Story.
1P demo.
VS demo 2.
High Scores.
Oh hey, look 2X has some demos as well!
Bub walks.
2P demo.
Cute intro to Title.
Tutorial.
PUZZLE BOBBLE 2
Ok, a list of logos.
Puzzle Bobble 2 (aka Bust-A-Move 2 and Bust-A-Move again) is a game originally released in the arcades in 1995 on the Taito F3 hardware, and coincided with Bubble Memories. Later on, Puzzle Bobble 2 got a 2X version - also in 1995 - and a Neo-Geo version in 1999.
Puzzle Bobble 2 was localized as Bust-A-Move Again on the Taito F3 and given a new, yet bland coat of paint that was inverted back into the original version on all console ports and the Neo Geo version.
Puzzle Bobble 2 also got ports of the orignal version on Sony Playstation 1, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo Game Boy, while the 2x version was ported to DOS, PC and Sega Saturn. Finally, the Neo-Geo version was ported to the Sony PS4, Microsoft Xbox 1, and Switch as emulated downloads, unfortunately still yet to recieve a physical edition. Later, 2X version (with arcade edition and Puzzle Bobble 3) were released on Steam, PS4/PS5, XBOX 1/Series X and Nintendo Switch as digital downloads.
Taito Legends 2 also featured Puzzle Bobble 2 in the Original Xbox and PC versions, while the Sony PS2 version used a broken emulation of Bust-A-Move Again.
Bub walks.
Bub walks.
Now that's a fair bit! Anyway, here is how the demo goes for almost every version.
Xmas demo
Bob walks.
New Year demo.
Fireworks.
Chase #1.
Chase #2.
Puzzle Mode Walkthrough (Part 1: Features & Tips)
Now officially on to the walk-through with Puzzle mode!
Puzzle mode is the classic Puzzle Bobble Gameplay introduced in the first game but now there are many new additions!
New Boards
Wide Board: Seen in many levels, it allows you more room to shoot bubbles but also makes it harder to aim certain shots. And it also introduced new level design opportunities!
Jama Bubble: An un-poppable bubble that can only be defeated by making it fall.
Bowling Ball: Eliminates everything in its path, but will disappear when it touches the top of the screen or hits a Jama Block.
Star Bubble: Removes all bubbles of a single colour depending on what coloured bubble hits it. (also in VS).
New Bubbles
1P demo.
VS demo.
Cute intro to Title Ver. 2.
New Shooters
Cannon: used by Mechanical Prototype Bub and later, you got to use it in 2X with the characters Hand and Computer, with the character select codes. It is harder to aim with, feeling clunky and unneccesary.
LETTER U
LETTER V
LETTER W
LETTER ?
8-Bit Creatures: Appear in 2X mode and don't do much... (also in VS).
Difficulty
PRACTICE: In Puzzle Mode you will get to play one group of puzzles, ie; one letter of the Alphabet Tree. In VS Computer, you will face three characters, two of which are exlusive to Practice Mode.
NORMAL: In Puzzle Mode you will get to play through the entire Alphabet Tree on the path of your choosing. In VS Computer, you will face up to 12 increasingly difficult opponents.
HARD: This makes the "normal" game level more difficult in Puzzle Mode, while the aggressiveness is increased in VS Computer.
How To Score
If your main goal in Puzzle Bobble is to score a lot of points and gaining a High Score, then this is the section for you! Bubbles when they are popped are worth 10 points each. Popping bubbles that cause other bubbles to drop earn you BIG points! Here is the list of bubbles and their worth depending on drops.
DROPPED
SCORE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17+
20
40
80
160
320
640
1280
2560
5120
10240
20480
40960
81920
163840
327680
655360
1310720
Most score players, also after the main parts are done, tend to make big clusters themselves to earn more points quickly... this is sometimes referred to as "chaining".
How To Speed Up Your Times
If you want to speed up your times it's your time to shine!
-
First, always find the best ways to drop many bubbles in a single shot, as it will make your job way easier.
-
Next, plan ahead with the Next Bubble feature so that there is little time between shots.
-
Finally, pick the paths you're most comfortable with! It will make things way easier!
Like the previous game, we also have time bonuses! Here it is at the max and min;
Max: 1-5 seconds 500,000 Bonus
Min: 47-50 seconds 300 Bonus
All times in between are worth in-between points!
After 50 sec, no Bonus will be awarded.
Puzzle Mode Structure
New to the series and soon to be staple for some time is the pyramid system, also known as the Alphabet Tree. This is where you ascend up to the top by going through sets of 5 levels at a time. This will eventually lead to the ending depending on the route you take, of which, is completely up to you as the player. Each letter on the Alphabet Tree has different sets of five puzzles so some letters will be easier than others. Endings will be different depending on what letter of the Alphabet Tree you land on at the end of the mode.
LETTER X
LETTER Y
LETTER Z
Also, afterwards the code for Another World shows up after the ending. (Look at our cheats section for the codes).
VS Computer Walkthrough (Part 1: Features & Tips)
Puzzle Mode Endings
Jama Block: Can't be destroyed. You have to work around them or make them fall.
Story
The story is not 100% clear of what exactly has happened, but we do know that, according to the beginning of the game, Beluga is stealing stars for Dreg. It is uncertain why or if this is even the reason for the events of the game, but it does appear to have meaning as the ending of VS Computer Mode shows the constellations becoming restored after Dreg is defeated. In order to achieve this goal, Bub has to go on a quest fighting against many other characters on a journey across Bubble Land until he reaches the mountain that is protected by Prototype Bub. Defeat of Prototype Bub reveals it to be under the control of Dreg, and then Bub must battle against him and defeat him to restore the constellations in the night sky.
NOTE: This marks the very first appearance of Dreg, who would go on to be the main Puzzle Bobble villain for many years to come.
*Recommended reading: Puzzle Mode Part 1 is useful*
The main goal if it wasn't obvious, is to fill your opponents board with bubbles until it reaches the deadline by dropping bubbles in clusters. The more you drop, the more will be sent over to the opponents screen. These are represented by small Chack'n's of three different colours above the deadline on the victims screen:
-
Yellow Chack'n Stone: A single bubble is coming over.
VS Computer (Practice)
VS Computer (Normal/Hard)
2P VS Mode Junk
Well, time to get into the part where no FAQ has ever gone to...
FUN FACT: You can be Bob in 1P modes. They even change up the cut-scenes as well!
-
Red Chack'n Stone: A row of bubbles are coming over.
Several of these yellow and red Chack'n Stones lined up indicate more refugee bubbles depending how many their are in a row and which colour they inhabit.
Yeah its as simple as that... On to the real stuff now!
VS Computer Endings
Level Editor: (on PC and Saturn) - A later staple of the series. Make puzzles that you can play in your spare time!
Console Exclusive Modes
Time Trials: (on PS1 and N64) - Race through all the puzzle levels to see how fast you can make it!
PS1/PS3/PSP/PS Vita
-Very solid conversion.
-Plays great.
-Load times are meh.
Taito Legends 2 (Xbox/PC)
-It's the OG version.
-Very accurate
-PC version contains the MAME roms.
Taito Legends 2 (PS2)
-It's Bust-A-Move Again.
-Inaccurate emulation of music.
Taito F3 (OG and 2x)
This is a documentation on every version of Puzzle Bobble 2 that has ever been released.
Neo-Geo/PS4/Xbox One/Switch
-Almost the same.
-No 2x version.
-Interruptions are the only way 2P VS can activate.
Version Comparisons
-The OG version.
-Pure and simple.
-Lack of unique modes.
-USA version is Bust-A-Move Again.
CHOKKINTA
BIRUGAN
CHUN-CHUN
WOOLEN
PACKEY
BELUGA
KAJAKU
While Taito did mostly shove Bust-A-Move Again under the rug, it still had a legacy of its own...
With 2X, the Arcade version used the historical backgrounds from Again for Puzzle Mode, and with 2 special cheats, Hand and Computer can be played as (though they have to control the Cannon bubble machine, probably representing Taito's embarrassment for Again.)
Taito Legends 2 (US PS2 version) also had Again in, though it wasn't intentional, because of its broken music taken from Puzzle Bobble 2 instead of Bust-A-Move Again's music... Whoops!
Characters
DOS
-Runs at high resolutions.
-Has a demo.
-Meh graphics.
-Overall issues.
-Has 2 and 2X content.
Nintendo 64
-Almost the same as PS1
-N64 styled music (midi) instead of CD quality music.
Sega Saturn
-One of the best ports.
-Includes 2 and 2X.
-Level Editor Mode.
-Can show off all the special 2X demos.
Nintendo Game Boy
-Downgraded graphics.
-8-bit midi music instead of CD quality music.
-Hard to see sometimes.
-Monochrome graphics.
PC
-Almost like DOS.
-Meh resolution.
-Has 2 and 2X content.
-Capped at 16 FPS.
For the best experience, go with MAME roms or the Sega Saturn release. We recommend the PS1 or N64 releases for the Time Trial modes. The Nintendo Gameboy version is most certainly not without its charm though.
Bust-A-Move Again (AKA the one no one remembers)...
Taito, in an attempt to "westernize" Puzzle Bobble for the US market (not sure about PAL regions) retooled Puzzle Bobble 2 into Bust-A-Move Again.
If this venture would have succeeded, we would have seen more adventures with Hand and Computer, but as you could clearly tell, Again flopped, and Bub and Bob took back North America again with not only future titles, but also console and Neo-Geo versions of Puzzle Bobble 2 as well.
Again's differences were mostly on the visual and audio side of things, with new historical graphics and featured 2 new and exclusive characters; Hand (representing the player) and Computer (representing the CPUs), replacing our cast of characters. It was also given a new, techno soundtrack.