(Arcade/Various Home, Taito, 1997)
Puchi Carat is one of those split screen puzzlers along the lines of Puzzle Bobble, Tetris, Columns etc. Essentially a Breakout clone, the player picks a character from a selection of twelve cutesy anime types (all named after various gemstones) then goes into battle in a quest to collect a group of gems that will grant the character their greatest wish, completing the game on hard rewards the player with a comical end story.
As with the all these type of games, Puchi Carat is born for Vs mode, the players move a bat across the bottom of screen, deflecting a ball into the array of coloured gems that march from the top of the screen. Performing high scoring chains will transfer the eliminated gems to your opponents screen. The first player to be have their screen overrun with gems is the loser (or the "runner-up" for you politically correct types)
A basic game that's hopelessly addictive, Puchi Carat oozes charm, with colourful graphics, stylish effects and a hopelessly anime approach Your chosen character appears behind your playing area, cheering you on and reacting accordingly to how well/badly you are doing, chains trigger special animations and an array of stereotypical anime Japanese shouting. Perydot is my favourite character, funny that.. (See pic above)
That's it. Like all the best arcade games, Puchi Carat can be explained quickly and simply, but that simplicity belies the fun times to be had wasting an afternoon battling a friend. With attractive characters, upbeat music and time-killing gameplay, Puchi Carat is best summed up as a smiley piece of happy joy.
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