Bubble Safari Facebook Game Review

The game graphics are okay but the screen is a bit too busy as is the point structure and cash-in. It’s confusing to figure out where you’re getting the bonus points from. Also, the game seemed to hang once I cleared a level but did not yet click the red arrow to continue. All options disappeared and the game locked or froze which was disappointing on the first time play.

To progress to the next level, you must hit at least one star, which means you need to rack up some points. At the end of each level, you always have the option of sharing your score, adding friends to challenge, and sharing your coins as well. To make it competitive, Bubble Safari also tells you who amongst your friends you are currently beating with each cleared level. You’re also ranked as you progress as well.

You get issued Fire Bubbles – which are like wild card bubbles, and hummingbirds (on successive multipops which then give you more Fire Bubbles), extra bubbles that you can use at any time in addition to your shooter bubbles as well as temporary and permanent “Power-Ups” which you can also purchase. These include your extended aiming guide, speed shots, extra bubbles (which can also be gifted to you by your Facebook friends), etc.

The game is a bit pushy in getting you to invite your friends. In the first 3 levels, it offers the option to just “continue”. The button is well hidden beneath the “continue and invite friends” button. But afterwards, the option disappears. You can still keep playing, but you’ll have to go through the motions and just X out of the option to invite friends (if you don’t wish to). The screens restarts and shows your level path and you can still continue play. I think it does that every few levels.

Remember too that you only have as many turns or ‘lives’ as your energy level. Once you’re out of energy you need to buy more or ask your friends or wait for a refill in real-time.

You’re also issued “money” that you can use to help friends disarm bear traps and other obstacles that prevent you from progressing. Bubble Safari makes you use the “money” OR get help from your friends in order to advance (there’s that pushy social aspect of the game again!).

Like a lot of bubble games, Bubble Safari is pretty easy in the first dozen levels. But as you progress, you’ll need to buy power-ups with coins you earn through playing – so save your coins.

As mentioned, Bubble Safari is heavily social-dependent. So the more friends you have playing the more you can gift them (and they can gift you) to help you pass upper levels.

Bubble Safari is generous on the squeeze or the ability to squish a bubble in between two other bubbles with it getting stuck in the wrong spot. Center your aiming guide perfectly (including if you’re doing a bank shot) and you can quickly clear a few chains higher up the playing area.

Unlike other bubble games, Bubble Safari seems to like a larger playing area, so there’s less random multicolored balls in single color chains. Adjust your strategy to this accordingly.  Since they are usually grouped in larger same-color chains, you can clear areas quickly and get further up the playing area to clear the top bubbles. But be careful. If you block a critical spot, it will take a few bubbles to ‘unblock’ it to clear the large chain(s).

As always, keep a close eye on your shooter/bubble budget. Once you run out of bubbles you lose a life. So be strategic especially as you near the top.

Make sure you use the bubble swap feature to switch between the current bubble and the one ‘on deck’ if it helps you clear the board a bit and/or expose more options for you on the board.  I’m ALWAYS swapping bubbles as I always seem to find better placement for the on-deck bubble than the one immediately in my shooter.

When you hit several large chains in a row, the hummingbirds give you 3 Fire Bubbles which can be used anywhere and they burst immediately adjoining bubbles regardless of color. Use these where there are NO chains since those are hard to clear and take more shots to pop.

Also, I like to use Fire Bubbles on the coconuts (the solid bubbles than can only be dropped – not popped). Fire Bubbles will destroy coconuts and help make the game easier (ie. you won’t have to rely on as many accurate bank shots, etc.). Just remember Fire Bubbles don’t work on “steel” coconuts.

On Level 13, hit the solid color on the far right to drop that massive batch of coconuts. Don’t waste bubbles anywhere else until you drop those.

Since this is a bubble game, some tips may apply from other bubble game reviews on DataGrabber.org – check out the review for Buggle, Bubble Island etc.