The Nintendo eShop originally blew up with the introduction of a puzzle title called Pushmo and lately titles have been coming to the 3DS eShop rather quickly. A new title to the eShop, Balloon Pop Remix, takes cues from mobile puzzle games and Bubble Bobble and makes it one package for the 3DS. The people at UFO Interactive had made a enjoyable, relaxing game that can be played for a minute or an hour depending on how you want to take in your bubble popping adventure. So is the $7.99 eShop title worth the price?
If you are just talking about length, sure. There are three different modes that all feel and play significantly different. The story mode follows a cute little red guy as he goes on his journey to find his ship parts by keeping a meter up. Pop the balloons with enough accuracy, and lets face it, enough luck and you will move throughout a stage. There are plenty of levels for hours of fun in this game mode alone.
The second mode, puzzle mode, is probably the mode I had the most fun with. You are given a limited amount of moves, sometimes only 1 or two moves, and you are supposed to clear the whole board. This mode is addicting and also gets you better prepared for the other two modes. There are tons of levels in this mode that would be enough for most eShop titles. The only problem with this mode is that it can be annoying to try something over again. Bringing you out of the whole menu to retry a level can be frustrating. I don’t know if it was limitations in the 3DS hardware, but this game mode could have been more addicting if you could run right back in to the puzzle without going through another menu.
The last mode is really for the player that has completed story and puzzle mode. The last mode is endless mode. Basically you will start a stage with a full move meter and then balloons will keep dropping until the meter runs out. This mode gives the game some legs in length and again would be enough in the mobile games platform on its own.
Final Thought:
So does Balloon Pop Remix hold it’s own on the 3DS eShop? I think so. The three modes are enjoyable and the mechanics are sound. There is some weirdness with frame rate issues and menu discombobulation but I have to believe those are issues with the 3DS hardware and not problems with the development of the game. If you are bored with your 3DS and like puzzles this game is perfect for you. I just wish Nintendo would figure out it’s pricing model a little better. If this game was $3 or even $5 it would be much more convincing then the $7.99 price Point.
This review is based on a retail copy of the 3DS version of Balloon Pop Remix provided by the developers.
