Title: Puzzle Bobble (Super NES Version)
System: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Price: $7.99
Release Date: 05/23/2023

Story

In this port of the SNES version, you pop bubbles with no further context! There is a VS mode unique to this port, but it doesn’t have much of a plot either…

Presentation

Another Ratalaika reissue, though this one is a bit fancier than previous offerings, with the menu UI themed after the game, complete with sound effects and a musical piece from it playing as you navigate and change the settings. Oddly, the feature set here is more limited than that of most Ratalaika ports, since while the CRT display options are still here and work good, a lot of other options like save states and control mapping are completely exempt, pretty similar to the Monster World IV port from a few years ago. Still, the display options make the game look as sharp as it can be.

Regarding the game itself, SFC Puzzle Bobble has a decent presentation. It doesn’t have the color depth of the NeoGeo original, and the sound effects and voices are much worse, but for the system it was ported to the game looks and sounds fine enough, and I couldn’t detect any emulation inaccuracies to speak of, making this a rock solid port in that aspect. The “game loss” sound effect playing when you exit the game is a cute touch.

Gameplay

When booting up this release, you have the option to choose between the Japanese Puzzle Bobble, or the US Bust-A-Move version. Outside of language, there are no major differences, but it’s nice to see both here. The aforementioned lack of save states/rewind does make this Ratalaika port feel a lot more barren than recent stuff like Shockman, and it doesn’t even have art scans like that port, either. You can’t even remap the controls, but luckily in-game you have the option to do so, with the ZL/ZR buttons mirroring the L/R assignments.

Once in the actual game, Puzzle Bobble on the SNES is pretty decent fun. You have a typical Puzzle mode, guiding you through several stages as you try to clear all the bubbles before they crash down on you, and you can resume your progress via a password if you need to take a break. The SNES game has no save feature of any kind, not even for autofilling the password system, so using the capture gallery is the best way to enter these passwords, and luckily they’re rather short, too. Being that this is the original Puzzle Bobble, the puzzle stages here are rather basic, but decent fun when you manage to clear a tricky level, and the controls are exceptionally tight.

Interestingly, the SNES and some other home releases of Puzzle Bobble 1 added a VS Computer mode to the mix, which wasn’t in the original NeoGeo version, since you were limited to only fighting the second player in that one. Again, this mode is much more basic than later incarnations, and you have to duel each opponent in a best 2 out of 3 match before moving onto the next foe, with no password system to take breaks with here. Thus, you have to do the whole thing in one very long sitting, and this mode is where the lack of a save state feature really hurts the rerelease. The difficulty is pretty tough even on the easiest level, but if you liked the VS aspect of other games, you’ll have a decent enough time with it here.

Lastly, you have the Challenge Record mode, which is basically the endless mode. Nothing else to really say here, and I barely touched it due to the lack of being able to save state my highest record.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this port of SNES Puzzle Bobble plays fine, but lacks common features that other retro ports tend to have, such as save states, and that doesn’t really make much sense to me. You can’t save your best records as a result, and every puzzle mode attempt will require you enter a password to resume your progress, old-school style. The lengthy 1P VS mode will also have to be done in one go, barring the ability to use sleep mode.

While the emulation is top notch and the game is still as fun as ever even in a simplified 16-Bit form, I can’t help but feel this port could have been a little more feature rich, especially considering it’s being sold by itself for the typical price of an ACA/VC release. If you don’t mind the lack of save states or having to use passwords, it still plays great and is fun for a local VS setting, but otherwise, maybe consider getting the score-saving, online leaderboard supported NeoGeo version for the same price.

I give Puzzle Bobble (16-Bit Console Version) a 6 out of 10.