Emeraldia

Last updated
Emeraldia
Emeraldia arcade flyer.jpg
Promotional flyer
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Designer(s) Kohji Kenjoh
Composer(s) Yoshie Arakawa
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • JP: July 1993
  • WW: 1993
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Emeraldia [lower-alpha 1] is a puzzle arcade game released by Namco in 1993; it runs on both the Namco NA-1 and NA-2 hardware boards. On March 26, 2009, it was available as one of the first four games to be released on the Wii Virtual Console. On April 18, 2024, it was also re-released as part of the Arcade Archives series for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation.

Contents

Gameplay

Arcade version screenshot. Emeralda.png
Arcade version screenshot.

The game features three modes of play; Adventure, Normal, and Versus. In all three modes, both players must line up blocks of a particular color - and when three blocks have been lined up (vertically), they will crack. Once a fourth block of that same color lands on the three cracked ones, they will all shatter. As for Adventure Mode, the object is to get the trapped sea creatures down to the bottom of the screen and rescue them. After each ocean has been cleared, the player receives an item which can be activated by pushing the stick up and pressing the button - however, each item can only be used once, and only in the ocean that follows the one it was received at the end of. At the end of the "Mystic Ocean", the player must defeat a sea demon named Jamir, by cracking the block he is possessing with his face; he will then go on to possess a different block, and once the blocks he possesses have been cracked six times, he will be defeated. However, the game is not over at this point - as there is still one more stage that has to be cleared (called the "Escape Stage"), where the player must get seven pink dolphins and one blue one (which appear as part of the block groups) down to the bottom of the screen.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Emeraldia in their September 1, 1993 issue as being the eighth most popular table arcade game at the time. [2]

Notes

  1. Japanese: エメラルディア, Hepburn: Emerarudia

Related Research Articles

<i>Bubble Bobble</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Bubble Bobble is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Taito for arcades. It was distributed in the United States by Romstar, and in Europe by Electrocoin. Players control Bub and Bob, two dragons that set out to save their girlfriends from a world known as the Cave of Monsters. In each level, Bub and Bob must defeat each enemy present by trapping them in bubbles and popping, who turn into bonus items when they hit the ground. There are 100 levels total, each becoming progressively more difficult.

<i>Final Lap</i> 1987 video game

Final Lap is a 1987 racing simulation video game developed and published by Namco. Atari Games published the game in the United States in 1988. It was the first game to run on Namco's then-new System 2 hardware and is a direct successor to Namco's Pole Position (1982) and Pole Position II (1983). It was ported to the Famicom by Arc System Works, making it Arc System Works' debut game.

<i>Breakout</i> (video game) 1976 video game

Breakout is an arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and released on May 13, 1976. It was designed by Steve Wozniak, based on conceptualization from Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow, who were influenced by the seminal 1972 Atari arcade game Pong. In Breakout, a layer of bricks lines the top third of the screen and the goal is to destroy them all by repeatedly bouncing a ball off a paddle into them. The arcade game was released in Japan by Namco. Breakout was a worldwide commercial success, among the top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1976 in both the United States and Japan and then among the top three highest-grossing arcade video games of 1977 in the US and Japan. The 1978 Atari VCS port uses color graphics instead of a monochrome screen with colored overlay.

<i>Galaxian</i> 1979 video game

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them.

<i>Mr. Driller</i> Video game series

Mr. Driller is a puzzle video game franchise created by Yasuhito Nagaoka and Hideo Yoshizawa for Namco. The eponymous first game was released in 1999 for arcades and several home consoles, such as the PlayStation. Gameplay in the series consists of controlling Susumu Hori, the titular Mr. Driller, or one of his friends and destroying colorful formations of blocks to make it to the bottom of a well. In order to survive, players need to collect air capsules to replenish their depleting oxygen and avoid being crushed by falling blocks.

Mario Kart Arcade GP is sub-series of arcade games from Nintendo's Mario Kart series developed specifically for arcades in collaboration with Namco. To date, four entries have been released—Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005), Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007), Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013), and Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017). The first three entries are considered to be relatively rare outside of Japan, with the fourth title not seeing a release outside of Japan at all. The game's have been generally been well-received by critics, who have praised the game's transition of traditional Mario Kart gameplay into an arcade game format, thought to-date, while lamenting that none of the entries have been released outside of the arcade format onto any of Nintendo's home video game consoles.

<i>Pac-Attack</i> 1993 puzzle video game

Pac-Attack, also known as Pac-Panic, is a 1993 falling-tile puzzle video game developed and published by Namco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. Versions for the Game Boy, Game Gear and Philips CD-i were also released. The player is tasked with clearing out blocks and ghosts without them stacking to the top of the playfield — blocks can be cleared by matching them in horizontal rows, while ghosts can be cleared by placing down a Pac-Man piece that can eat them. It is the first game in the Pac-Man series to be released exclusively for home platforms.

Point Blank, known as Gun Bullet, or Gunvari in Japan, is a series of light gun shooter games developed by Namco for the arcade, PlayStation and Nintendo DS; the trilogy was first released in arcade in 1994 and was later ported onto the PlayStation. Point Blank DS was released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS featuring 40 challenges from the original series.

<i>Phelios</i> 1989 video game

Phelios is a 1989 vertical scrolling shooter video game released for the Namco System 2 arcade platform in Japan by Namco. A Sega Mega Drive port was released in 1990. The game features a plot loosely based on Greek mythology.

<i>Cosmo Gang the Video</i> 1992 video game

Cosmo Gang the Video is a 1992 fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. A home conversion for the Super Famicom was released the same year. Controlling the Hyper Beat starship, the player is tasked with ridding the galaxy of the Cosmo Gang, a race of aliens that cause mischief across Earth. Gameplay involves shooting enemies and avoiding projectiles. Power-up items can be collected to grant the player additional abilities. It ran on the Namco System 2 arcade board.

<i>Valkyrie no Densetsu</i> 1989 action-adventure arcade game

Valkyrie no Densetsu is a 1989 action-adventure role-playing arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. It is a follow-up to the Family Computer game Valkyrie no Bōken (1986). Players control the warrior maiden Valkyrie and her lizard-like companion Kurino Xandra as they set out to drop a mythical item called the Golden Seed into the Northern Fountain to replenish the dying crop fields of Xandra Land. Gameplay involves defeating enemies and collecting gold to purchase magical spells and weapons in shops.

<i>Pro Tennis: World Court</i> 1988 video game

Pro Tennis: World Court is a tennis sports video game that was released by Namco in 1988 for Japanese arcades. It runs upon Namco System 1 hardware, and was inspired by the 1987 Famicom game Family Tennis. In August 1988, the game was ported to the PC Engine console, in which a new tennis-based role-playing quest mode was added, and was later ported to the North American TurboGrafx-16 console by NEC under the title of World Court Tennis in 1989. Up to four players could play simultaneously. A sequel named Super World Court was released in 1992, which ran on Namco NA-1 hardware and allowed up to four players to play simultaneously. The arcade version was released on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as part of the Arcade Archives lineup on May 12, 2022 worldwide.

<i>Knuckle Heads</i> 1992 video game

Knuckle Heads is a two-on-two fighting arcade game released by Namco in 1992. It runs on Namco NA-2 hardware, and represents the company's answer to Capcom's 1991 hit Street Fighter II.

<i>Mr. Driller Online</i> 2008 video game

Mr. Driller Online is a downloadable puzzle video game created by Namco Bandai and released in 2008 for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth game in the Mr. Driller series of puzzle games and re-uses many assets from Mr. Driller Drill Land.

<i>Circus</i> (video game) 1977 arcade game

Circus is a block breaker arcade video game released by Exidy in 1977, and distributed by Taito in Japan. The game is a re-themed variant of Atari, Inc.'s Breakout, where the player controls a seesaw and clown in order to pop all the balloons in the level. The game has been copied and released under different names by numerous other companies in both the United States and Japan.

Let's! TV Play Classic is a series of Japan-only plug & play devices developed and distributed by Bandai programmed on XaviX software created by SSD Company Limited in 2006 that contain arcade games from either Namco or Taito, with Namco's being called "Namco Nostalgia" while Taito's are called "Taito Nostalgia". Each device in the series contains 4 games, with 2 being classic arcade games while the other 2 are new games using the original game's sprites developed by Bandai.

<i>Cosmo Gang the Puzzle</i> 1992 video game

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a 1992 falling block puzzle arcade video game developed and published by Namco worldwide. The third game in its Cosmo Gang series, succeeding that year's Cosmo Gang the Video, players stack groups of blocks and aliens known as Jammers in a vertical-oriented well. The objective is to clear as many objects on the screen before they reach the top of the screen. Blocks are cleared by aligning them into complete horizontal rows, while Jammers are cleared by defeating them with blue-colored spheres.

<i>Mr. Driller</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Mr. Driller is a 1999 puzzle arcade game developed and published by Namco. Versions for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color, WonderSwan Color, mobile phones, and iOS were also released. Controlling Susumu Hori, the titular "Mr. Driller", the player must dig their way to the bottom of the screen by destroying colored blocks that litter the playfield. Blocks will be cleared if four or more are touching each other, which can be used to cause chain reactions. Susumu has a constantly-depleting oxygen meter that can be refilled by collecting air capsules found throughout stages.

<i>Mr. Driller G</i> 2001 video game

Mr. Driller G is a 2001 puzzle arcade game developed and released in Japan by Namco for its System 10 hardware. It is the third installment in its Mr. Driller series, and the last released for arcades. Controlling one of seven characters, players must make it to the bottom of the level by destroying colorful formations of blocks. G introduces several new ideas to the series, such as power-ups, a story campaign, and online multiplayer.

<i>Mr. Driller A</i> 2002 video game

Mr. Driller A is a 2002 puzzle video game developed and published in Japan by Namco for the Game Boy Advance. The fourth installment in its Mr. Driller series, players control one of seven characters and must make it to the bottom of the level by destroying colorful formations of blocks. A adds several new mechanics to the gameplay of its predecessors, such as a virtual pet named the "Pacteria" that players can grow and care for.

References

  1. Brett Alan Weiss (1998). "Emeraldia — Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  2. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 456. Amusement Press. 1 September 1993. p. 31.