An N64 entry of Bust-A-Move that stays loyal to the addictive bubble-matching premise. Over two hundred boards, solid solo and versus modes, and a rhythm tailor-made for short sessions. The presentation is a touch flat, but the core mechanic is still unbeatable.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle2 players3+
Description
Colorful bubble-shooting puzzle game from the Bust-A-Move series, where players match and pop same-colored bubbles. Published by Acclaim, released in 1998 in North America. Over 200 progressive stages, gameplay variants, series characters, and 2-player versus mode.
Bust-A-Move '99 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Aim, group three bubbles of the same colour and set off cascading drops: the rule sinks in within seconds but the grin lasts for hours. The tension climbs as the ceiling creeps down, and the two-player duel quickly turns into a friendly little war. Crystal clear to grasp, sly to master, it's the puzzle you switch on by reflex.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Aiming, clustering three bubbles of the same colour and triggering cascading drops awakens a chaining reflex that's hard to set down. The difficulty climbs in tight steps and the versus mode turns every screen into a jittery duel. The principle barely changes from one instalment to the next, but its instant readability and its tempo keep a formidable hold.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The N64 take on Taito's bubble puzzler Bust-A-Move, published by Acclaim for North America, faithful to the addictive mechanic with over two hundred stages. Loose and complete copies stay affordable, but sealed examples of this US version reach wildly disproportionate highs: the factory-fresh price is a market artifact, while the game itself holds only modest, steady demand.
Is Bust-A-Move '99 still worth playing in 2026?
Bust-A-Move '99 brings Taito's bubble puzzler to N64, in which you aim and stick colored bubbles to pop them in groups of the same hue. The concept, crystal-clear and fearsomely addictive, keeps all its effectiveness, and the versus mode offers particularly snappy, tense duels. The conversion stays faithful but brings few novelties, and the machine seems largely underused. For fans of arcade puzzlers and quick games, it is a safe bet of the genre, ideal for competitive clashes.
