Imagine a great film with a single character at its core - let's go for the obvious example of Citizen Kane. Now imagine that the central role was played not by the charismatic Orson Welles, but by a typically bland TV actor of the time.
It would still have the same direction, cinematography and support performances. But would it be the same film?
Bubble Boom Challenge faces the same dilemma, taking many of the elements of the classic casual puzzler Zuma, but ripping out the core mechanic and replacing it with something far less engaging.
The premise is virtually identical - match three coloured baubles in a twisting conga line of the things, whittling them down as they roll inexorably to the point of no return. It's the manner in which this is achieved that's been changed.
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While Zuma (itself a clone of the lesser known Puzz Loop) gave you a satisfying 360 degree-firing shooter with which to place your bauble, Bubble Boom Challenge swaps it out for a rather crude block-dropping method. Rather like Tetris, the coloured bubbles drop from the sky, requiring you to steer them into place before they drop off the screen.
The problem is two-fold. Firstly, it inhibits play to an irritating degree. With the gamefield twisting and turning this way and that, such a gravity-based mechanic feels stifling and out of place, causing annoyance as you miss out on simple shots through sheer unfortunate timing.
Secondly - and crucially - it's just not very fun to use. While spreading your balls around (ahem) in Zuma, Luxor and the like is satisfying in itself, Bubble Boom Challenge's method feels clunky and unrewarding.
That aside, the game is perfectly competent, with bright presentation and plenty of power-ups, although it does suffer from a lack of modes.
Ultimately what does for Bubble Boom Challenge, though, is a C-list mechanic at the heart of a long-established A-list concept.
A competent Zuma clone that makes unwise changes to the bubble-matching formula. With so many superior alternatives on the market, it's difficult to recommend Bubble Boom Challenge to anyone
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