Zuma (computer game)
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| Zuma | |
|---|---|
 Zuma screenshot. |
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| Developer(s) | PopCap Games |
| Publisher(s) | PopCap Games |
| Release date(s) | 2003 (first released) |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | single player |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS X, iPod, Mobile phone, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Palm OS |
Zuma is a fast-paced puzzle game developed by PopCap Games. The objective is to eliminate all the balls rolling round the screen, before they reach the Sun God, or Skull. As soon as one ball reaches the Sun God, the rest follow and the player loses a life. To prevent the balls reaching the Skull, the player can eliminate the balls by firing a colored ball from the stone frog idol's mouth towards a group of two or more of the same colored balls. When three or more of the same color come in contact, they explode, possibly triggering other explosions as part of a chain reaction.
On September 12, 2006, Steve Jobs (on behalf of Apple Computer and PopCap) announced that Zuma would be compatible for all 5th generation iPods by downloading it from the iTunes Store. Zuma was one of many games made available for iPods, which included other PopCap games (e.g. Bejeweled).
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[edit] Plagiarism controversy
The Japanese developer Mitchell Corporation claims Zuma is a clone of their 1998 arcade game, Puzz Loop. In an interview [1], it was suggested that Mitchell contacted PopCap and threatened to sue for intellectual property infringement, but so far no legal action seems to have taken place. Mitchell re-released this design in 2006 as the Nintendo DS game Magnetica.
[edit] Hidden parts
[edit] Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- In the options, turn down the music volume and turn up the sound effects volume. (This step is not necessary but it helps getting the joke.)
- In the main menu, hover the mouse over the menu items in the following order: "Adventure", "Gauntlet", "Options", "More Games", "Quit". By doing this, the buttons should play the well-known melody from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
- Repeat the sequence three times. A flying saucer will appear.
- Click on it to see the credits screen.
[edit] Main menu
In the main menu, click on the frog's eyes to make them look at the cursor.
[edit] Gauntlet mode
If one achieves a "sungod" (or "Son of Sun") rating on each level in Gauntlet mode, the frog displayed on the main menu will appear wearing a little green "sungod" tophat.
[edit] External links
- PopCap Games
- Play Zuma online
- Station.com Zuma
- Interview with Mitchell
- Review of Zuma on mobile phone
- Review of iPod Zuma
