This article contains everything you need to know about Arkadium's Bubble Shooter game.
Use the list below to navigate specific topics about Bubble Shooter.
How to play
Aim and shoot using your mouse to match bubbles and finish the level to earn more moves
Tips
1. Plan the Board Before You Fire
Take a moment at the start of each level to identify large color groups, narrow shooting lanes, special bubbles, and small supporting clusters holding up larger sections. The most obvious match isn't necessarily the best target.
Before every shot, consider where the bubble will land, what it will remove, and how the board will look afterward. A good move should ideally create a useful follow-up rather than simply clear a few bubbles.
2. Cut the Support, Drop the Rest
Look for bubbles that act as connections between the ceiling and a large hanging section. If you remove the supporting group, everything below it that is no longer attached will fall.
This is usually far more efficient than clearing the hanging bubbles individually—and it's valuable for scoring too. Falling bubbles are worth twice as many points as bubbles removed through normal matches, with the multiplier increasing as you complete levels.
3. Think One Shot Ahead
Always check both the current and next bubbles before firing. If the next color offers a much stronger opportunity, use the current shot to prepare the board rather than taking an insignificant match.
You can also switch between the two available bubbles. Compare the two possible firing orders and choose the one that creates the better combination of matches, support removal, or access to blocked areas.
4. Master Angles and Shooting Lanes
Use the aiming guide carefully, particularly around crowded areas. Bank shots off the side walls can reach groups that a direct shot cannot, while keeping narrow lanes open can preserve access to valuable areas higher on the board.
When no immediate match is available, use an accessible position to set up a future three-bubble match. Avoid filling a useful lane simply because a bubble can be placed there.
5. Make Special Bubbles Work for You
Special bubbles can transform difficult sections of the board. Lightning clears a horizontal line, Explosive bubbles affect their surrounding area, Steel bubbles must be disconnected rather than matched, and Ice bubbles change color when matches are made beside them.
Don't trigger a special bubble automatically. Look for a way to activate it where it will clear a larger section, disconnect a hanging group, or open an important route. Power-ups such as Instant Lightning and Heat Wave are best saved for obstacles that cannot be handled efficiently with normal shots.
6. Play for Combos, Not Just Matches
The strongest moves often combine several actions: build a match, use the resulting opening to reach a support cluster, drop a large section, and expose another valuable target.
Prioritize large drops and efficient board clears over small isolated matches, especially as your multiplier grows. In early levels, clear efficiently to preserve resources for harder stages, but don't sacrifice a powerful board-clearing opportunity simply to save a single shot.
Types of Bubble
There are several types of bubbles in the game, which have different effects against other bubbles.
Regular Bubble
The regular bubble can be matched with three or more bubbles of the same type. When hit in clusters of 3 or more, it will pop, along with all of the bubbles of the same color touching it.
Lightning Bubble
The lightning bubble, when matched with two of the same color, will horizontally drop every bubble in its own line, giving you a massive advantage.
If you manage to drop the bubbles holding a lightning bubble without popping it, it will be added as your next bubble to fire. This bubble can fire in a line clearing any path you want in the board.
Steel Bubble
The steel bubble can't be matched with others of the same color. It functions as an obstacle. To drop one, simply clear all of the bubbles around it, so that it can fall.
Explosive Bubble
The explosive bubble blows up all of the others around it, as long as it's hit by any bubble, no matter the color. If you manage to match the bubbles around it and drop it, it will be added as your next bubble to fire, with the same effect, but under your control.
Ice Bubble
Clusters of ice bubbles will be an obstacle for you. These bubbles can't be matched with others of the same color, but you can slowly melt them by matching bubbles around them. Any bubble matching done that's touching ice bubbles, will convert the touching ice bubbles to the same color.
Power-ups
Introducing the all-new power-ups. These are bonus items that can help you defeat hard obstacles in the game. They can be purchased for gems, and one of each is included for Arkadium Plus subscribers.
The Instant Lightning will add a lightning bubble to the top of your cannon, while the Heat Wave will melt the frozen bubbles into the same color as the bubble on the top of your cannon.
Scoring
This is how the scoring of the game functions.
Bubbles popped by match: 10 * number of bubbles popped * multiplier
Bubbles popped by falling down: 10 * 2 * number of bubbles popped * multiplier [in other words, bubbles that fall down are worth 2x as much as matched bubbles]
NOTE: completing a level adds +1 to the multiplier