Bubble Shooter

How to play

Aim with the mouse or your finger and fire the bubble at the bottom. When a bubble lands next to two or more of its own colour, the whole group pops, and any bubbles left hanging with no path to the ceiling drop as well. Clear the board to win. Every few shots the whole wall advances one row toward you, and it is over if it reaches the firing line. Bubbles bounce off the side walls, so a bank shot can reach places a straight one cannot.

Tips

• Aim for the ceiling anchors. Popping the bubbles that hold a cluster up drops the whole thing for free.
• Bank off the walls to reach the edges. A straight shot into a corner is usually blocked.
• Dropped bubbles score more than popped ones, so setting up a collapse beats clearing three at a time.
• Watch the next bubble, shown beside the cannon, and set up this shot so the next one has somewhere to go.
• When in doubt, fire a spare colour into the far corner rather than breaking up a group you are building.

Popping and dropping

Two things remove bubbles. A group of three or more of one colour pops when you complete it, and any bubbles left with no path to the ceiling fall away afterwards. The second is worth double the first, which is the whole strategy: a shot that pops three bubbles holding up a cluster of ten is worth far more than a shot that pops five in the open.

The grid is a honeycomb, so every bubble has six neighbours, and the wall advances one row every six shots. Reaching the bottom row ends the run. The next bubble is shown beside the cannon, and the colours offered are drawn from the colours still on the board, so the last few shots are never impossible.

Better shots

• Aim at the anchors. Popping the bubbles that connect a cluster to the ceiling drops everything below them.
• Bank shots reach the corners. A straight line into a corner is usually blocked; a bounce off the wall is not.
• Read the next bubble. Set this shot up so the next one has a group to join.
• When a colour has nowhere useful to go, park it in a far corner rather than breaking up a group you are building.
• Count shots. The wall drops every six, and a shot taken just before a drop should clear something near the bottom.

Common questions

How many bubbles make a pop?

Three or more of the same colour touching, including the one you just fired.

What are dropped bubbles?

Bubbles left with no connection to the ceiling after a pop. They fall away and are worth twice what a popped bubble is.

How often does the wall move down?

Every six shots. The run ends when bubbles reach the bottom row.