Nintendo’s digital services have no shortages of puzzle games. In fact, there’s so many that it takes something special to make a new entry in the genre worthy of gaining attention. UFO Interactive’s Balloon Pop Remix has just recently puffed its way onto the 3DS eShop, bringing a new rendition of the classic bubble popping theme. Its colourful presentation and cheerful atmosphere are perfectly fitting on Nintendo’s handheld, making it one of the few puzzle games that can stand out from the masses and is definitely worth taking a look.
It’s here that you’ll want to create your matches, as they’ll open up another gap to be filled, bringing along the possibility for massive continuous combos. But, matches and combos also refill your mana gauge too, which slowly trickles down as time progress, or else it game over. Mana isn’t only a timer; it’s also dictates how many balloons can be popped simultaneously. Want to take the risk of popping 5+ balloons and wiping your mana metre in half for huge combo potential? The risk is yours to take.
Surprisingly, there’s a charming little tale weaved into the main gameplay mode. A cute little alien has crash landed on Earth and by keeping the mana metre filled he treks along on the top screen until he finds another needed part to fix his broken spaceship. The larger the combos you achieve, the faster he progresses forward, occasionally stopping for an intermission that’ll have you trying to pop a set amount of balloons of similar colour within a strict time limit. If you manage to do so, you’ll be treated to one of the many assortments of hats to dress your alien up in the game’s other modes. 
