Puzzle Bobble 3D Vacation Odessey (PS4)

 As puzzle month continues I look outside and see the falling snow and dream of somewhere warmer. As much as I love the snow, I hate being cold, and I wish there was a place where I could play some fun music, solve some puzzles, and relax. Well, that could be the possibility with the next game I am covering for this month Puzzle Bobble 3D Vacation Odessey.

The two leads of the arcade classic Bubble Bobble, when that game is not getting a sequel or put in collections have starred in a puzzle game series. Named both Bust A Move and Puzzle Bobble, the puzzle-based spin off starring the protagonists of Bubble Bobble, this game joins the recent releases and remakes the series has gotten of late. For those unfamiliar the Puzzle Bobble series has you aiming orbs of various colors at a stack of orbs that is approaching from the top of the screen to the bottom. Match three of the same color, hit a power up or connect and make a chain to get rid of orbs and clear the stage, keep going in an infinite arcade mode, or go head-to-head with a friend. If the orbs make it to the bottom, it's game over, in this quick to pick up, fun, bright and colorful, puzzle game with great music and a ton of entries in the series under both the titles of Puzzle Bubble or Bust A Move.

This is the first outing I know of at least my first outing with this series in this format. The grid is no longer pushing against you but rather is a 3D themed title that has you doing a few familiar and different things in a summer vacation setting. Upon researching the game, I discovered that this game is VR compatible and is meant for VR and can be played without which I did, so let's find out if the game is fun with or without a headpiece!

This game has the look, feel and sound of a mobile game. There is a story mode, versus mode, and puzzle mode. I mainly focused on story, where you go from stage to stage, solving puzzles with different stipulations such as a certain number of orbs to use, a time limit, or larger than average puzzle to clear. Clear all the orbs with the stipulations and hit the final orb at the end of each stage to get up to three stars and advance. Not counting the other modes, the story alone has a little over fifty stages to clear, and even the environment will change from time to time. In terms of gameplay, it was pretty fun and relaxing with a nice if not basic presentation and lackluster music. The game controlled well enough but i did find the cursor hard to pin down which resulted in a misfire or two, as well as aiming for something and either over or under shooting. This game is probably way better in VR, but can be played and enjoyed without it, in small bursts. Many of the stages blend together and feel put together like a free to play mobile puzzle game, so much like those this is easy to pick up and play, but then put down. The star system and prestation also remind me of such, but like those games, I still had fun, and would love to try it in VR at some point potentially. 

I got this game on sale, and I recommend anyone who is not going to play it in VR to do the same, as well as those who can play in VR.  This is a fun and relaxing puzzle game with a cute look, but there are so many out there that this one does not really stand out, perhaps if I played this in VR I would be singing a different tune but even then, this game is basic in terms of presentation, not even the puzzles stand out. This game is fun though in short burst, and is worth it at sale price, the game may not put a ton of effort into presentation, but the gameplay is pretty fun and great to relax with, but even then there are plenty of other puzzle games including ones in this series you can try as well. But if you look into it and like what you see, this trip even with its shortcomings, might be one worth taking, for me it was worth a short but still enjoyable stay.