65. Magical Drop III

(NeoGeo/Saturn/Playstation, Data East, 1997)
More jolly puzzle fun now as the third iteration of the Magical Drop series enters the list. Much like Puchi Carat, this anime puzzler is a split screen affair that requires fast thinking and careful planning.
The player runs a small clown across the bottom of the screen, pulling similarly coloured balloons off the board then firing them back on to connect long chains of the same colour. The balloons clog the screen incredibly quickly and the player must be fast on his feet and truly think two moves ahead in order to avoid being overrun.

As with many games of this type, the split screen mode features two players battling it out, transferring chains to each others board with the first player to become overrun losing the battle.
The player can pick from one of a mighty 24 avatars, all based on the tarot, these stylish anime characters lurk in the background, celebrating and deriding the ups and downs of their host's actions.
My favourites are Empress and Fortune... Noticing a trend yet?Like many games before it, Magical Drop is a simple puzzle battler that's as addictive as crack (just not nearly as bad for you) Solid practice will reward the player with strategies to help them through the challenge and story modes, which climb in difficulty very quickly. Many an afternoon can be wasted battling against friends and the game's infectious "Just one more go" syndrome should provide you years of enjoyment. It has for me anyway.

Great art and fun gameplay. Magical Drop III will have you jumping for joy...

..Indeed.