The Setting: A serene and peaceful society populated by a vast array of citizens. A supreme evil has seized control of this utopia by stealing and utilizing a jar of magical, wish granting colored ball drops. Thus, it is up to you, the player to retrieve them from their captor and save the land. How is this done you ask? By taking your tarot inspired deity of choice and commanding his/her slave jester into drop tossing warfare to kick some serious tarot ass. Doesnt make sense? Well, its a puzzle game plot...it doesnt have to.
 In this classic puzzle game by the good folks at Data East, you are exposed to what I believe to be one of the most refreshing changes to the "falling block puzzle genre" in a long time, if not ever. The blocks in this game, bubbles, fall in formation from the top of the screen. By maneuvering the jester, who is postioned at the bottom, you can move him from left to right in order to manipulate the various colored drops above. If the drops reach the bottom of the screen, they crush your jester and its GAME OVER! This is prevented by pulling down drops of like color and then throwing them back up to match up with like colored orbs. Get three or more together touching in any of the four non-cardinal directions and they all disappear. After this happens, a slight pause in bubble drop activity occurs where, if applicable, all the bubbles with the space to float upwards do so. It is during this time that the player has the opportunity to "combo" by creating more drop connections with the remaining drops either by grabbing/tossing or by having combo-affected bubbles float upwards after a "break" and come into contact with a set of like color bubbles above.
Lengthy combos prove to require dexterous fingers due to the very fast paced nature of this game. This has to be my favorite aspect of this game. Its not rare to see a person, that is new to the game, get pummeled by a pro in five seconds or less. Of course, on the opposing spectrum, two seasoned combatants can go at it for a very long time, to the point where the person's thumbs legitimately seethe with pain. Though this is usually prevented with the "clear option," which is a quota that can be set to declare a winner based on who clears a set # of bubbles first.
The player gets the option to select from one of twenty four tarot persona (sixteen initially, seven hidden, one code based). After playing the earlier games of this series, I'll be the first to say that these characters add that much needed personality that makes this a good puzzle game into a superb masterpiece. While the fast paced action is going on with the jesters, the animations and sounds of the the deities coming from the background will be working overtime to put a smile on your face. From a gameplay standpoint, character choice plays a vital role in your style due to drop attack patterns and formations. Depending on who is being used, different types of garbage blocks will fall on the opposing side varying from typical color drops to the more obscure (wait til you start dealing with air bubbles and exploding bubbles).
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Recommended for:
Those that want a little something different from the falling block puzzle genre.
Those feeling a need to work their fingers in a frenzy to impress themselves and their friends.
Those that can actually FIND this game (for the PSX, Saturn, and the Neo
Geo) as its extremely rare. (hint: download the MAME Rom)
Not recommended for:
Senior citizens or those suffering from carpotunnel syndrome.
Those unwilling to give something different a chance.
Assholes, of course. |
