Bust-A-Move Overview
Bust-A-Move for the SNES expands significantly on its arcade origins. The core task involves firing colored bubbles from a bottom-mounted launcher to form groups of three or more identical colors, which then disappear. Any clusters no longer connected to the top or sides will fall away. The play area is under constant pressure as the ceiling gradually lowers, and contact with the bottom screen edge results in a loss.
Primary single-player progression involves clearing 100 distinct, pre-arranged bubble layouts, a substantial increase from the arcade release. While some original stages return, the majority are new designs. This mode culminates in a final boss encounter. The gameplay is augmented by special bubble types that introduce different effects when struck, such as localized explosions, horizontal line clearance, or a cascading color-change stream.
Multiplayer retains the versus format where players compete to overwhelm each other. Here, bubbles are added from the top of the screen instead of a descending ceiling. Clearing large groups sends additional bubbles to the opponent's side. This mode can also be played against a selection of ten computer-controlled opponents, each with distinct strategic approaches.
An additional, challenging endless Challenge mode exists solely for scoring. Bubbles continuously enter from the top of the screen in an unwinnable scenario, with performance tracked by both total points and the number of bubbles popped.
