Completion time: 3:23:55

There hasn’t been a Bust-A-Move game that I haven’t enjoyed. I mean, they are all mostly the same thing at heart, but the gameplay was always one that I thoroughly loved. Bust-A-Move 4 is our first Dreamcast puzzle game, and while it is more of the same (not a bad thing), the story mode in one sitting is asking for too much.

The story mode is more or less 110 levels of play, with some gimmicks thrown in the farther you go, with there being some more clever layouts during the later stages. While you can be a bit mindless early on, you have to really pay attention to everything going on past about level 40. Even still, when it looked like I was on my way to another do-over (there are thankfully unlimited continues in this mode), somehow one shot in a place I didn’t see as a vital area, and I snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. This happened multiple times in my playthrough.

While the gameplay to Bust-A-Move 4 is enjoyable, and it was still fun playing the story mode (which was nonsensical in its own right), 110 levels without a chance to save the game and come back later, was just too much for me. I’m sure if there were continues, or there were another mode to focus on with a lot less to play through in one sitting, this would have gotten a better rating from me. If you love puzzle games though, it’s still very much worth the investment, on whatever system. Just stick to arcade mode, unless you have time (and sanity) to spare.

Rating: 7