Bubbles vs. Bubblets vs. PocketPop vs. Pocket Marbles

.: Bubbles :: Bubblets :: PocketPop :: Pocket Marbles :.

.: By: Jason Surguine :: Device used: E-125 :: March 20, 2001 :.

These three games are based off of the same concept so for simplicity I’ve decided to put them all in the same review.

Here’s the basic premise of all three games (in standard mode): there is a whole screen of different colored bubbles stacked on top of each other, forming a big block from 5x5 to 20x20 bubbles on screen, depending on the difficulty level.

The object is to clear the screen by selectively tapping on bubbles of the same color that are touching (vertically or horizontally) to make them disappear. The more bubbles that you are able to make disappear in one tap, the more points you receive. This, of course, involves the strategic selectivity of the balls you’re going to get rid of to try and get the maximum amount to disappear at once.

At the same time, however, you have to remember to clear the entire screen and not have several mismatched balls at the end of your game. This may sound difficult, because I’m trying to explain it with out demonstrating it, but it’s very easy. If you’ve ever played the touch-screen video games at bars, you’ll be very familiar to this concept (almost a replica of the "Monsters" game, if you remember it). Okay, enough explaining.

Bubbles:

The name of the game is Bubbles, pretty appropriate, but easy to be confused with the game below, Bubblets. I know I’ve done this to almost every game so far, but, I don’t think there’s a Super Marryowe Brothers, only a Super Mario Brothers, just a thought. This is, by far, the most simple of the three games. The playing options are as follows: Easy (5x5 with 3 different colored balls), Medium (15x15 with 3 colors), and Hard (15x15 with 5 colors). There’s a high score list, which is one of the nicest (albeit simple) ones so far.

The game plays exactly as described above. The are a few unique features to this game however. There is an undo button at the bottom of the screen, which lets you undo your last move, in case you accidentally hit it the wrong button (or you realize that you made a bad move). This button is very handy, especially if you have played the other two ‘bubble’ games first. The reason I say this is because when you tap on your desired bubble, that’s it, they’re gone in one tap.

The other games allow you to select your bubble, see exactly which ones you’re going to affect first, and then you tap it again if you’re sure, or if you don’t like the results you can simply tap something else. This one-tap style of playing suits me fine, because I enjoy having a quick game, trying to see how fast I can think and still get a good score. However, if you like to really plan out ahead and spend a LONG time on a puzzle game and get the best possible score out of it, you may not like this feature.

Speaking of features, I think it could have just one more (while the other ‘bubble’ games already have many more, I don’t find them necessary, but I’ll get to that later). I think there should be an option for a timed game. Whether one that times how fast you can finish the board, or one that times how fast with the highest score. This would make the game a little more fun, and bring more of an arcade-like feel to it.

The graphics are… well uh, they’re colored balls on a white background. Nothing too visually stunning but it does get the job done. Luckily, this does make the game run very quickly and smoothly. However, it does get rather bland to look at after a while (and if you’re like me, you might have to take a Metalion break or two after a couple games, just to ease your eyes). It’s apparent that the author of this game can do pretty decent graphics (look at the about screen) he just didn’t want to use them in the game, pity. No real graphical glitches whatsoever, good, I like that.

There is one sound effect in the game and no music. It’s not a very good sound effect, but luckily there’s an in-game option to turn it off. I’m not going harp on this subject any longer, it’s kind of silly to do it in every review. It’s just that it’s not that hard to put a little more emphasis on sound for the Pocket PC. That’s all.

Overall this is a nice, solid ‘bubble’ game for the PPC. While it isn’t graphically stunning, aurally beautiful, or even very original, neither are most puzzle games. It is well programmed, with no glitches (that I could find), it plays nicely, and it’s free.

Pros:

• No glitches.

• Solid.

• Quick gameplay.

• Free (including the undo option)!

Cons:

• Bland graphics.

• Virtually no sound.

• Could be better.
  

Bubblets (shareware version):

Don’t let the name fool you, this game is not the same game as above with smaller bubbles, as the name suggests. In fact the bubbles are bigger! However they’re aligned in a strange 12x11 bubbles because of this. That doesn’t really change the game much, I just though I’d point it out because I found it odd.

This game differs from the others in it’s options and it’s presentation. The most notable options are the game styles. You can play a standard game, which is the standard rules described above; there is a continuous mode, where the game can be played indefinitely (as far as I could tell) as long as you can keep clearing entire vertical columns; Shifter mode, which shifts higher vertical columns horizontally on top of existing balls (only one column at a time), from left to right; and Mega-shift, which moves every vertically higher column (from left to right) on top of lower ones. Sound confusing? Well, maybe that’s why they’re options. Once, you understand the game pretty well and try these variances, they make a lot more sense.

Strangely enough, there’s no difficulty level selection, you always have 12x11 balls at 5 colors. Of course, there’s a high score menu and info and where to register and other whatnot, but it’s not that important.

The gameplay is actually very nice in the way that you can see exactly which bubbles that are going to be affected by tapping once and then again to confirm. Another nice addition is the box that surrounds the bubbles that will be affected also has a number signifying how many points you will earn if you decide to go through with it. There is an Undo feature, but it is locked for the shareware version. Why? Is the undo feature that amazing? I understand leaving a few options out of the shareware version, but that’s just silly.

Graphically, this is the best out of the three ‘Bubble’ games. The bubbles are vibrantly colored, and nicely modeled….. balls, on a white background. This was okay for Bubbles (above game), because it is obviously a freeware Game done by Ramon de Klein in his spare time. This however is a shareware game that allows you to play the game for about 2 weeks, and then requires you to pay for it if you want to continue playing. I have nothing against shareware, and I have bought many shareware programs because they were/are good-quality programs, even in their demo state.

Perhaps, this game is completely different when you register and it has some amazing 3D graphic engine with real-time lighting effects and unlimited ammo, but it isn’t. I don’t even ask that much, but I recall (again) back to the cheap touch-screen bar game, very similar to this one, "Monsters" or something like that, where instead of stale bubbles, there would be really cool animated monsters that would react by screaming or looking hurt and fall off the screen instead of just disappear. And I know this is completely possible on the Pocket PC. That would be worthy of registering. I’m not saying the graphics are horrible, there just not good, and they could be much better. And, the balls sometimes move a bit sluggish for me.

The sound is decent, it’s the standard sub-par four sound effects and no music. Nothing special And yes, you can turn it off in the option screen if you get sick of the sound effects.

I may have sounded a little harsh in this review, but that’s because the Pocket PC deserves better games. If I’m going to pay for a game, I want it to be top-notch, I don’t want just want to unlock the undo button. I will give this game credit where it is do though. It is very clean, no bad 
glitches, nicely presented and enough gameplay options to keep a decent replay level.

Pros:

• Nice presentation.

• Nice options.

• Better graphics.

Cons:

• Lack of sound.

• Lack of undo button.

• Not worth paying for.
  

Pocket Marbles:

This game includes the options to change the bubbles/marbles to shapes, letters, or numbers. There is a high score list. The board can play 12x12, 16x16, 20x20, and 24x24, in which you can only play the game with 5 colored balls. And there is a free Undo option, however, it takes away points if you use it.

These graphics are decent. Nothing to praise or scream about. They are about on par with PocketPop, yet not as good as Bubblets.

The only advantage this game has over PocketPop is that in 24x24 bubbles mode (which is insane, don’t even try it!) you can still see the bubbles without squinting to decipher which ones are which. However I did find it annoying that some of the graphics flicker anytime I tap on the screen. This is unacceptable if you want to sell a game. 

The play control is exactly like Bubblets, in that you have to tap the bubbles once and it tells you the number you have selected at the bottom of the screen, and then you have to tap a second time to remove the bubbles.

I did find it a little easier to see which bubble sit would affect because it would highlight all the bubbles selected instead of just draw a box around them. Still this does not warrant registering an okay duplicate of an okay puzzle game.

There is no sound. None when I start the game, none when the bubbles disappear, and none when I finish the game.

This is just another example of one of the bigger application companies pawning off an okay duplicate of an already existing free puzzle game for money, when it isn’t even up to, nor above, par. Stop it.

[Editor's note: To be fair to Developer One, Bubblets was certainly one of the first "Bubbles" games on the market.]

Pros:

• Decent layout.

• Simple to Play.

• Can be addicting.

Cons:

• Another duplicate.

• Glitchy graphics.

• No sound.

• Not worth paying for.
  

PocketPop:

PocketPop. Okay, now we’re getting a little more original, just don’t start naming every Pocket PC game "Pocket ____" because that wears off and gets old, like half the Super Nintendo and N64 titles that had to add "Super" or "64" to all of their games.

It was cool at first (just like Pocket Quake is now) but it will get old (like by the time we have "Pocket Unreal Tournament 2002"). This doesn’t affect the review of the game at all, I’m just trying to help.

The gameplay is pretty much the same as Bubbles (game way above) except you have a few more options. The skill levels are Easy 10x10 at 3 colors, Medium 15x15 at 4 colors, and Hard 20x20 at 5 colors. Just to warn you 20x20 at 5 colors is VERY difficult, so if you’re looking for a challenge, this is the game to play.

You also have your choice of a Game Type. This includes: Highest Score (the standard way), Clear the Board (where you see how fast you can clear the board, not caring about points, just your time), and Memory test (where all the bubbles are Question Marks, and if you tap on them you can only see the like-colored bubbles it’s connected to). Also an interesting option to change the skin of the bubbles to different shapes or bricks is available.

The game plays very similar to Bubblets (game directly above) in that you can tap once and view the bubbles you will affect and again to confirm. Unfortunately, it does not display how many points you will receive like Bubblets does, it just displays the box. This game also includes an undo button, free of charge!

[Editor's Note: Eric Jones wrote in to say that the score for each bubble cluster you select is actually displayed in the upper right-hand corner]

Graphically, PocketPop is okay. It’s not as nice looking as Bubblets and only a tad better than Bubbles, but the colors are a little more vivid than both of them, making the bubbles a little easier to distinguish in PocketPop. The bubbles disappear nicely, no noticeable lag except sometimes when the undo button is pressed.

[Editor's Note: Eric Jones wrote in to point out that you can download extra skins from the PocketFun.co.uk website]

Another warning about the 20x20x5 color mode: you might go blind! Be careful, trying to discern between 400 bubbles on the screen at once can really strain your eyes. In able to fit this many bubbles on screen, they shrank the bubbles and they are tiny! Still, I’m staring at some flat, colored bubbles on a white background….

Sound is comprised of three sound effects (two of which are pretty cool, and one that gets annoying) and no music.

All in all, this is a good game. It’s solid, no glitches, fully functional, and has some nice options.

Pros:

• Good Gameplay Options.

• Decent Graphics.

• Free.

• Can be Very Difficult!

Cons:

• Not enough sound.

• Can make you go blind!

• Can be Very Difficult!

.: Game category: Puzzle Games :: Reviews Index :.