Bust-A-Move Again (Arcade)

Bust-A-Move Again is the sequel to Puzzle Bobble, now with a cuter redesign and new characters, music, and game modes (only in the Japanese version, though; it was all removed for the US version).

Five months later, it revived an upgraded holiday-themed version named Puzzle Bobble 2X, which was unfortunately never released outside Japan. There's also a Neo Geo arcade version, which was localized as Bust-A-Move Again EX, but thankfully it retains all of the cute characters and modes from the Japanese version.

Character Select#

It's possible to select the playable character in both Puzzle and VS CPU modes when holding specific button combinations at the map screen. You can even select the "Hands" and "CPU Player" from the US version of the game.

Error Handler#

Much like the other Puzzle Bobble games on the Taito F3, this screen appears whenever the game crashes.

Regional Differences#

To do: There's quite a lot left to add here.

When Puzzle Bubble 2 was brought to the US, Taito America once again decided to "de-cuteify" the game, just like they did with the cancelled Bubble Buster... though this time they managed to actually release the game.

Intro#

The first big difference is the intro. Puzzle Bobble 2 features a cutesy introduction where a 3D Bubblun is shown walking into a mountain zone at night, followed by three short gameplay clips. Then, it shows Bub and Bob dancing to the intro music, accompanied by two backgrounds: the first displays Bub's face, and the second showcases some of the new characters featured in the game. Finally, it transitions to the title screen. None of this is present in Bust-A-Move Again, which simply displays the title screen along with its intro music.

Also, Bust-A-Move Again shows the obligatory "Recycle It, Don't Trash It!" before the title screen.

Title Screen#

Japan	US	World

Puzzle Bobble 2 shows the title screen on a tiled green background after the intro ends, whereas Bust-A-Move Again just uses a plain black background.

Game Select Screen#

Japan	US	World

Puzzle Bubble 2 shows in a teal background, cute sketches of Bubblun, a happy robot and Bobblun, that for strange reasons is green rather than blue. Bust-A-Move Again shows in an emerald-green background the sprite of the disembodied hands (player) and the computer (computer/opponent). Also, the font is less bubbly in the Japanese and US versions.

Puzzle Game Map#

Japan/Europe	US

Puzzle Bobble 2 shows Bubblun/Bobblun (on Darius-esque branching paths) facing the direction where he'll go, depending on your choices. Bust-A-Move Again shows inside a wireframe the same Darius-esque branching paths, the disembodied hands guiding you on how to select your path and a (much older) computer (than the one you face in player vs computer mode) which tells you to "SELECT YOUR NEXT STAGE..." and wishing you "GOOD LUCK!!" once you selected it.

Player VS Computer Map#

Puzzle Bobble 2 shows Bubblun/Bobblun walking towards the opponent before the pre-match cutscene begins. This is completely absent in Bust-A-Move Again, where the level instantly starts after you select a difficulty.

Pre-Match Cutscenes#

Puzzle Bobble 2 has cutscenes before a match starts, where it shows Bub/Bob interacting with their opponent. Some of them also try to scare (or hurt) them. These cutscenes were completely removed in Bust-A-Move Again, as it simply goes straight to the next level after you complete the previous one.

Game Over#

Japan/Europe	US

The game over screens are completely different.

• Puzzle Bobble 2 shows in a beige bricky background, a bubbly GAME OVER sign with a sad Bubblun/Bobblun inside a bubble, that mimicks an O, Bub/Bob paw next to it. Towards the end of the game over theme two bubbles will fall and hit the bubble where Bub/Bob is inside.
• Bust-A-Move Again shows in a plain black background, a normal white (and a bit smaller) GAME OVER sign, just to match the one of Bubble Buster.

Music#