Play Bust-a-Move '99 Online

Summary

Bust‑A‑Move '99 feels like a love letter to the classic bubble‑shooter while sneaking in a handful of surprises that keep the formula fresh. The core loop still asks you to line up three matching bubbles and watch them pop, but the game rewards you for sending the burst bubbles off the screen – in multiplayer that even sends extra trouble to your opponent’s side. New special bubbles – star, metal and the now‑iconic rainbow – add a layer of strategy, especially the rainbow bubbles that change colour when a neighbor bursts, sparking chain reactions.

What really sets this version apart is the node‑based playfield: bubbles cling to invisible nodes that drift downward, and a node vanishes once its bubbles are gone, ending the level when all nodes disappear. Missed shots simply bounce back and count as a move, so you can experiment without immediate penalty. The scrolling stages stretch far beyond the visible screen, turning a handful of classic levels into marathon‑style challenges, and the built‑in level editor lets you craft your own puzzles.

The N64 port, released as Bust‑A‑Move 99 in the U.S. and Puzzle Bobble 64 in Japan, upgrades the graphics, adds four‑player simultaneous play and lets you pick Bub or Bob for VS‑Computer matches. Critics responded well, with scores hovering around the low‑80s and an 8.2 from IGN, confirming that the game’s new twists didn’t betray its roots.