National Geographic Kids: Bubble Burst is a bubble-popping game that challenges a player to complete various tasks across 20 levels while exploring fun facts about nature and the world. The player starts out in a rainforest chapter. The game also features a chapter about the future.
The player is represented in the game by an avatar. Initially, it's a red-eyed tree frog. As they successfully complete levels over time, they unlock knew avatars, including a robot and a jaguar.
Unlike many bubble-popping games, the player doesn't need to match three bubbles to remove them from the playfield. They merely need to select the bubbles. That said, the game offers booster and power-up gameplay similar to bubble shooter and match-3 games.
The player creates bubbles that contain tools that remove multiple non-matching bubbles in one move, including bubbles containing arrow and cross tools that act like horizontal and vertical rockets. They also create a unique booster that acts like tentacles that pop a vast swath of bubbles in all directions. In some levels, they receive a shake bubble that rearranges the bubbles around it. These tools are important because the player receives a limited number of moves.
Bubble Burst also offers upgrade and superpower features for each avatar. When the player wins a level, they receive emeralds. After they acquire 20 emeralds, they can upgrade their character. During gameplay, the character's power charges enough for the player to use it to pop bubbles faster.
