Days after teasing its 2023 plans, Taito's Puzzle Bobble series and Metal Black are coming to the Switch thanks to City Connection and its S-Tribute series (thanks, Gematsu!).
Puzzle Bobble 2X / BUST-A-MOVE 2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble 3 / BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute — a collection of both arcade and console versions of Puzzle Bobble 2 and 3 — and Metal Black S-Tribute — a rerelease of the classic side-scrolling shooter — are both coming to the Switch (and other consoles) digitally on 2nd February.
Let's start out with Bub and Bob's spin-off series (also knowns as Bust-A-Move). At the moment, you can pick up Puzzle Bobble 2 on the eShop thanks to the ACA NEOGEO, but this new collection bundles the classic arcade game with its sequel while including all re-releases of the game plus additional modes.
Here's what to expect from the current front-runner for the longest-game title of 2023, Puzzle Bobble 2X / BUST-A-MOVE 2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble 3 / BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute:
Featured modes
- Arcade editions of Puzzle Bobble 2X / BUST-A-MOVE 2 Arcade Edition ... Home console ports of the Japanese and overseas versions of the arcade games Puzzle Bobble 2 and Puzzle Bobble 2X (1 or 2 players).
- Arcade editions of Puzzle Bobble 3 / BUST-A-MOVE 3 ... Home console ports of the Japanese and overseas versions of the arcade game Puzzle Bobble 3 (1 or 2 players).
- Challenge Mode ... Meet certain conditions to clear stages (Puzzle Bobble 3 / BUST-A-MOVE 3).
- Collection Mode ... Play a total of 1,026 stages designed by players from the time (Puzzle Bobble 3).
- Edit Mode ... Place bubbles in the field to create your own stages (Puzzle Bobble 2X / BUST-A-MOVE 2 Arcade Edition).Convenient features and option settings only available in S-Tribute
- Rewind - Rewind gameplay a by certain amount of time and resume.
- Slow Mode - Slow game pace down with a single button press.
- Quick Save/Load - Save game state at any point.
- Unlimited Credits - The limit on the number of continues can be disabled, allowing for infinite continues.
- Scan Lines - Mimics the nostalgic CRT monitor display.
Metal Black S-Tribute, then, is based on the 1996 console port. The original game was created by many of the people who worked on Gun Frontier, and was originally meant to serve as the third entry in the Darius series due to its dark, futuristic atmosphere.
Again, you can snap this up thanks to the Arcade Archives release already, but this City Connection release includes plenty of new features. Here's what you can expect:
Power-ups
Level up your beam by grabbing the power-ups floating on screen called NEWALONE (round molecules colored red, blue, and yellow). There are five levels (the highest being MAX) to power up your shots.When the beam gauge is full, you can perform beam energy attacks. However, the beam gauge will decrease with each of these attacks, and once it is empty the beam energy attack cannot be used.
There are two types of beam energy attacks
- Focused Beam: Makes a focused attack to the front while the energy shot button is pressed and held. When the beam gauge is at maximum, this will fire MAX lasers.
- Release Beam: When the beam gauge level is at MAX, pressing the energy shot button will fire an attack that damages all enemies.The boss of each stage also launches beam energy attacks. When the beam from your ship collides with the beam from a boss, the interference creates a huge ball of energy, which moves from the side with a higher gauge to the side with a lower gauge.
Convenient features and option settings only available in S-Tribute
- Rewind - Rewind gameplay a by certain amount of time and resume.
- Slow Mode - Slow game pace down with a single button press.
- Quick Save/Load - Save game state at any point.
- Online Ranking - Switch to online ranking mode in settings to enter your score into the online leaderboards and check how you compare with others.
- Unlimited Credits - The limit on the number of continues can be disabled, allowing for infinite continues.
- Stage Select - The game can be started from any stage.
- Energy Acquisition Amount - Change the amount of energy increased when acquiring NEWALONE. Raising the amount makes it possible to easily reach maximum power and casually enjoy the game. Lowering the amount makes it harder to accumulate energy so that gameplay is more challenging.
- Energy Release Amount - Change the amount of energy decreased when performing a beam energy attack. Lowering the amount makes it possible to use the attack longer, raising the amount shortens the attack.
- Scan Lines - Mimics the nostalgic CRT monitor display.
Will you be picking up either of these rereleases next month? Burst your bubbles down in the comments below to let us know!
[source gematsu.com, via gematsu.com]
Comments 31
If this was all the Puzzle Bobbles on a cartridge, yes I would. But unfortunately.....
Probably my favorite Taito game memory from my childhood was Rastan. I used to stand on a step stool next to my brother at the arcade so I was high enough to see the screen and watch him get several stages into it on a single quarter.
I just bought metal black arcade archives… I love the game so it may be worth a double dip on a sale. I do love that so many saturn games are getting re-released!
Yusss! Ive been waiting!
The ACA release of Metal Black is superior, cheaper, and out now. Previous s-tribute releases had pretty beefy input lag.
I won't partake on these as I enjoy Metal Black and Puzzle Bobble 2 already on the Egret II Mini set I splurged on last year. It's an awesome mini-console, but in a way it is nice to see Hamster put a bunch of its games out on Arcade Archives, too, for more accessibility.
@Hordak
Rastan is one of my favorites on the Egret. I have utmost respect for your brother, because as a kid I lost a bunch of quarters to the local Rastan machine and never made much progress in it!
I bet Hamster will release it in the Arcade Archives eventually - it would be a very welcome addition!
I would like to see a proper Bubble Bobble collection... the original, Part 2, Memories, Symphony, Rainbow Islands, and Parasol Stars.
@Teksetter @Hordak
I had Rastan on the C64. I remember dying an awful lot. Usually at the hands of swinging ropes. 😆
@Bunkerneath Agreed!!!! It's getting REALLY discouraging as a gamer who prides their physical collection that all the great games being released again are coming digitally (Can't even express how sad I am over the Portal Companion Collection only being digital).
I was super stoked for the Cowabunga Collection and purchased that on release, Just picked up Shredder's Revenge the other day and was pleasantly surprised to find an artwork booklet and stickers in the case.
@Bunkerneath 100% exactly this. Nothing more for me to add.
@Sethdedun Also 100% agree with you. That Portal Collection is on my list of "wait for physical" games.
Hurray for Puzzle Bobble!
City Connection and Taito suggests that these will probably be..... pricey.....
@Sethdedun
"Agreed!!!! It's getting REALLY discouraging as a gamer who prides their physical collection that all the great games being released again are coming digitally (Can't even express how sad I am over the Portal Companion Collection only being digital)."
"their"?
@Ooyah absolutely this! Maybe chuck NZ story in for good measure.
If they release Rainbow Islands on the Switch but it's the slightly unpleasant and unncecessary Extra version, I'm going to kick off. I'd probably have bought the Egret II mini if it had included the original arcade version.
Still have not played any of the Puzzle Bobbles games. I always thought about getting in the ACA games but just haven’t gotten around to it. Maybe I’ll just get this instead.
Please Mr Taito allow me to play Phoenix one more time by releasing it on Switch. Thanks Mr Taito
I've had both Bust a Move 1 and 2 in their ACA editions, but will still buy this collection since I love Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble and sounds like they even enhanced them this time around, so yay!
How do you play puzzle bobble online multiplayer??? The way it's supposed to be played?
The puzzle bobble should be a physical release. Anyway, I already get infinite continues on the one that’s already in the eShop, from pressing the shoulder button after game over.
Always great to see more Taito games but I think I'll be skipping these. Never been a fan of Puzzle Bobble but if I did want it, I'd go with the Arcade Archives release, as it'll have more populated leaderboards and Caravan mode.
Arcade Archives Metal Black I bought on release day and was kind of disappointed with it, which surprised me because of its legendary status and its connection to the Darius series, which I absolutely love. I play shmups for score chasing but Metal Black is such a slow starter. Playing that easy opening stage over and over gets boring pretty fast. There's also the matter of the input lag on these S-Tribute games, which is almost guaranteed to be worse than Hamster's releases.
PUZZLE BOBBLE 2 & 3 HELL YES.
I wish I knew the system they were using to decide which S-Tributes get physicals. So far I've seen Cotton/Guardian Force, and some Idol game?
I held off on the Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute in the off-chance Elevator Action and Metal Black would get a double-set like Cotton and Guardian Force, but I guess not. Would love to have them on Switch,, but in physical copy.
@Bunkerneath A year or so from now, when sales sag, a physical version will be announced, to entice those of us who bite on the digital to double up. It's the fun new trend in the business!
What on earth is the point? Both out already as perfectly emulated, lag-free AA releases. Yes, the Puzzle Bobble pack includes the third game, but much of a fan as i am, i won't be paying approx £35 for it when the first two exist as AA titles.The mind boggles.
I like city connection releases so these should be a great pick up. i actually slept on metal black for a while, but I do have a vintage arcade flyer for it. 😉
This could include more content and it would be nice to have true online play, but it is still awesome as-is. Seems like a nice alternative in case the new Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! isn't up to snuff or possibly priced too highly.
... Wun can only hope.
@Mario500 what do you mean "their?“?
The singular they has been in use in the English language for over 700 years. You've literally been using it your entire life, unless English isn't your first language. So why are you confused by it? The singular "they" actually predates the singular "you" believe it or not ("you" used to only refer to groups of people, like how "y'all" is used these days; for individual people you'd use "thou". That's how long ago this stuff was, the 700 years bit isn't hyperbole). Learn about the history of the singular "they" and all its derivatives such as the singular "their" here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
@shonenjump86 definitely play the Puzzle Bobbles, they're incredibly addictive. I prefer them even to Tetris. They're all kinda the same game so it doesn't matter a huge deal which ones you play first, it's all just puzzle bobble, there's only so much you can do with the formula. So buy whichever is cheapest, if you want.
Also I highly recommend the indie game Piffle if you like Puzzle Bobble, too. It's like a mixture of Puzzle Bobble and Arkanoid, but it's turn based so you have infinite time to plan shots, no constantly descending blocks like the puzzle bobble games, so it's very relaxing. Got a very nice pastel cartoon sort of art style too. You have to try and cause chain reactions with your shots, which are very satisfying once you pull them off and everything explodes, and you earn points which can be spent on special items like bombs and other things that make making huge chain reaction explosions easier to achieve. It's just fun as hell. I actually think it's almost a better kind of game to puzzle bobble. But it couldn't have existed without puzzle bobble, and PB is still an amazing series of games with that timeless sort of gameplay like Tetris that will never not be fun. So yeah, you should definitely own at least one puzzle bobble game. And you should definitely check out Piffle too. I actually wrote a review for piffle that Nintendo life published on one of their "games we missed" articles, I was that enamoured with it.
Removed - unconstructive
Removed - unconstructive
@AnorakJimi cool, I will definitely be playing Puzzle Bobble very soon.
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