Topolon

Last updated

Topolon
Developer(s) G-Mode
Publisher(s) G-Mode
Platform(s) Mobile phone (J2ME), internet browser, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseMobile phones
  • JP: May 15, 2002
  • NA: 2006
  • EU: 2006
Internet browsers
  • WW: August 3, 2006
Nintendo Switch
  • JP: December 10, 2020
  • NA: January 14, 2021
  • EU: January 7, 2021
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Topolon [lower-alpha 1] is a puzzle video game developed and published by Japanese studio G-Mode for mobile phones in 2002. [1] Over the years, the game was released on many different mobile platforms in many countries. A version for Nintendo Switch was released in 2020 as a part of the G-Mode Archives series. [2] [3]

Contents

The objective of the game is to clear the playing field from multiplying particles by moving the cursor and clicking on them before the energy runs out. [4] [5] [6]

Topolon was well received by critics with praise focused on its innovative and unique gameplay. The game won "Best Puzzle Game" and "Mobile Game of the Year" at GameSpot and Wireless Gaming Review's the Wireless Gaming Awards 2005. [7] [8]

Gameplay

Screenshot of Topolon: three nodes are infected with Nuruons (purple) and one with a Megaon (red) Topolon Gameplay.jpg
Screenshot of Topolon: three nodes are infected with Nuruons (purple) and one with a Megaon (red)

According to the game's tutorial, the player must protect the nano circuit Topolon from electronic viruses called Nuruons that emerge in the circuit's nodes. [9] [10]

The game presents the player with a grid that consists of nodes connected to each other by electric wires. The player controls a probe that can be moved between the nodes and used to tap the nodes. When a node with a Nuruon is tapped, the virus multiplies and the new viruses escape to adjacent nodes. Tapping nodes adjacent to the nodes infected with Nuruons draws the viruses to those nodes. Nuruons disappear from the field if crash each other. Every node tapping and every Nuruon multiplication draws the energy from the circuit. The objective of the game is to clear the grid from viruses before the energy runs out. [4] [5] [6] [10]

Nuruons can evolve into Megaons, more advanced forms that can't be affected by tapping. They disappear only when hit by Nuruons several times. [10] [9]

Release

Topolon was developed and released by G-Mode for Japanese mobile phones on May 15, 2002, for SoftBank's S!Appli network service. [1] Later, it was released for other Japanese services such as EZweb and i-Mode. [11] [12] A Flash version of the game was made available at GungHo Online Entertainment's web gaming portal GungHo Games on August 3, 2006, as one of its launch titles. [13] [14] [15] An updated version of Topolon with enhanced graphics was released in Europe and North America by an Irish company Upstart Games the same year. [16]

The original version of the game was digitally released on Nintendo Switch on December 10, 2020, in Japan as part of the G-Mode Archives series. [2] [3] This version was released in Europe on January 7, 2021; [17] and in North America on January 14, 2021. [18]

Reception

Topolon earned critical acclaim. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot praised the game and said that it successfully imitates the aesthetic of early arcade games like Qix . He concluded that the game "has roughly everything you'd want from a mobile puzzler". [4] This is one of the best puzzlers you'll play all year. Levi Buchanan reviewed Topolon for IGN and stated that "this is one of the best puzzlers you'll play all year". [6] Dean Mortlock of Pocket Gamer called Topolon's gameplay unique and addictive. [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: トポロン, Hepburn: Toporon

Related Research Articles

<i>ChuChu Rocket!</i> 1999 video game

ChuChu Rocket! is an action puzzle game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. Released for the Dreamcast in 1999, it was the first game for the system to support online console gaming. Players must place arrows on a board to lead mice into escape rockets while avoiding cats. The game features single-player modes in which a player must save all the mice on a board, and a multiplayer mode in which players battle to collect the most mice.

<i>Nintendo Puzzle Collection</i> 2003 video game

Nintendo Puzzle Collection is a 2003 video game compilation published for the GameCube in Japan by Nintendo. It includes updated versions of three Nintendo-published puzzle video games released for older systems — Yoshi's Cookie (1992), Panel de Pon (1995), and Dr. Mario 64 (2001) — featuring updated graphics and music, alongside four-person multiplayer. The player can download one of the games to their Game Boy Advance via the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable.

<i>Puzzle Bobble 3</i> 1996 arcade game

Puzzle Bobble 3 is an action puzzle video game developed by Taito. The second sequel to Puzzle Bobble, it was released for arcades in September 1996 and later ported to the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Game Boy, Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. Like its predecessors, the player is tasked with shooting balls at groups of balls, creating groups of three or more, which are then removed from play. Further ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in February 2023 by City Connection alongside Puzzle Bobble 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grasshopper Manufacture</span> Japanese video game developer

Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. is a Japanese video game developer founded on March 30, 1998 by Goichi Suda. They are well known for creating titles such as Killer7 and the No More Heroes series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Power (cartridge)</span> Peripheral for the Super Famicom and Game Boy

Nintendo Power was a video game distribution service for Super Famicom or Game Boy operated by Nintendo that ran exclusively in Japan from 1997 until February 2007. The service allowed users to download Super Famicom or Game Boy titles onto a special flash memory cartridge for a lower price than that of a pre-written ROM cartridge.

<i>Gunpey</i> Series of puzzle video games

Gunpey, often written as Gun Pey or GunPey, is a series of handheld puzzle games released by Bandai. It was originally released for the WonderSwan, and has been ported to WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. The game was named as a tribute to the developer of the game, Gunpei Yokoi. He is known for developing several handheld consoles such as Nintendo's Game Boy, Virtual Boy, and Bandai's Wonderswan system. In the series, players move line fragments vertically in a grid in order to make a single branching line connect horizontally from one end to the other. The objective of the game depends on the selected game mode.

<i>Super Puzzle Bobble</i> 2000 video game

Super Puzzle Bobble, released as Super Bust-A-Move in Europe and North America, is a puzzle video game in the Puzzle Bobble series. It was developed by Taito, and released on November 27, 2000 by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, and by CyberFront and EON Digital Entertainment for Windows in 2001. It was later ported to the Game Boy Advance that same year, the Japanese version under the name Super Puzzle Bobble Advance. It was re-released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 in 2004 as part of Super Puzzle Bobble DX, which is Volume 62 of the Japan-exclusive Simple 2000 Series. This compilation includes a few graphical enhancements.

<i>Bomberman 64</i> (2001 video game) 2001 video game

Bomberman 64 is a Japanese Nintendo 64 game of the Bomberman franchise.

Puzzle Series is a series of puzzle video games by Hudson Soft.

G-Mode Corporation is a Japanese company that specializes in games for Java-compatible mobile phones. The company also licenses content for mobile telecommunications operators, as well as being involved in the original equipment manufacturing of mobile phone games.

<i>Gem Smashers</i> 2003 video game

Gem Smashers is a puzzle video game developed in Italy by Frame Studios and published by Metro3D for the Game Boy Advance. The game was released in North America on July 1, 2003, and in Japan on November 21, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GungHo Online Entertainment</span> Japanese video game developer and publisher

GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are primarily known for hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online, as well as their development of Ragnarok DS for the Nintendo DS. More recently, the company has reported huge financial success thanks to its mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, which, in 2013, was reportedly responsible for 91% of the company's $1.6 billion revenues for the year.

<i>Puzzle & Dragons</i> 2012 puzzle video game

Puzzle & Dragons is a puzzle video game with role-playing and strategy elements, developed and published by GungHo Online Entertainment for the iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire platforms.

<i>Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition</i> 2015 video game

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is a 2015 role-playing puzzle video game for Nintendo 3DS developed by GungHo Online Entertainment. It is a compilation of Puzzle & Dragons Z (2013) and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015) from the Puzzle & Dragons series for North America and Europe. Before the bundled game was announced, the first game Puzzle & Dragons Z was released in Japan on December 12, 2013, and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition was released in Japan on April 29, 2015. The bundled game was released in May 2015 for North America, Europe, Australia and South Korea.

<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>Lumines: Puzzle & Music</i> 2016 video game

Lumines: Puzzle & Music is a puzzle game for iOS and Android, developed and published by Mobcast with Resonair as co-developer. It was the second smartphone game in the Lumines series after Lumines: Touch Fusion. The objective is to rotate and drop 2×2 blocks to create squares of the same color as a vertical line sweeps across the board to erase completed squares and award points to the player. It was released in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand on July 19, 2016, and later worldwide on September 1, 2016.

<i>Dr. Mario World</i> 2019 mobile game

Dr. Mario World was a 2019 match-three mobile game developed and published by Nintendo in collaboration with Line Corporation and NHN Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of mobile games</span>

The popularisation of mobile games began as early as 1997 with the introduction of Snake preloaded on Nokia feature phones, demonstrating the practicality of games on these devices. Several mobile device manufacturers included preloaded games in the wake of Snake's success. In 1999, the introduction of the i-mode service in Japan allowed a wide variety of more advanced mobile games to be downloaded onto smartphones, though the service was largely limited to Japan. By the early 2000s, the technical specifications of Western handsets had also matured to the point where downloadable applications could be supported, but mainstream adoption continued to be hampered by market fragmentation between different devices, operating environments, and distributors.

<i>Suika Game</i> 2021 Japanese puzzle game

Suika Game is a Japanese puzzle video game by Aladdin X, which combines the elements of falling and merging puzzle games. The game was originally developed for the company's digital projectors in April 2021 and due to its initial success, released on the Nintendo eShop in December 2021 in Japan. After gaining popularity, it was made available globally in October 2023. The concept originates from a Chinese browser game titled Merge Big Watermelon that was released in January 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "～J-フォン「Game Style」5月新着情報！～". G-Mode.jp (in Japanese). May 15, 2002. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "アクションパズルゲーム「TOPOLON（トポロン）」がG-MODEアーカイブスよりリリース". 4gamer (in Japanese). December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "TOPOLON - G-MODEアーカイブス". gmodecorp.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jeff Gerstmann (February 10, 2005). "Topolon Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Dean Mortlock (February 1, 2006). "Topolon". Pocket Gamer . Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Levi Buchanan (September 9, 2006). "Topolon Review". IGN . Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Wireless award winners announced at CTIA". GameSpot . March 16, 2005. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Topolon Wins Mobies Game of the Year". Gamers Game. March 24, 2005. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  9. 1 2 G-Mode (2021). Topolon (Nintendo Switch). G-Mode. Level/area: Help.
  10. 1 2 3 G-Mode (2005). Topolon (J2ME). G-Mode. Level/area: Help.
  11. ↑ "～au「テトリス＆100円ゲーム」に、「ころマスター」＆「TOPOLON」登場！～". G-Mode.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ "～ 「Get!!プチアプリ」に、無限に遊べる近未来的アクションパズル「TOPOLON」が登場！ ～". G-Mode.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ 暇つぶし管理人. "GungHo Games：正式サービス開始！". Free Games (in Japanese). Seesaa. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Topolon". GungHo Games (in Japanese). GungHo Online Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 16, 2006. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Company History". GungHo.co.jp. GungHo Online Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Upstart Games & G-mode form global publishing partnership". Games Industry. January 24, 2006. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  17. ↑ "G-MODE Archives25 Topolon". Nintendo.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  18. ↑ "G-MODE Archives25 Topolon". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.