Puzzle Bobble Mini FAQs/Walkthrough
Version 1.0 by beastiecube
Revision History
-This is the very first version; so if there's anything
wrong or missing, then feel free to email me at
[email protected] I also want people to email me
their top scores if they are better than mine,
and alternate strategies. I'll put those as the top score,
and thank you at the bottom.
________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright Warning
This document Copyright Michael Wallace, 2004,
All Rights Reserved, protected by US Copyright Law,
plus the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976. This is
only for personal use--it cannot be reprinted or
reproduced or copied in part or in whole, nor used
for any other purpose than personal conquest of the
said game. This FAQs may only be used by GameFAQs/CNET,
unless noted otherwise. If you would like to use this
FAQs on your own personal website or guide, please
email me before hand, and I will most likely let you.
I just wish to be notified. If this is found anywhere
else except GameFAQs.com without my expressed permission,
legal action will be taken. Plagiarism is illegal.
________________________________________________________________________________
Contents
1. Introduction and Game Data
2. How to play
3. Puzzle Mode Walkthrough
4. VS-CPU Strategy
5. How to score big in Survivor
6. Special Thanks
________________________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
Puzzle Bobble Mini (known as Bust-a-Move Pocket
in the United States) is a very popular puzzle
series, and has had many versions over the years
across tons of platforms. I am using the Japanese
version of the game for this FAQs, so there may be
some differences in the American version that I am
unaware of. If anyone notices a difference, please
email me and I will add a note in here. The Japanese
version looks to have the same things as the American
version, so I do not think there will be many, if any
differences. Taito released the game in 1999 for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color.
________________________________________________________________________________
2. How to play
The game is very easy to pick up and play. Thanks to its
simple controls, almost anyone can have fun with the game.
When you start a round of play, you will notice many gems
of various colors at the top of the screen. At the bottom,
there is an arrow with a gem at the bottom of it. Using the
control stick (which is perfect for this game), you aim the
arrow wherever you want the gem to go, and press the A or B
button to fire it. The object of the game is to line up at
least three of the same color gems to eliminate them. The gems
on the top of the screen will continuously drop down, and when
they reach the bottom, it's game over! You can use the walls to
bounce gems into hard to reach places, and line up many gems for
huge combos!
3. Puzzle Mode Walkthrough
Puzzle Mode is one of the three modes offered at the main menu.
The object of Puzzle Mode is to eliminate all the gems on the
playing field before they reach the bottom. The game will also
record your three quickest times for each puzzle. I will post
a strategy for each of the 100 puzzles, and my quickest time.
Puzzle One: Aim for the sides of the main gem structure. The
sides are made mostly of reds on the left and greens on the
right. If you take out either of these, then you'll have an
easy shot at the yellow gems holding the rest of the gems up.
If you bounce a yellow off the wall and hit the yellow gems
at the top, then the rest of the gems will fall.
Personal best time: 00:07:41
Puzzle Two: There isn't much of a strategy to this one.
It's mostly luck on what color gem you get. This puzzle
is split into four main rows. The bottom two rows have
blue, green, red, then yellow gems. The top two rows have
red, yellow, blue, then green gems. Just try to aim well
and take them all out.
Personal best time: 00:05:57
Puzzle Three: This one is easy if you get a yellow or a
red. If you get another color, just shoot it on the bottom
of the gems. Bounce a red on the right to hit the gems at
the top, and a yellow on the left. Once you hit those two
sides, all the rest will fall.
Personal best time: 00:04:17
Puzzle Four: This puzzle can be a little tricky. If you hit
one of the sparkling blue gems, all the gems of the color
of the shot will disappear. For example, if you hit it
with a yellow gem, all the yellow gems on the field will
disappear. I recommend hitting the sparkling gem with
a silver. This will leave only the top portion of the puzzle.
Just finish it up regularly.
Personal best time: 00:14:99
Puzzle Five: Simple puzzle. Wait until you get an
orange, then shoot it at the top. The rest will
fall too.
Personal best time: 00:03:07
Puzzle Six: There are three sections connected by
silver gems. Hit the bottom sparkling gem with
a silver, and the bottom two sections will fall.
Finish the top section regularly.
Personal best time: 00:13:59
Puzzle Seven: I can't think of any really good
strategy for this one. There just aren't any
same colored gems lined up anywhere for you to
start with. Try to chip away at the sides of
the bottom portion so it falls, then take out
the top.
Personal best time: 00:58:51
Puzzle Eight: Aim for the orange gems at the top
on the left, and the pink ones at the top right.
Take out those, and the rest goes down.
Personal best time: 00:05:07
Puzzle Nine: Try to take out the green gems that
hold it together. This one is a little tougher.
Personal best time: 00:28:32
Puzzle Ten: This one isn't too hard either. Take
out the orange gems on the bottom, and then the
purple ones. If you want, you can try for the purple
ones first if you bounce it off the wall. After
those two are gone, get the yellows at the top,
and you've won.
Personal best time: 00:12:09
Puzzle Eleven: Get the purples at the top.
Easy as that.
Personal best time: 00:05:11
Puzzle Twelve: Hit the top left sparkling gem with
a purple, and the top right with a silver gem. This
can be kind of hard to do, as the yellow gems tend
to get in the way. If you can sneak one in there
than it won't be too tough.
Personal best time: 00:55:87
Puzzle Thirteen: Squeeze in a blue gem on the left,
and a pink on right. The bottom portion will fall.
Then put a blue on the top left, and a pink on the
top right again.
Personal best time: 00:40:51
Puzzle Fourteen: Take out all the silver gems, and
the entire thing will go down.
Personal best time: 00:18:77
Puzzle Fifteen: Hit the purple gems on the top left,
and the blue gems on the top right.
Personal best time: 00:07:78
Puzzle Sixteen: Get rid of some of the gems on the
bottom portion that goes all the way across the
field so you have a clear shot at the pink gems
holding the entire thing up. Once you do, take a
shot at it and it'll go down.
Personal best time: 00:11:02
Puzzle Seventeen: Aim for the silver gems and
yellow gems at the top. Once those are gone,
take out the remaining green one.
Personal best time: 00:27:52
Puzzle Eighteen: Take out the silver gems, and
then the sparkling one. Hit it with any colour
you like (omg Pink Floyd reference! Get it?
Any Colour You Like? Ehhhh...sorry).
Personal best time: 00:17:13
Puzzle Nineteen: The pink and silver gems are the key
here. After you get those, the whole thing comes down.
Personal best time: 00:37:14
Puzzle Twenty: Try to ignore the massive amount
of silvers in the middle. They aren't your main
concern. You really want to take out the red and
blues in the top corners of the field. Try to get
rid of the silver blocks on the outside near the
reds and blues, then take those out.
Personal best time: 00:19:33
Puzzle Twenty-One: Try to get at the purples holding
it up by taking out either the silvers or pinks
blocking your way.
Personal best time: 00:03:74
Puzzle Twenty-Two: You need to get rid of the
row of reds, row of greens, and row oranges.
Take out the stuff on the very bottom, and
then go to town on those rows. Ignore
everything else.
Personal best time: 00:15:99
Puzzle Twenty-Three: Take out those pinks!
Personal best time: 00:33:58
Puzzle Twenty-Four: Just take it out regularly.
I don't see any particular strategy for this one.
Personal best time: 00:46:25
Puzzle Twenty-Five: Try to hit two of the
sparkling gems with an orange gem, and a
green gem. This will make everything fall.
Personal best time: 00:26:65
Puzzle Twenty-Six: The silver gems are the
ones you want in this one. Make your way to
the one at the top, and make it fall.
Personal best time: 00:16:16
Puzzle Twenty-Seven: I don't really see
any quick strategies for this one.
If you know one, feel free to email me.
Personal best time: 01:28:97
Puzzle Twenty-Eight: Slowly make your
way to the top, and get rid of the
pink and green gems up there.
Personal best time: 00:53:10
Puzzle Twenty-Nine: You need to get rid of
the gems at the top for the rest to fall,
but it's tough getting there. I don't
have any good strategies. Just take it
out as you please.
Personal best time: 01:17:42
Puzzle Thirty: This puzzle is really similar
to puzzle twenty. There is an extra layer
of purples on the outside though, and this
causes some problems. Take out the purples
and silvers in the upper right and left
corners respectively. Then, get rid of
the reds and blues that are holding it
all up. This might take a bit of trying,
but you'll get there.
Personal best time: 01:49:18
Puzzle Thirty-One: You need to take out the
silver gems holding it all up, but you can't
bounce it off the walls to get there since
there is an extra two rows blocking you. Get
rid of these two rows blocking your shot,
then get rid of those damn silvers.
Personal best time: 00:20:67
Puzzle Thirty-Two: As soon as you can get
through that little row in the middle,
you'll have a clear shot at the two
sparkling gems. Since it's a tough shot
to hit either the reds or the greens holding
it up, hit the sparkling gems with reds and
greens. After the sides fall, take out the
yellow gems at the very top.
Personal best time: 00:55:31
Puzzle Thirty-Three: Bounce an orange one up
there and take it all out.
Personal best time: 00:21:27
Puzzle Thirty-Four: Try to take out that
diamond shaped section first. Once that
is gone, bounce an orange off the wall and
up to the top left so the remaining
section will fall.
Personal best time: 00:46:25
Puzzle Thirty-Five: This one looks kind of
like a Christmas tree. Just make your way
to the red and green at the top and finish it.
Personal best time: 00:58:75
Puzzle Thirty-Six: You need to aim for the
top left corner, so the top row of reds
will fall. This is your top priority!
Personal best time: 00:27:05
Puzzle Thirty-Seven: Not sure for this one.
Aim wherever you see two blocks together.
I'll find a better strategy for it.
Personal best time: 01:45:34
Puzzle Thirty-Eight: Take out either the silvers
of pinks on the right or left first. Then hit
one of the sparkling gems with a pink and the
other with a silver. This will collapse the
entire thing.
Personal best time: 00:16:13
Puzzle Thirty-Nine: Get rid of the reds at the
top holding it up, and you're winnar!
Personal best time: 00:40:31
Puzzle Forty: The pink row on the top and coming
down the left side is what you need to be aiming
for. This will clear the entire field.
Personal best time: 00:05:34
Puzzle Forty-One: Don't worry about the pink
gems on the bottom, just try to get the pink
gems on the side, and then the pink gems on
the top. Ignore everything else. After the
ones on the side are gone, bounce a pink gem
up there and finish it.
Personal best time: 00:05:67
Puzzle Forty-Two: Once you get past the first
row, aim for the greens for the rest of the
puzzle. They hold most of the blocks together,
so once they're gone, most of it will fall.
Personal best time: 00:25:81
Puzzle Forty-Three: I'm not sure about this
one yet. Just take it out regular for now.
I'll find something.
Personal best time: 1:27:57
Puzzle Forty-Four: Try to bounce a red where
the first section connects to the second
section. With a little luck, the three reds
will line up, and the last two sections
will drop. From there, it's just a matter
of taking out the top section.
Personal best time: 00:22:27
Puzzle Forty-Five: I can't think of anything.
Just go about it as you will.
Personal best time: 01:15:61
Puzzle Forty-Six: Aim for the sides.
This one can take a while.
Personal best time: 01:15:08
Puzzle Forty-Seven: Get to the sparkling
gem at the bottom, and hit it with a
silver gem. This will make the entire
puzzle collapse. Otherwise, it can take a while.
Personal best time: 00:09:78
Puzzle Forty-Eight: Aim for the sides.
I can't think of anything else besides
that. Use the force!
Personal best time: 01:22:83
Puzzle Forty-Nine: This one might look big,
but it's pretty simple. As soon as you get
a gap in the first row of gems, just hit
the greens, the yellows, then the reds,
and it's all over.
Personal best time: 00:38:54
Puzzle Fifty (Halfway! W00t!): Aim for
the pinks at the top. Bounce off the
walls to hit them. Pretty simple.
Personal best time: 00:15:43
Puzzle Fifty-One: Take out the sides so
you can get rid of the bottom section,
then aim high at the corners to take
out the top row of reds on the left
and the yellows on the right.
Personal best time: 01:18:08
Puzzle Fifty-Two: Awwwwww a heart!
How lovely. Try to get the reds on
the sides first, then the oranges
at the top.
Personal best time; 00:46:05
Puzzle Fifty-Three: This one can take a
while. Aim for the top.
Personal best time: 01:39:96
Puzzle Fifty-Four: Aim at the dead center
with either a red or a blue. Repeat! Try to
hit a sparkling gem with a yellow.
Personal best time: 00:18:93
Puzzle Fifty-Five: Try to get down the tops
of each section. The left is orange, the
middle is blue, and the right is red. If
you're careful, you can sneak one in the
middle after you've taken out some of the
bottom blocks. Once the middle section is down,
get rid of the sides.
Personal best time: 00:55:17
Puzzle Fifty-Six: Get rid of the bottom silvers,
then the top ones. Then get rid of the oranges
and greens as you please.
Personal best time: 00:24:51
Puzzle Fifty-Seven: Aim for the purples on
the left and the silvers on the right. This
one can be tricky, so be careful.
Personal best time: 01:01:99
Puzzle Fifty-Eight: First, take out the
bottom pink gem that's blocking the bottom
sparkling gem. After that, hit both the
sparkling gems, and take out the remaining gems.
Personal best time: 00:20:80
Puzzle Fifty-Nine: Hit either the left blues,
or the right greens. You don't need both.
After that, hit the silvers, and then skip to the reds.
Personal best time: 00:13:09
Puzzle Sixty: It might look big, but it's really
easy. Take out the oranges on either side at
the bottom, and then go for the greens on the
side. After that, aim for the yellows at the
top by bouncing them off the walls. The whole
thing should fall.
Personal best time: 00:08:55
Puzzle Sixty-One: Aim for the middle, and then the sides.
Personal best time: 01:09:47
Puzzle Sixty-Two: Get rid of the stuff
on the sides so you have a clear shot at
the greens holding it up. Once you can hit
them, go ahead and do it.
Personal best time: 00:31:83
Puzzle Sixty-Three: Aim for the sides, then
the middle. This is a fast one if you do all
the right things and aim well.
Personal best time: 00:16:13
Puzzle Sixty-Four: This one is long. I don't
know any real strategies for it besides aiming
well and shooting quick.
Personal best time: 01:28:51
Puzzle Sixty-Five: Hit the bottom sparkling
gem with a pink. This will clear most of the
field. Then hit the second with a green.
Clear the rest of the gems out after that.
Personal best time: 00:27:12
Puzzle Sixty-Six: Don't bother with the
bottom right section, just work on the top
left. Try to get the yellows on the bottom
of the top section first. This should open
up a clear shot at the reds on the top. After
the reds are gone, bounce two silvers off the
wall to hit the one gem connecting it to the top,
and it'll be gone.
Personal best time: 00:11:15
Puzzle Sixty-Seven: Take it out as you will.
I'm not sure of a strategy just yet, but I'll
work on one. Promise.
Personal best time: 01:10:97
Puzzle Sixty-Eight: No real strategy. You should
have a shot at the top after taking out some of
the bottom, but it doesn't do much. Just try to
take it all down quickly.
Personal best time: 00:59:08
Puzzle Sixty-Nine (wooo..): Hit a sparkling gem
with a yellow, and then take out the rest as you please.
Personal best time: 00:43:12
Puzzle Seventy: This one is a lot like puzzle
sixty. It's the same basic thing. Aim for the
sides and ignore everything else.
Personal best time: 00:11:49
Puzzle Seventy-One: No strategy! Woo! Go me!
I played it a few times and can't think of
anything. Just shoot it down.
Personal best time: 01:10:77
Puzzle Seventy-Two: Get rid of a little bit of
the left section so that you have a clear shot
at the top left. Then aim for the oranges and
greens holding it up, and take those down. Next,
aim for the purples and silvers and the top of
the right section. You might need to do some
work on the bottom right to get a shot at the silvers.
Personal best time: 00:24:81
Puzzle Seventy-Three: Aim up the center, and
fire fast. Try to clear out as much of the
middle as fast as you can. If you're lucky,
you should be able to clear out a shot at
the top before you lose. Drop some gems off
the bottom if you need to, but get shots up
at the top so you can just drop the whole thing at once.
Personal best time: 00:42:05
Puzzle Seventy-Four: Get to the sparkling
gem and hit it with a red. Then go to town
on the right section of the puzzle.
Personal best time: 00:42:51
Puzzle Seventy-Five: Take out the sides by
bouncing off the walls. Then do the top.
Personal best time: 01:05:33
Puzzle Seventy-Six: This one can be hard since
it goes most of the way down right from the
start. Try to get rid of the gems on the bottom
first so you don't lose, then work your way up
aiming at the little branches that come off of
it. Once you have a shot at the top, feel free
to take it.
Personal best time: 01:15:51
Puzzle Seventy-Seven: Bounce off the wall to
hit the silvers at the top. It's that easy.
Personal best time: 00:04:70
Puzzle Seventy-Eight: Aim through the center,
and make your way slowly to the top. Once
you get to those silvers, you can drop the
whole thing, but getting there is tough.
Personal best time: 01:22:05
Puzzle Seventy-Nine: Aim for the sides, and
then the top. You'll be done in no time.
Personal best time: 00:40:81
Puzzle Eighty: Shoot at whatever color you want.
They'll all go down if you shoot in the right place.
Personal best time: 00:24:33
Puzzle Eighty-One: Aim for the sides, and
then bounce off the walls to the top.
It'll go down pretty quick.
Personal best time: 00:10:05
Puzzle Eighty-Two: Take out a little bit
towards the top until you have a clear shot
at the pinks holding it up. Once you do,
bounce off the walls until you manage to hit it.
Personal best time: 00:16:13
Puzzle Eighty-Three: Just keep taking out
the sides for each section. It'll go down
after a few times of doing that.
Personal best time: 00:30:16
Puzzle Eighty-Four: Get rid of the gems near
the top, and then take out both sides of the top row.
Personal best time: 01:25:20
Puzzle Eighty-Five: Get to a sparkling gem
and hit it with either a pink or silver.
Then just take out the remaining blocks.
Personal best time: 00:40:99
Puzzle Eighty-Six: Aim up the dead center
if you can get a shot off at the greens
that are holing the left section up. Once
you hit those, try for the reds that are
holding the rest of the left section up.
Next, bounce off the left wall over to
the top right to hit the greens, and then
the blues holding it up.
Personal best time: 00:48:36
Puzzle Eighty-Seven: Sneak a red gem into
the little gap separating the two sections
to hit the red gems holding up the right
section. Then you should be able to bounce
a green gem off the right wall to knock
down the left section.
Personal best time: 00:04:37
Puzzle Eighty-Eight: Take down as little or
as much of the left or right side as you
need to so you can shoot a yellow gem up to
the top to knock down the gems.
Personal best time: 00:25:88
Puzzle Eighty-Nine: Bounce gems off the
left wall and try to separate the two
sections. Once the left section falls,
bounce gems off the left wall and up to
the yellows on the top so you knock it all down.
Personal best time: 00:37:40
Puzzle Ninety: Take out the pink and yellow
gems. Ignore everything else.
Personal best time: 00:15:43
Puzzle Ninety-One: Get through the reds on
the bottom of the left section, and hit the
sparkling gem with a green. This will knock
down everything.
Personal best time: 00:09:81
Puzzle Ninety-Two: Hit the pink gems at the
top holding up the middle section, and then get
rid of the other gems regularly.
Personal best time: 00:42:76
Puzzle Ninety-Three: No strategy.
Personal best time: 01:25:10
Puzzle Ninety-Four: No real strategy for this one.
It looks deceiving since you'll want to go for
the sides. Taking them out does nothing since
they aren't actually holding it up. Concentrates
on one part so you can get to the top as fast
as you can, then make it all fall down!
Personal best time: 01:05:26
Puzzle Ninety-Five: No real strategies for this
puzzle either. The sparkling gem in this one is
impossible to hit to my knowledge.
Personal best time: 01:28:94
Puzzle Ninety-Six: Yet another puzzle with
no strategy.
Personal best time: 01:24:66
Puzzle Ninety-Seven: Aim for the sides.
That's all.
Personal best time: 00:53:33
Puzzle Ninety-Eight: Aim for the sides and
make your way to the top as fast as you can.
Personal best time: 00:52:63
Puzzle Ninety-Nine: The last one! For those
of you who want a fun fact, Round 99 is actually
different than the Round 99 shown on the back
of the Japanese box. Strange! Anyway, this one
can take a bit. Just chip away at all the
individual branches until it's done, then
enjoy the ending!
Personal best time: 01:10:30
4. VS-CPU Strategy
VS-CPU is a mode in which you face off against
eight different computer characters. It's pretty
fun if you don't have a friend with
Puzzle Bobble Mini, and I'm assuming most
people don't. Sometimes the opponents can be
a little challenging, so here are some pointers
to help you defeat them.
-Pulling off big combos pays off. If you nail a huge
combo, more gems will fall down on your opponent's
field. Likewise, if your opponent gets a big combo,
a ton of gems will fall down on you. The bigger the
combo, the more gems will fall, so look out for
those huge chains!
-Watch it! Make sure you pay attention to how much space
you have left, and look to see if your opponent is
going to hit a big combo. You might have a few rows
left, but if he hits a big one, you're gone.
-It doesn't matter what order you face them in. Just
pick whichever one you want to fight, and go at it.
If one is giving you trouble, switch to a different
one and then go back to him.
-Don't be afraid to use the wall. You're on a smaller
field in VS-CPU mode; so don't be scared to use those
walls to get in the hard places! It'll bounce quicker
than in the regular modes, so go right ahead and use it
if it'll help you win.
-Take your time and line up your shots right. You don't
have an aiming cursor, so be sure before you shoot.
Don't take too much time though, because your opponent won't.
-Have fun. Don't get too frustrated. It's just a game.
The ending is the same as Puzzle Modes.
5. How to score big in Survivor!
A lot of people want huge scores in Survivor, and
it's not easy to get. It takes a lot of practice
and sometimes a lot of luck, but with these hints,
hopefully you'll be able to get some really massive scores.
-Use the walls to get into the hard to reach places.
You'll need to do that a lot, so don't be afraid to.
-Be sure to take your time! You don't have an opponent,
and although gems fall from the bottom and the rows
descend, a well placed shot can make up for both of those.
-Most points are scored on combos, so look for the huge
ones. Particularly ones that will make tons of gems drop.
-Look towards the top of the rows for gems in a row.
You'll want to make a lot of gems drop a once if you
want a huge score, so be sure to keep a little section
open for yourself if you can.
-Don't get ahead of yourself, but don't get behind
either. You should be looking a few moves down the
road when you make your shots, but don't think too
far in advance. Things can change!
-Unexpected combos are awesome. When in doubt, you can
always just frantically shoot around. While this is
not advised, I've had it result in some really big
combos by accident! Pure luck at it's finest!
-You can recover when you least suspect it. When your
field is far down and you're about to lose, don't
give up hope. I've recovered from some pretty close
calls tons of times.
-Look for weaknesses. Sometimes there will be little
blocks holding up a lot of things when the field
is far down. If you need to recover, try for a huge
combo. It should clear most of the field out for you.
-High ranks don't always mean high scores. If you
look below, most of my highest scores were scored
at relatively low ranks. Look out early on for big points!
My Personal Top Scores!
1. 133833 Rank 21
2. 131952 Rank 14
3. 131869 Rank 13
4. 70290 Rank 19
5. 65703 Rank 06
6. Special Thanks
-Thanks CJayC for hosting this on your awesome site.
Keep up the good work!
-Very big thank you to SNK for making the Neo Geo
Pocket Color such a wonderful system. Where would we be without you?
-Taito for the awesome Bubble Bobble series. I love
you guys. This game has sucked so many hours of my life away.
-Readers for reading and playing.
-Jedi Mind Tricks, Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys,
Cibo Matto, Queen, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Smiths,
KRS-One, and Pink Floyd among others for giving me
something to listen to while I play.
