Bubble Trouble?

Faerie Bubbles is just one of those games—you either love it, or you hate it. As many of you will be aware, there is a lovely, shiny avatar to be gained by playing this game well, which provides incentive to those of us who don't happen to love it. Although at first it seems like quite an easy game, there is a difference between just clearing the screen of bubbles and knowing how to clear it well, and hopefully, this article will help!

Firstly, an introduction. The aim of the game is to clear the screen of those pesky Faerie Bubbles in as few shots as possible. The fewer shots you have to use, the bigger the bonus you'll get at the end of the level. To get rid of the bubbles, you control the bubble cannon at the bottom of the screen. To move the bubble cannon, use the left and right arrow keys, and to bring the cannon back to the centre, just hit the up button. To actually fire a bubble, take aim, and then press the space bar. A bubble will come shooting out. The idea is to connect three bubbles of the same type together. This will make them 'pop' and disappear. If you connect more than 3 of the same type of bubble, this will produce a combo, which can either be good or bad depending on the type of combo (see later). On every sixth shot you make, the 'bar' at the top will move down, lowering the bubbles towards the bottom of the screen. If the bubbles reach the bottom of the screen, then it will be game over!

Here is a brief overview of the types of combos you can get:

Fire combo- this is made by four or more fire bubbles, the red ones with flames. :P When you connect four or more fire type bubbles, they will burn away any other bubbles touching the ones in the combo, unless they are water bubbles. This is usually a good combo.

Water combo- made by four or more water bubbles, the blue ones with water drops. When you get a water combo, all the other water bubbles on the screen disappear. Again, this is usually a good thing!

Light combo- made by four or more light bubbles, the yellow ones. This combo can be either good or bad, since it turns all of the bubbles touching it into a random colour, but all the same, so if you had two fire bubbles and a water touching a light combo, they might all change to water bubbles, for example. This is good if you get a good combo, like water or fire, but not so good if you get one of the bad ones (coming up next!)

Earth combo- four or more earth bubbles, green ones with leaves. This is usually a bad thing. It makes all of the bubbles on the screen drop down a line, with a new row of bubbles forming on the top. They are all a random type, so most of the time this makes it harder to clear the level.

Air combo- four or more air bubbles; these are also blue but much paler than the water bubbles. This is not a good combo; it fills up the rest of the row (or rows) which the combo is in with bubbles of any type which means lots more bubbles to clear before you can move onto the next level. However, as you will find out later, there are some times when this can be a good thing.

Dark combo- four or more dark type bubbles; these are dark purple. This combo is almost always bad, because the bubbles don't go away, they just change to another random type. Each bubble changes to a random type, so it's unlikely that you'll get any good combos.

As well as these combos and bubble types, there are two other types of bubbles that you should know about. They can appear in your cannon just like any other bubble, but they are much rarer than the normal bubbles. Firstly, the nova bubble which 'pops' and gets rid of all of the bubbles touching it. This bubble has a yellow star; it's very easy to recognise. Secondly, there is the rainbow bubble, which is mostly purple and orange. This will become the same bubble type as the first normal bubble that it touches, meaning that it can come in very handy!

Now that you know the basics, it's time to look at the levels themselves in a little more detail. It might make more sense if you try working through the levels as you read the article, particularly if you haven't played Faerie Bubbles before. xD

Level One: You're going to be looking for easy combination bubbles, like fire or water. If the majority of the bubbles are air, dark, or earth bubbles, restart the game. If you have light bubbles, it can sometimes be better to restart as it takes more bubbles to finish the game, and if you're trying for the avatar you are going to want to make the most of bonuses towards the beginning of the game. If you have a majority of fire bubbles, try connecting one of the bubbles on the end to the middle ones.

Level Two: Depending on what your bubble types are, you have a few ways to complete this level. The first way is just removing the two bubbles on each end, and then tackling the middle. The second way is if the middle set of bubbles are water bubbles, get the water combo to remove all but two bubbles, and then join the two by using three bubbles in the center, if it's a good combo. If not, just remove by joining three, or if you're lucky enough to get a nova bubble, shoot right in the middle!

Level Three: Level three gives you two combo rows with three bubbles in each. If they're a good set of bubbles, use them to your advantage to get a big bonus. If they are not the best set of bubbles, try changing their types with a light bubble combo. This can be slightly risky, but if you have air bubbles, changing them to fire isn't that bad! If the two bubbles in the top row are another good combination, go ahead and use two bubbles to create that combo- it'll save you a few bubbles which will give you greater points in return.

Level Four: This level is the exact formation of level two, but normally the majority of bubbles happen to be dark. This is only very loosely true, and definitely not a rule; it just seems to be a tendency. If you do get dark bubbles on the top row and fire on the second row, create a fire combination by shooting two bubbles in between the end and the middle. This will remove the dark bubble combination. This strategy can be used for any negative combination in this level, but if you're lucky and get better bubbles, just create combinations as needed, or just remove bubbles without making combos.

Level Five: This is a nice level, simply because it can take as little as three shots if you're lucky enough! xD The common bubble types to get (going from left to right) are three earth, four fire, four water, and two light. If you have different ones, though, don't worry! A good strategy is to remove the bubbles in sets of two first, but it all depends on what the bubbles in your bubble cannon decide to be. If you have either dark, air, or earth bubbles in the sets of four, don't panic- you might have to activate them unless you can form another combination with either light or fire. If that is possible, there would be two scenarios, one being that one of the sets of four is a negative combination, and one is positive, another being both sets are negative. If one set of four is a positive combination like fire or light, shoot a fire or light bubble into the middle of the negative combination, and then connect another bubble to the positive combination. If both are negative, shoot a bubble in the middle of each set of four, and put another bubble on top of those two, creating an arch. If these are not possible, activate the combinations and work through the bubbles until you've passed the level; you might sacrifice a bonus, but you should be able to clear the level without too much trouble.

Oh, and another strategy you can use is the three shot method: if you're lucky to get a nova bubble, shoot it where the set of two and set of four meet- that will remove both sets of bubbles. Then all you have to do is match the other two sets of bubbles with the right colour!

Level Six: This level is pretty straightforward; just match all bubbles! It's useful here to remember that once you clear the screen of light bubbles, for example, you won't get any more light bubbles in your cannon, unless there's one already there. If you are unlucky and there is, then make sure to fire it on the bottom of another set of bubbles so that it's not touching the top. When you remove the set of bubbles it's attached to, it will fall as well, which potentially helps to keep your bonus higher. This is a fun level; enjoy it!

Level Seven: Use the same strategy for level six for this level, as they are basically the same! xD

Level Eight: This one can be quite tricky! It all depends on what bubble types you get in this level. If there are only dark, air, and earth bubbles in your level, you will have a hard time (sorry x_x). Try working through the level if you do get those combinations, because you will have to activate them. Sometimes there will be a positive combination with the more negative ones, so make sure to use it to your advantage! You can try joining the center sets of bubbles to create one combination instead of two, and that could help. Most of the time, however, there are more positive combinations of bubbles, like fire or water. If there are, again use those to your advantage. Water will create a void where you can shoot into to connect other bubbles together. Fire can remove any negative combinations that are formed, and light can change a negative to a positive combo, so on this level it's probably worth the risk.

Level Nine: This level is pretty basic. Create combinations if you'd like, but you don't need to. Everything is either paired up at the start, or has the potential to be in a set of three. A combination I would normally activate in the level is the water combo, just because it would remove all water bubbles, saving time and bubbles, and therefore meaning less shots and a bigger bonus. Also, try removing the second row pairs first, because it will stop holding up third row bubbles! Another easy level, enjoy!

Level Ten: This may look a bit tricky to begin with, but it's not that bad. This is another level where certain bubbles seem to come up a lot. Quite often, there will be water bubbles in the two sets of three, and this is a good thing because it makes the level quite easy. If your water bubbles are surrounded by fire, it's even better because you can remove the water bubbles in one shot, and then create an arch combination with the fire bubbles on both sides, completing this level in 3 shots again! If that's not the case, it's fine; just use the bubbles to your advantage and create positive combinations to remove negative ones.

Level Eleven: This level is interesting, because you have the possibility of having an air, earth, or dark combination, but it's not actually a bad thing. If you do get a group of air, activate it, but shoot beside it in the little pocket so it doesn't create another row of bubbles- this way you can clear a whole row in one shot! If you get a dark combination, try removing it by using a light or fire combination, but if that's not possible, activate it- you might get good bubbles to help you out! Earth isn't the best colour of bubble to have at this level, but it's not too bad because yes, it will create a new row of bubbles BUT it also puts the other groups of bubbles on another row instead of being at the very top. You can remove a whole group by removing the supporting bubbles. If you do however get the best possible layout, you will have a couple fire groups and water lining the top. I would normally put a fire bubble in the pocket to remove two of another group of bubbles, so it's not possible to get a combination (unless you mess up a shot! xD). When at least one group is completely gone, you can make an arch out of water bubbles by joining two bubbles on the top with two water bubbles from your bubble cannon. Voila!

Level Twelve: This is a great level, because you can get pretty bad bubble types, and it will still not be that bad. Air is an awesome combination in this level, because if you activate a row of air, a row of bubbles will form underneath, and all will fall, giving you more points! Earth is still a pretty bad combination, but it's easy to manage. Dark seems pretty bad, but it can actually connect you to a good combination! If there is a water line at the very top, perfect! Create a water combination at the bottom (don't activate the third row) and it will finish the whole level!

Level Thirteen: This level is just as cool as twelve, because they're basically the same! The only different is at the top row, there is one bubble that is of a different type to the rest of the row. Nonetheless, use the same strategy as level twelve, and you'll do fine!

Level Fourteen: This is a bit harder, I must admit! Nothing matches, so you'll have to create sets. Try creating fire, light, or water combinations, as those will help you the most in this level. Basically, it will depend a lot on luck and what bubbles you get in your cannon.

Level Fifteen: This level isn't much better ;.; Sorry guys, its the same as level fourteen with another row added. There *may* be some secret codes you can use which might help you here, but you'll have to figure those out for yourself. :o

Level Sixteen: A good technique here is to try to remove the top and middle bubbles as fast as you can, because it will stop supporting a bunch of bubbles and make everything much easier. This level is a lot easier than the prior two, so have fun!

Level Seventeen: Oooooh, pretty level. If you've noticed, there are a couple bubbles that are the same colour with a space in between due to the slanted formation. Simply put a bubble in the right spot and it'll allow you to get to the top bubbles in no time! This also tests your angle accuracy, because some shots you can make will flow with the angle of the bubble formation. If you are still having problems with accuracy, then you just need to practice more. Sometimes holding a ruler or straight edge to the screen can help you to estimate the angle, but whether or not this will help depends totally on you. You know what they say, practice makes perfect!

Level Eighteen: The upside down pyramid formation! Looks scary, eh? Well, its not! You can actually do this whole level in one shot if you're accurate and if the bubble colours are right! To do this, rebound a bubble off the side of the screen to go to the top two bubbles and remove all the support for the other bubbles! If you don't trust your accuracy, or miss the shot, just work through the rows. It's not that bad, but you won't get quite such a nice bonus as you would if you managed to clear the level in one shot. xD

Level Nineteen: We're almost there! Okay, this level isn't too bad; it all depends on your accuracy and your luck in getting good bubble colours. One way to approach this level is to shoot the matching bubbles up the angled side parts to remove the connections to the other bubbles, and then attack the center cluster of bubbles. It will remove the bubbles that are being supported, giving you more space to remove the top bubbles.

Level Twenty: Well done, you've made it to the last level! Hopefully your score is around 1750. If it's past that, well, let's just say that it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to think about getting the avatar at the end of the level ^_^ If it's a bit lower, don't worry, you can still get points in the last level. Now, it's just a LOT of bubbles, but most are in pairs, which is great. Try forming good combinations, especially water, that'll help a lot. Don't worry about failing this level too much, as you get an added 250 bonus to your score just for reaching level twenty!

Well, there you have it, a whirlwind tour through the world of Faerie Bubbles! There's not really much else to say, except to wish you a lot of good luck and patience. The accuracy is really important in the later levels, and, as with anything, this just comes with practice.

Good luck!!!

Still having bubble trouble? Check out Pyrorockchik's guide at //www.neopets.com/~Seaniitii for a few more tips and some pictures, too. :-)