Princess Maker Pocket Daisakusen [J] Ninelives / Genex, Cyberfront 2001


A PC ported version of the falling object puzzle game originally on Playstation in 1998. This branch from the famous Japanese series of "educational simulators" Princess Maker, is implemented in the form of the popular East Asian digital puzzle "puyo-puyo", which is a kind of hybrid of Tetris and Columns. There are three modes. In the first - “plot” - we can choose one of the three princesses (Maria, Olivia or Lisa), after which we must watch the plot clips (in the form of drawn voiced scenes performed in anime style) and then fight sequentially (more precisely, compete in puyo puyo) with various other characters; at the same time, the development of the "plot" when playing for each of the princesses is somewhat different. The second mode is the "arcade", where it is allowed to take any of the characters in the game as a protagonist (including, which insanely pleases, there are anthropomorphic mole and cat, appearing as opponents in the "plot") - and fight against other heroes defined computer (fights last one round; if you win - we pick up the next opponent, if you lose, they give you the opportunity to replay against the same). Finally, the last option is “VS”, which is almost the same as the previous one, but in it, in case of victory, you return to the submenu, where you can take on a new protagonist if you wish. The rules generally comply with the general principles of puyo-puo, but they also have some features. So, the local blocks (which, of course, can be rotated) consist of three balls and can have the form of both strips and right angles; if one of their elements, when the latter contacts the others already in the “glass,” turns out to be without a fulcrum, then it falls down - this also corresponds to the classic version of this puzzle. To destroy the balls, it is necessary that at least four (and not three, as in most varieties of this game) such objects - or, naturally, a greater number of them - of the same color, coincide horizontally or vertically with each other in any combination (that is, all kinds of " corners "," t-shaped structures "and the like are quite recognized), but not diagonally. Of course their elimination causes the fall of other elements, which may cause new "chain reactions". Moving the blocks to the left and right during their flight is carried out with the keys "F" and "H", and "Z" is responsible for their rotation. If simultaneously two or more “sequences” of different colors are destroyed one after another, then after a few seconds the opponent’s “glass” contains a certain number of big-eyed transparent balls that are destroyed if they subsequently come into contact with a “chain” of four or more same-color elements ; their appearance in their half of the field can be really prevented if, in the mentioned seconds, during which they are preparing for the fall (this is visually displayed as a blue or red strip of one or another length above the “glass”), they have time to destroy at least two " sequences of "balls of various colors. The above circumstance introduces a certain strategic element: an opponent can build tricky constructions for a rather long time, filling almost the entire half of the screen (provided, of course, that you are not doing the same thing, but quietly and calmly destroying your “chains” one at a time), and then suddenly throwing balls at you instantly, realizing your cunning plan. It should be noted here that, as in the classical Puyo-Puyo, but unlike Tetris, you can continue to fight until there is at least a piece of free space in the glass. Graphics, let’s say, is nothing special, but overall it looks quite decent. Portraits of rival characters are displayed on the backgrounds behind their half of the field and periodically make different sounds and react to what is happening through mimic effects, and each of them has a separate animation of victory, defeat and “surrender” (shown when you lose) decide not to try to defeat the opponent again); all this is realized, however, in a deliberately explicit anime style (and at least one of the heroines - albeit not the main ones - is dressed very frivolously), and therefore sometimes causes genuine disgust, but if you concentrate on the gameplay, you can not notice such trifles (plus no one forbids playing for the mole against the cat or vice versa - then everything will be great in general) By the way, the level of complexity here - especially in the "story campaign" mode - is quite high, so you have to act quickly and prudently.
Screenshots
Korean ISO Demo 462MB (uploaded by Old-Games.ru)
Videos
 1  2 
Japanese Intro Fix 32MB (uploaded by myloch)
Japanese ISO Demo (provided by myloch & upped by Scaryfun) 303MB


    News   Legends World   Forum   FAQ