 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2024) |
| Numblast | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Japan Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Yasuhito Nagaoka |
| Designer(s) | Kaori Shinozaki |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Numblast, released in Japan as Qruton [a] , is a 2009 puzzle video game developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
Choco Aoyama and Akasaka Sempai are students at Cross Academy. One day, while experimenting with Numblast cubes in the Scientific Alchemy Club, Choco accidentally turns club president Akasaka into a monkey. Choco then takes it upon himself to master the mysterious cubes so that he can harness their energy and restore Akasaka's human form.
The game is played on an 8x8 grid. Each space on the grid is occupied by a Numblast cube bearing a number between one and four. Players control a 2x2 cursor which is used to rotate groups of four cubes either clockwise or counter-clockwise. When four or more of the same cube form a square, they turn red and rotate, and their number increases by one (four cycles back to one). If another square is then formed, the relevant cubes also turn red and rotate. This process continues until no new square is formed, at which point all the red cubes disappear and points are awarded (a "Numblast" occurs when the entire play area is cleared in the same combo). A few seconds later the empty spaces are filled with random cubes. If the player fails to clear a cube within a certain time, it will turn black, and if all cubes turn black, the game is over. If four black cubes of any number form a 2x2 square, that square cannot be rotated (although the individual cubes within the square can be rotated if the player's cursor covers at least one non-black cube). After a certain number of cubes have been cleared, a special star cube appears which can occupy any number. When the special cube is used as part of a square, it eliminates all cubes of whichever number the square is otherwise made up of.
There are three available modes: endless, time trial and puzzle. In endless mode, players attempt to score as many points as possible before all cubes have turned black. The rate at which cubes turn black is determined by difficulty (easy, medium or hard) and level (which increases as more cubes are cleared). In time trial mode, players attempt to score as many points as possible in three minutes. In puzzle mode, players are required to clear predetermined patterns of cubes using as few moves as possible. Bronze, silver and gold awards are available for each puzzle depending on how many moves are required. There are fifty puzzles in total.
The game was directed by Yasuhito Nagaoka and designed by Kaori Shinozaki, both having done the same for Namco's Mr. Driller series before joining Japan Studio. [2]
The Rubik's Cube is a 3D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Pentangle Puzzles in the UK in 1978, and then by Ideal Toy Corp in 1980 via businessman Tibor Laczi and Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer. The cube was released internationally in 1980 and became one of the most recognized icons in popular culture. It won the 1980 German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle. As of January 2024, around 500 million cubes had been sold worldwide, making it the world's bestselling puzzle game and bestselling toy. The Rubik's Cube was inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014.
SameGame (さめがめ) is a tile-matching puzzle video game originally released under the name CHAIN SHOT in 1985 by Kuniaki "Morisuke" Moribe. It has since been ported to numerous computer platforms, handheld devices, and even TiVo, with new versions as of 2016.
Yoshi's Cookie is a 1992 tile-matching puzzle video game developed by Tose and published by Nintendo for the NES and Game Boy platforms in 1992. A Super NES version was released the following year, developed and published by Bullet-Proof Software.
I.Q: Intelligent Qube, also known as Intelligent Qube in North America and Kurushi in Europe, is a 1997 puzzle video game developed by G-Artists and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. In the game, the player controls a character who must run around a platform made of cubes, clearing certain cubes as they approach. Cubes are "cleared" by marking a spot on the stage, waiting for the cube to roll on top of it, and then deactivating the marked spot.
The Pocket Cube is a 2×2×2 combination puzzle invented in 1970 by American puzzle designer Larry D. Nichols. The cube consists of 8 pieces, which are all corners.
Kirby Air Ride is a 2003 racing video game starring Kirby, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube.
Puyo Pop Fever is a 2003 puzzle video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It is the fifth main installment in the Puyo Puyo puzzle game series and the second Puyo Puyo game to be programmed by Sonic Team after Puyo Pop. This was the start of what can be considered a reboot of the Puyo Puyo franchise, with this entry's plot revolving around Professor Accord losing her flying cane.
Super Columns is a tile-matching puzzle video game released by Sega for the Game Gear in 1995. It was later included on the Coleco Sonic, along with the original Columns, to which it is a sequel.
Magical Tetris Challenge is a 1998 puzzle video game by Capcom for the arcade, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, and PlayStation. It is a version of Tetris featuring Disney characters. It is one of the few Nintendo 64 games to be entirely in 2D, in addition to being Capcom's first game for the console. The Japanese arcade cabinet and cover art was done by Kenichi Sudo, while the North American cover art was done by Robert Griggs.
Planet Puzzle League, known as Puzzle League DS in Europe, and as Panel de Pon DS in Japan, is a video game for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console in the Puzzle League Panel de Pon visual matching puzzle game series. In North America, Planet Puzzle League is part of the Touch! Generations brand; in Japan, Panel de Pon DS is marketed in the general Touch! brand. The publisher for the game is Nintendo, and the developer is Nintendo's second-party developer Intelligent Systems, creator of the original Panel de Pon and its cult classic English-language adaptation Tetris Attack. The game was released in Japan on April 26, 2007 in North America on June 4, 2007, and in Europe on June 29, 2007.
Rubik's Games is a five-games-in-one PC game created for Windows 95/98, developed in part by Ernő Rubik with Androsoft, and published by Hasbro Interactive. It was part of Hasbro's Classical Games collection of PC games. A history of the Rubik's Cube and its inventor, with pictures, is available from the menu.
Octomania is a puzzle game by Compile Heart and Idea Factory for the Wii. It is an enhanced version of an arcade title released in 2006 running on Sega NAOMI hardware. Hyper-Devbox Japan helped port the game to the Wii by creating libraries so that the programmers could easily just recompile the source code of the arcade game, and then add new features. The game was published in North America by Conspiracy Entertainment. The game was supervised by Puyo Puyo creator Moo Niitani.
Puzzle League, known as Panel de Pon in Japan, is a series of video games published by Nintendo for its various video game consoles. The series began with Panel de Pon in Japan, named Tetris Attack in North America, and has since been adapted to many other consoles. The core gameplay of each version is the same in each game, but branding, presentation details and console-specific features have varied.
Kubos, also known as Precipice in North America and Nalaku in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare digital distribution service.
Boxlife, known as Hacolife in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare digital distribution service.
Ka-Glom! is a puzzle video game created and published by mobile developer Magmic. Originally developed for BlackBerry in 2006, it has since been ported to Java, Windows Mobile, and iOS devices. It is similar to Puyo Puyo which was originally released in 1991 by Compile for the MSX2.
Rubik's Puzzle World, known as Rubik's World in North America, is a puzzle video game for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms developed by Two Tribes and published by The Game Factory. The video game features the famous Rubik's Cube, originally designed by the Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik. The game contains the likeness of the cube as well as a playable version of the Rubik's Cube, as well as multiple puzzle game modes involving the Cube's constituent parts, known as "Cubies".
IRiDES: Master of Blocks is an Independent developed commercially released videogame developed by American studio Madpeet and the first game by GOAT Store Publishing in 3 years. It is a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast and iPhone that combines strategy and action, an easy to pick up and play and hard to master type of puzzler. The biggest inspiration for Irides has been Q Entertainment's Lumines. Upon release both versions of the game were received positively by critics. The game's release date was announced alongside Rush Rush Rally Racing in order to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the American Dreamcast.
Mr. Driller 2 is a puzzle video game developed and published by Namco, and the second game in the Mr. Driller series. It was released for the arcades in 2000, and was ported to the Game Boy Advance and Windows in 2001, and is available in emulated form via the Virtual Console on the Wii U. The game introduces two new characters to the series, Puchi, and Anna.
The Gear Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle designed and created by Dutch puzzle maker Oskar van Deventer based on an idea by Bram Cohen. It was initially produced by Shapeways in 2009 and known as "Caution Cube" due to the likelihood of getting one's fingers stuck between the gears while speedcubing. Later, in 2010, it was mass-produced by Meffert's as the "Gear Cube".