Bubble Blast - Pop 'Em Up!

Features & Use

Let’s be honest: Android just doesn’t cut it as far as games are concerned. The iPhone retains a leading position in this category (as of yet). Fortunately, some new interesting games with good graphics have been slowly but surely coming out of the woodwork. Angry Birds is coming out next week (one of the most successful iPhone games) and others games such as Asphalt 5, which should please Android users worldwide. Nevertheless, Android has got a lot more room to improve and progress!
That’s why it’s nice to see Android games that despite their simplicity are drawing fans with their addicting game concepts. This is precisely the case with Bubble Blast, one of the most addicting games I’ve ever seen because of the game’s concept and the sheer number of playing levels available. Enough said, let’s address Bubble Blast more directly.

The title gives away most of what the game is about. The idea is to pop all the bubbles on your screen. It may sound easy, but trust me when I say that it can be quite a challenge. After start-up the main screen includes the following buttons:

• Play: Opens up the game menu with three different options:
  • Puzzle: Unlock levels in sequence.
  • Arcade: Play through an endless row of levels. Get extra touches (moves) with combos.
  • View High Score: Look at the 100 best players in both playing modes.
• Options: Select player name, sound, anti-aliasing and screen stretching (may slow the game down).
• More Games: Browse through the developer’s other apps.

All right, now about the game itself. The first level is – to put it mildly – a breeze. Just pop the only red bubble on the screen to clear the level. The next level has a whopping TWO bubbles to pop! I’m sure you’re starting to get the hang of the game by now. Pop the red bubbles by tapping them. This sparks a chain reaction that sends smaller red bubbles flying in all directions. These bubbles can then pop surrounding ones and clear the entire screen. If the smaller bubbles don’t hit anything, they simply disappear. So what’s so challenging about that?
The thing is that the bubbles aren't just red, but can also be blue, yellow and green. OK, so four small bubbles fly out of a single large bubble in every direction. If one of these bubbles hits a blue bubble – the bubble turns yellow. Should this yellow bubble be hit again – it turns green. Finally, if you hit a green one it becomes red.
In summary, a blue bubble needs to be hit 4 times to pop. You can also just use up one of your taps to pop a bubble.

The aim of the game is to pop all the bubbles on the screen. The hard part is: every level has a limited amount of touches available. Every time you tap a bubble, you lose a move. The number of touches left is displayed at the top of the screen. Starting off a chain reacion will get you extra points and help you save on touches.

You have to display tactical thinking in Bubble Blast: Which bubbles should I tap first? Should I save my touches for the end?
A good strategy is to start off by popping a red bubble and observing the chain reaction that ensues. It may sound easy, but some of the levels can really kick your butt. I feel like the really simple levels are a bit of a waste of time, especially the ones that require just one touch. Thankfully, there are over 900 (!!) levels to play so they’ll get challenging pretty quickly. 900 levels is simply mindboggling for an Android game. And trust me – the game doesn’t get old. You’ll spend hours in frustration trying to figure out some of these tricky levels!
 

The game concept is extremely simple, but it’s still a ton of fun and the 900 levels will surely keep you busy. The game may lack variety, but it’s addicting just the same.
 

Screen & Controls

The controls are very easy - just pop the bubbles. The menu is also well-organized and highly functional. The graphics aren’t amazing, but they aren’t an eyesore. The main menu is nice, but the game menu is not on par. Some cosmetic improvements are needed for the game menu.

Speed & Stability

Before the last update, the game had some performance problems. The game would show a blank screen, the sound would go off and the game would constantly stall and lag. Fortunately, these problems have been taken care of with the last update. I only had one or two short lags and the game ran smoothly otherwise.

Price/Performance Ratio

The app is available for free with a ton of levels included. Some ads are displayed in the menus and highscore rankings.