Bubble Runes: Pop Shooter

The leaderboard just reset: the top is wide open. Eight complete themes, Halloween included, and nothing you can buy will get you a better score.

There are no levels in Bubble Runes.

The rows come down every 2.5 seconds, from the first shot to the last one. Nothing warms up, nothing ramps up: what changes is how long you last, and that part is on you.

HOW IT WORKS Aim, fire a rune, match three or more of the same color to clear them. Runes left hanging drop on their own and pay extra. Let the wall cross the line at the bottom and the run is over.

FOUR SPECIAL RUNES

• Explosion: takes out the six runes around it
• Lightning: clears a whole column, top to bottom
• Magnet: drags same-colored runes toward it
• Sticky: fills the gaps around it, and no, it is not helping

They show up more often when you are one row from dying. Luck hands you the rune; placing it is still your problem.

EIGHT COMPLETE THEMES A theme here is not a palette swap. Arcana, Bonbon, Synthwave, Steamforge, Noir, Wild West, Halloween and Christmas each replace the runes, the background, the borders, the menus, the music and the sound effects. You unlock them with coins earned by playing.

ONE LEADERBOARD, NO SHORTCUTS Nothing you can buy makes you survive one second longer. No continues, no extra lives, no slowing the clock down. Coins buy looks and nothing else, so the Game Center leaderboard stays pure skill. Version 3.0 resets it: everyone starts from zero.

A REASON TO COME BACK One mission a day, a streak to keep alive, and a freeze to protect it when life gets in the way. Personal statistics keep score of every run: best, average, longest game, biggest match, and which theme you actually play best.

ALSO IN THE BOX

• iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro
• Game controller support
• Plays offline
• iCloud sync for coins, themes and streak
• Haptics tuned to what happens on the board
• Share your record as a still frame of the run that ended it

THIS GAME IS FOR YOU IF you like arcade games that end, chasing a number that only goes up, and dying by your own hand.

IT IS NOT FOR YOU IF you want levels to finish, a story to follow, or a quiet puzzle to fall asleep on.

Free to play. Coins are optional, and they only buy things you look at.