Bubble Island Facebook Game Review

I particularly like that at the end of the stage you have the options to publish your accomplishment on your wall (as oppose to automatically doing so) and also inviting your friends to play if you choose. The object is always the same: bubbles will pop only when in chains of 3 or more of the same color. The red line at the bottom is your danger line. If the bubbles get below the line, you lose a life.  At the end of the each level you complete you get a rundown of your time, your general and bonus points (with an overall score at the bottom).

Each level does get more challenging with more colors and styles of bubbles being added as well as other challenges (ie. falling ceiling etc.).  Also, you do have the ability to earn and buy coins that can be cashed in for retrying levels if all your lives are lost, or skipping forward to different levels, and even “First Aid Kits” to help you win the harder levels (For the record, I’ve managed to pass the whole game without purchasing extra assistance, so it’s very possible).

At various intervals, you’ll be issued coins, lives, badges, and bonus levels just for completing milestones in your level-by-level play. Generally speaking, the first few stages and all the levels are fairly easy to pass which really motivates you into the game. The simple interface with the cartoon characters and backdrop make it pleasurable to play and underscores the simplicity of the game concept.

Since the overall ‘path’ in the game is essential to the treasure map of Bubble Island where you island hop through the various stages, it’s easy to see the game in entirety in terms of where you are headed. Of course, the stages are locked until you pass all the preceding ones, so there is an accomplishment-based progression to the game. Overall, it’s pretty addicting if you’re into Bubble games. I enjoyed it!

In between a lot of the levels, you are given a few valuable tips that help you complete the next level. Read them. Always remember to survey the whole playing area before starting to shoot your bubbles. Sometimes the bubbles near the top are all in the same color and you can strategically get to those to burst them so all the bubble underneath will fall away. In other words, don’t just play the last line of bubbles going up in a line-by-line order. You will not survive the upper levels that way.

Take the time to measure your angles when using the walls for bank shots. Remember on all the ceiling drop levels (basically almost all of them), the ceiling drops by number of shots taken NOT by time clock. So take your time to be accurate… within reason.  If you wait too long the bubble shoots out whether you are ready or not.  And you’ll need to get really good at using the walls to bounce bubbles. I find the easiest way to get the most accurate shot is to follow the line at right angles with my finger on the screen. It’ll give me a good rough idea of where the ball will land depending on where I bounce it from.

Remembering that the object of the game is to clear each level, try to find the chains with 2 or more connected bubbles that you can burst quickly in one shot.

Since bubbles given arrive at random, sometimes it’s a challenge if there’s no existing bubbles of the same color exposed. In that case, I launch the bubble in between, say two yellows or two of any other color. That way if say a yellow come up I can pop the yellow bubbles AND my orphaned bubble that’s sitting in between as long as it’s not touching any other color.

You’ll quickly establish your own method of passing the levels.  Stick with what works and remember that the pace of the game does get faster and harder as you move up the levels.  Here’s a few tips to help you out:

If you have two bubbles, a gap, and then two bubbles all of the same color (ie. B B _ B B), don’t shoot at the two bubbles (ie. the “”B””), instead shoot in the gap to connect and burst them all at once (ie. B B B B B).

Always try to dislodge a larger stack of bubble by chipping away at the connecting bubbles farther up. Using the walls to bounce the bubbles off of is essential here.

When I’m 80% finished a level that I know I can’t possible screw up, I experiment with angles and bouncing the ball off the walls so get really good at making accurate shots.

Remember to play strategically. What I mean is don’t plug up a gap or a spot with a different color bubble if you can avoid it. Sometimes waiting for the right bubble in the right spot means clearing the level.   So keeping as many colors exposed as possible will help you clear bubbles faster.

Many levels have an obvious and sometimes not so obvious solution. Remember, the playing area on any level isn’t usually just a random swathe of bubbles. Oftentimes, there are weak spots that once chipped in with bubbles popped, make the rest of the level easy to complete. Always survey the initial bubble placement on each level first.

The ceiling drops and “shot clock” can quickly squeeze you out of a life. So make sure you take care of the low bubble first. But don’t make your focus exclusively there.

Finally, don’t panic if you make a mistake! Sure the balls will shoot themselves if you wait too long, but mistakes are fixable if you don’t lose your cool. Focus on immediate threats to the red line first, than on dislodging larger bubble sections by aiming high.

And have fun!