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There are some games where, after I play them, I find I remember more about the ambiance and aesthetic than the actual gameplay. This isn’t to say the there’s no challenge to it or it isn’t fun. Just that everything else about the experience is what made it more memorable. That’s how I feel about Bubblegum Galaxy, a puzzle game about rebuilding planets that celebrates the same sort of mindset as Keita Takahashi games like Katamari Damacy. Sure, I had fun matching tiles, it was even better talking with coworkers and appreciating the PS2 and 90s design choices.
Haco is a new intern at the company Bubblegum Galaxy, which creates planets in the universe. While training with Magda and seeing how the software works, something goes terribly wrong. A fatal exception occurs, the memory core gets corrupted, and the galaxy is deleted. NO GALAXY FOUND. You’re immediately taken to your sad little intern desk in an empty corner of the office, where everyone is panicking and a coworker named Penti is blaming you for everything. Though Bubblegum Galaxy claims their proprietary technology keeps that from happening, the galaxy server is now empty. The only thing left to do is to rebuild by putting together new planets by matching tiles and meeting requirements in levels, while taking breaks between to chat with folks and figure out what happened.
Bubblegum Galaxy looks amazing, and when I compared it to Keita Takahashi’s works like Katamari Damacy, Wattam, and To a T, I wasn’t kidding. All the characters look whimsical, with lead Paco being a cat person whose head also resembles a house. Penti, a coworker who starts out a bit on-edge and mean to Paco, has a virtual pet-style head. Everything is polygonal, bright, colorful, and whimsical. The offices are floating in space. Sometimes, the text boxes feature rainbow or moving fonts to emphasize tone. There’s a cosmetic collection and customization element if you gather extra currency from continuing to play planet challenges. I love it. I love every part.
Especially since we’re encouraged to take in the ambiance. During our training, Magda tells us breaks are important. Of course, she also mentions under her breath that they can’t have the intern burning out. It’s possible to befriend people around the office. (Though some folks, like Rora, are sadly not an option.) We can give gifts, and I loved the dialogue. There’s even some binary in there that you can translate, if you want to take the time. At the same time, while it is very lighthearted and often silly, there can be somewhat sharp commentary too. It’s just lovely.
The actual planet-building is fine too. We go through stages in Star Systems to create planets there, taking on quests for each one and attempting to earn high scores and meet objectives. There’s a matching element to it, as you try to turn, align, and place pieces to basically ensure combos with each move and earn points. There are special skills you can use to help with getting new tiles or perhaps undo one you placed. And each Star System tends to have its own themes to it, which can change up how you think about placing and matching tiles. I also appreciated that you can opt to keep playing after completing your objectives and end early or keep going. It feels somewhat similar to games like Dorfromantik and Pan’orama. Everything is also very clear and visually distinct.
But while that part of Bubblegum Galaxy is fine, I find myself more drawn to and captivated by the other elements. Making the new planets is neat! Especially since we get to see how the finished result would look when they’re done. (Sort of like when we’d finish a Katamari Damacy task and learn the name based on what we rolled up!) It’s very relaxed and low-pressure, since you can take as much time as you need. I enjoyed it. I just enjoyed the time spent not doing that even more. The characters and world Smarto Club created is that enchanting.
Bubblegum Galaxy is a bright delight of a game with a distinct design direction and captivating storyline. The characters all look fantastic. There’s a fun script, complete with some positive messages. I relished getting to explore the office and take in the character and environmental models. The actual tile-based planet-building is pleasant enough too, though I didn’t find it as challenging or memorable as contemporaries like Dorfromantik. It’s a solid and relaxed puzzle experience that can feel quite cozy.
Bubblegum Galaxy is now on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
