Puzzled | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | SNK |
Publisher(s) | SNK |
Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki |
Composer(s) | Yoshihiko Kitamura |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Puzzle |
Mode(s) | |
Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Puzzled [lower-alpha 1] is a falling-block puzzle video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcade hardware in 1990, the Neo Geo home console in 1991, [1] and the Neo Geo CD in 1994. [2] The game was ported to mobile phones in 2005, then was re-published by D4 Enterprise on the Wii Virtual Console in June 2011, [3] and it is also one of the twenty games that came pre-loaded on the Neo Geo X console released in 2012. [4] It was also ported in August 2017 to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 as part of Hamster Corporation's ACA Neo Geo series.
The visuals of Puzzled look a lot like Tetris and the core gameplay is the same: [5] the player controls tetrominos falling from the top of the screen, and filling a horizontal lines clears it. [6] [7] However, the objective is to clear a vertical path for a hot air balloon initially trapped at the bottom of each level, enabling it to fly off the top of the playing field and moving up to the next level of a tower. [8] [9]
The tower is divided into multiple floors, with 10 levels per floor, totaling 60 different puzzles. [10] [11] Some levels feature varied obstacles like robots floating around the puzzle to attack the balloon, regenerating blocks, and gold blocks that need to be cleared multiple times before disappearing. [8] The player can also use a power-up called an "L-Ball": a meter fills up as lines are cleared, and once ready, the player can trigger a lightning ball to explode outwards from the balloon's current location, removing surrounding blocks. [8]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2019) |
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
GameRankings | (Switch) 30% [12] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Nintendo Life | (Switch) 3 / 10 [13] |
AllGame | (Neo Geo) [14] |
Hobby Hi-Tech | (Neo Geo CD) 6 / 10 [15] |
Joystick | (Neo Geo) 90% [16] (Neo Geo) 91% [17] |
Mega Fun | (Neo Geo) 76% [18] |
Micom BASIC Magazine | (Neo Geo) [19] |
Neo Geo Freak | (Arcade) 13 / 20 [20] |
Player One | (Neo Geo) 92% [21] |
Tilt | (Neo Geo) 14 / 20 [22] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed Puzzled on their December 15, 1990 issue as being the most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Carrier Air Wing and Raiden . [23]
The graphics of Puzzled were described as being simplistic and unremarkable but well-designed and efficient. [6] [10] The sound effects were also considered minimalistic but enjoyable for a game of this type. [6] [10]
The game's multiplayer portion was criticized for not featuring any interactions between the two simultaneous players. [10] [11]
The Neo Geo, stylised as NEO•GEO and also written as NEOGEO, is a cartridge-based arcade system board and the fourth generation home video game console released on April 26, 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was the first system in SNK's Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo was marketed as the first 24-bit; its CPU is technically a 16/32-bit 68000-based system with an 8-bit Z80 coprocessor, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics data bus.
The Neo Geo CD is the second home video game console of SNK Corporation's Neo Geo family, released on September 9, 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent. This is the same platform, converted to the cheaper CD format retailing at $49 to 79 per title, compared to the $300 cartridges. The system was originally priced at US$399, or £399. The system can also play Audio CDs. All three versions of the system have no region-lock. The Neo Geo CD was launched bundled with a control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version. However, the original AES joystick can be used with all three Neo Geo CD models.
World Heroes Perfect is a 1995 fighting arcade game developed and published by ADK with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on May 25, 1995. It is the fourth and final title of the World Heroes series.
NAM-1975 is a war shooting gallery arcade video game developed and originally published by SNK on April 26, 1990. It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms, in addition to being the only title in the system that does not feature the Neo Geo boot screen in its attract mode, as well as one of the pack-in games for the AES.
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Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō,, is a ninja-themed 2D fighting game produced by ADK and originally released in 1996 for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Ninja Master's was the sixth and final fighting game produced by ADK, following the four games in the World Heroes series and Aggressors of Dark Kombat. It was later featured in the 2008 compilation ADK Damashii for the PlayStation 2. Ninja Master's was also re-released on the Neo-Geo X handheld system in 2012, and for the Virtual Console in 2013. In 2019 it was released as part of Arcade Archives developed by japanese company Hamster. As of 2021, Ninja Master's was released worldwide on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The PS4 version remains exclusive to Asia but includes both Japanese and English releases.
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Burning Fight is a beat 'em up arcade game released by SNK in 1991 for the Neo Geo MVS system. Introduced to capture a share in the then-popular beat 'em ups market, it was meant to compete with Technōs' Double Dragon, the leader of the genre at the time. Three years after its release in the arcades and on the Neo Geo AES, it was released on Neo Geo CD as the only other home version.
Blue's Journey is a side-scrolling platform game released by Alpha Denshi in 1990 on SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade system and their AES home system. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD in 1994. It was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on November 9, 2007, followed by North America on November 12, 2007.
Thrash Rally is a top-down perspective rally racing video game developed by ADK and released by SNK Corporation for the Neo Geo system. It was released by SNK on December 20, 1991 and would be followed by an spiritual successor in 1996, Over Top.
Ghost Pilots is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1991 by SNK. The gameplay is straightforward with elements similar to that of Capcom's 194X games. Unlike most scrolling shooters, the vehicle is a seaplane instead of a spaceship or airplane.
League Bowling is an arcade game released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo console and arcade systems. The players controls characters with red and blue hair and can select balls from 8 to 15 pounds. It is the only bowling game released on the Neo Geo.
Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called ACA Neo Geo is focused on rereleasing Neo Geo titles in their original arcade format, unlike many services with attempts to emulate the console versions.
Top Player's Golf is a golf arcade video game developed and originally published by SNK on May 23, 1990. It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms in the United States, the second golf game created by SNK after 1988's Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf, as well as one of the two golf games released for the Neo Geo, with the other one being Nazca Corporation's 1996 Neo Turf Masters.
Robo Army is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcades and home consoles in 1991 and the Neo Geo CD in 1995.
Gururin is a puzzle arcade video game developed by Face, with the assistance of Minato Giken, and originally published by SNK on May 25, 1994. It was the first game to be created by Face for the Neo Geo platform and it was not released on the Neo Geo AES (home).
Mystic Wand is an unreleased 1991 puzzle-platform game that was in development and planned to be published by Alpha Denshi for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms.
Stakes Winner is a horse racing arcade video game developed by Saurus, with additional support from AM Factory, and originally published by SNK on September 27, 1995. In the game, players compete with either AI-controlled opponents or against other human players across multiple races. Though it was initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released for both Neo Geo AES (home) and Neo Geo CD respectively, in addition of being ported and re-released through download services for various consoles. It was received with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release. In 1996, a sequel titled Stakes Winner 2 was released for the arcades.