The Addiction of Popping Bubbles

Who ever thought that popping bubbles could ever be soooo fun and addicting? The same question may apply to those who cannot stop popping bubble wrap or ballons as a child. Why unleash such a destructive power over something so fragile and vulnerable? And still it is sooo fun.

From a number of Pop the Bubble games from the Play Store, one stands out: Bubble Pop Plus from Pop Casuals. It stands out not just through the simple and clean gameplay but also through the difficulty of some of the levels that will keep you stuck to your device for hours at a time. The game is free and uses as a monetization method “coins”. As always these coins can be either bought for an extremely low price or earned by completing levels. Progressing through the game will unlock new levels of increased difficulty and from time to time special levels will require coins to be played. Even more difficult than a normal level, these stages will quickly eat away all of your savings, but rest assured the game can be completed without purchasing additional ones. It only takes patience and a good strategy.

The gameplay is simple, you need to match at least 3 bubbles of the same colour in order to destroy them. Beware of the razor sharp blades that will destroy any bubbles targeted at them. Another annoyance is the portal that can swallow your shots and bring everything a few levels lower, usually meaning the end of that level. At random points during the gameplay, special power ups can be used: you can launch a bomb that will disintegrate the targeted bubble and its surrounding area, or a rock that will pop everything in its way being stopped only by the razor blades mentioned above.

Talking about a dramatic ending… after finishing level 150, after hours and hours of intense play, the game ends… it just ends. No Congratulations screen, no Credits no nothing. I just stood there looking at the level select screen hopping that something will happen, anything, fairies will appear congratulating me for the hard work with a Hallelujah background music. But no, there is no indication that you have completed the game. Frustrated i started looking through the menus maybe i missed something, maybe some mystical door has opened without me knowing it, maybe there is a “secret lever” i must activate, there was NOTHING.

A strange thought has occured for a brief moment: maybe this game was not meant to be finished, maybe the devs just did not take into consideration that a human being  could ever finish it, maybe i am this super player with more than above-intelligence and i just don’t know it. After a quick research the Internet proved me wrong, there were also others who finished the game and it is as simple as that: it does not have any indication when the final stage is complete.