Puzzle Bobble VS

Puzzle Bobble VS is an N-Gage-exclusive installment in the long-running puzzle series. Unlike most entries, it does not feature solo puzzle levels but (as indicated by the title) only the competitive variant of the game.

The game can be played in single-player story mode or as a multi-player game for up to four players via bluetooth connection. In the story mode, series hero Bubblen (aka Bub in most US releases of the series) must recapture six stolen diamonds from bad guy Drunk and his minions. It consists of six consecutive one-on-one stages arranged on a map of Rainbow Island. Three difficulty settings are available, with a special ending only becoming available upon finishing the hardest level.

Gameplay follows the standard template of the series: at the start of a level, differently colored bubbles fill part of the play field. The players control a launcher at the bottom that can be aimed in any direction and shoots bubbles of random colors. When three or more bubbles of the same color touch, they are removed from the field, with any unattached bubbles falling away. Removing bubbles adds them to the opponents’ fields. After a while, more bubbles fill in from the top, pushing the existing bubbles downward. A player loses when the bubbles reach the bottom of their field. Special power-ups are available via a bubble gauge, which fills when removing a certain amount of bubbles at once. Once the gauge is full, the powers can be unleashed at the press of a button.