU, 1998
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