Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
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| Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Compile |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Takaya Segawa, Saori Yamaguchi, Hideaki Moriya, Keisuke Saka (design), Manabu Ishihara, Tsukasa Aoki (programming). |
| Release date(s) |  November 1993 November 1993 December 1993 (Game Gear) January 1994 (Game Gear)July 26, 1994 (Master System) |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single Player / Double Player / Endless / Puzzle Mode (8-bit versions only) |
| Rating(s) | VRC General Audiences(GA) |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Virtual Console |
| Media | Cartridge |
| Input | Control pad |
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a video game within the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. The game is a modified version of the Japanese puzzle game Puyo Puyo and has characters from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon.
[edit] Storyline
Dr. Robotnik has hatched a plan to ensure that no music or fun remains on Mobius. To do this, he kidnaps the citizens of Beanville and stuffs them into a giant robotising machine called the Mean Bean-Steaming Machine (hence the name, Mean Bean Machine), so that they become his robot slaves. The player must now defeat each of the robot guards and Robotnik himself to foil his evil plans.
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Scenario Mode
In the game, a player must group 4 or more different colored beans (or Puyos) together so that they erase, and send Refugee Beans (aka Garbage, and Ojyama) to the opponent. The more beans that link up, the more garbage is sent. Players may also activate step chains (aka Rensa) so that even more garbage is scored. The game is decided when the third column from the left is piled to the top. Each player plays on a 12 high by 6 wide grid, meaning that 72 beans can be seen on screen (including garbage). If garbage falls on the player's screen, they cannot be grouped like normal beans can (4 in a row will not erase), however, garbage is erased when a neighbouring group of beans erase next to them (for example, if a vertical line of 4 beans in column 2 forms adjacently next to a vertical line of 4 garbage beans in either column 1 or column 3, then that garbage disappears). However, one does not send additional garbage to the other player when they are erased with coloured beans.
[edit] Stage 01: Arms
"Beans, beans let me give you a hand — or two. I've to prepare Dr. Robotnik a beautiful bean feast. Come to Arms my beauties."
The strategy Arms has is a randomly selected slow version of the faster badniks (Stages 09-12). Arms' facial expression when he is about to be defeated shows much frustration, and when he is about to win he has a wide grin. Arms is seen in the pilot episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
[edit] Stage 02: Frankly
"Arms is always too wrapped up in himself to do anything useful. I'm a bright spark though and I reckon I know how to beat you."
It does look like this badnik is going to kill himself at the beginning, but it isn't true, notably because he does this merely to pile the beans into fours easily. Frankly's strategy is the opposite of Arms'. It looks as though he is about to cry and feel guilty when he is about to be defeated, pull a funny face when he is defeated and he will smile wickedly when he is winning. Frankly is also seen in the pilot episode Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and is a parody of Frankenstein's monster.
[edit] Stage 03: Humpty
"Gracious! You're here already. I'm shell shocked! But please eggscuse me if I scramble your chances of seeing Dr. R."
"Scrambling" is what this badnik's strategy is. He gives the peace sign when he is victorious and he will blow some tissues when he's losing. Humpty has a very small cameo in the pilot episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. He earns his name due to his overuse of the terms for eggs when playing the Genesis version.
[edit] Stage 04: Coconuts
"I'm Coconuts and I'm Dr. Robotnik's favorite robot because I'm going to finish you in a flash."
Coconuts, the stage badnik, rises the beans over to the left and right sides of the grid to make things easier for himself. His victory pose is oddly similar to Humpty's and his defeat expression shows him in a complete outrage with the little lightbulb flashing red. Coconuts appears as a minor character in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and is based on the badnik of the same name in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
[edit] Stage 05: Davy Sprocket
"A squirt like you has been reuniting too many beans. I reckon I'll have to pioneer some new techniques."
This badnik is a parody of Davy Crockett as is his strategy parodying Davy Crocket's strategy in the Alamo. Eventually the speed of the stage gradually increases. Davy gets mad whenever the player wins and is grinning (slightly) whenever he wins. He is also in the pilot episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
[edit] Stage 06: Skweel
"I've got more sizzle than a rasher of bacon. I'm hungry and it ain't meals on wheels I'm after — it's you."
Like Stage 05, the speed of this stage eventually gradually increases over time. Skweel nods his head back and forth whenever he is victorious and when the player is victorious he snorts his nose at the exact speed rate of a heartbeat. Skweel is a parody of Porky Pig. He appears in the pilot episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
[edit] Stage 07: Dynamight
"Well blow me away! As if Dr. R hasn't had enough stick already. Here I am to provide a fireworks display."
This badnik's name is a pun on "dynamite". His strategy is suicidal and can also be lethal if used against the player. 50% of the time he kills himself (although by accident). He either grins widely (when he wins) or sheepishly (when he loses) and explodes when he is defeated. Dynamight appears in the pilot episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
[edit] Stage 08: Grounder
"I'm Grounder but you can call me SAM — 'cos I'm like a Surface to Air Missile and I'm gonna have you for launch."
Grounder is widely conisdered to be the second hardest boss in the game and very few players get past him. Grounder looks bored when he's not winning (he yawns). He rises his left arm and smiles (It is not known what gesture he makes, given he has no fingers) when he is victorious. Because of the drop speed, almost all facial expressions will be seen at some point. It is possible to beat him, but it takes a lot of practice. Grounder is a main character in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, albeit more of a comic relief character. After Stage 08 in the Game Gear version, the background is more mechanical, resembling a factory. Also, the drop speed doubles.
[edit] Stage 09: Spike
"C'mon squirt,let's see what you're made of. Forget those rivet-brains you've seen. I'm Spike and I'm gonna stick it to ya!"
Speed does change, making Spike seemingly harder than Grounder. However, he does not show a strategy that takes advantage of the speed. He looks as though he is trying to calm his opponent down when he's losing. When Spike is winning, he will smile normally and taunt the player. Spike has a very small cameo in the pilot episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
[edit] Stage 10: Sir Ffuzzy-Logik
"Milord is troubled by thy success, Sire. But thou art destined to proceed no further. Prepare to duel Lord Robotnik's champion."
This badnik's strategy and character are both parodies of Shakespearean knights. Ol' Ffuzzy-Fface (as Stage 11's character, Dragon Breath, calls him) appears in the pilot episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (albeit younger than in the game, and minus the scarf, trident, and leaves), and he himself talks in Old English. Unlike the other badniks, Sir Ffuzzy-Logik doesn't change facial expressions at all except for his eyes (which minorly change; when he's defeated, he gives a surprising look, and is given a glare when about to win), probably because he has no mouth or because of an honor code.
[edit] Stage 11: Dragon Breath
"Ol' Ffuzzy-Fface got tied in knots, huh? I guess that's why the Doc's sending the boys 'round. So long sucker!"
This badnik is called Dragon Breath, although he looks more like a minotaur wearing a kilt. He appears in the pilot episode of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and more prominently than the rest bar Scratch, Grounder, or Coconuts. Dragon Breath's strategy revolves around dragon-like prowess. He is extremely difficult nonetheless. His facial expressions involve a groan when defeated, a scream when losing and a grin when winning.
[edit] Stage 12: Scratch
"You've been scratching around here for too long, worm-bait. Time to cross the road and head home, pal. I'm winning this one by fair means or fowl."
Scratch appears regularly in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog as a main character. Scratch has no general strategy; he specifically takes advantage of the speed and uses it against his opponent. His facial expression when winning is similar to that of Skweel. Scratch's losing facial expression is that of him begging for mercy. Because of the speed, it is likely that Scratch might kill himself by mistake.
[edit] Stage 13: Dr. Robotnik
Upon beating the guards, the player is transported to Robotnik's factory (visible in the background of the other guards' videos). He berates his men for their failure and prepares to challenge the player.
"You dopey duncebots — Can't you do anything right? Now I'll have to do my own dirty work and blend those beans."
Dr. Robotnik's strategy is very effective and he is difficult to beat. The players' situation is further confounded by increased drop speed. Refugee beans in this level also have a tendency to land in positions that cause the player the most difficulty (in other levels they appear to form randomly; here it seems as though their fall is being controlled). Dr. Robotnik smiles and gives a thumbs up when winning. He shows total outrage when losing. When beaten in the Genesis version, he escapes in the Egg Pod and leaves as the beans break out of their slave bodies and proceed to destroy the factory. Then the credits roll by and all of the characters known are shown in the following order: Arms, Frankly, Humpty, Coconuts, Davy Sprocket, Skweel, Dynamight, Grounder, Spike, Sir Ffuzzy-Logik, Dragon Breath, Scratch, Dr. Robotnik, and Has Bean (the cheerleader). The factory can be seen in the background with smoke coming out of it.
[edit] VS Mode
In Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, up to 2 players can play either in VS Mode or in Exercise Mode. In VS Mode, each player can choose between 5 difficulty settings, labeled 1-5 (Easiest to Hardest, where 1 is the lowest drop speed, and 5 is the fastest). In VS Mode, one player must defeat the other in the same way as in Scenario mode. If a player selects Level 1, they play with 4 coloured beans (the blue bean is omitted), however, all 5 are included with the other four difficulties. Also, if a player chooses Level's 4 or 5, they start with garbage. For Level 4, they start with 18 (3 rows) of garbage, and for Level 5, they start with 30 (5 rows) of garbage.
[edit] Exercise Mode
Exercise Mode (modernly known as Endless Puyo Puyo) is a form of practice play where 1 or 2 players can battle out. This mode has three difficulty levels: easiest, normal, and hardest (Level 1, 3 or 5). On easiest, players start with only 4 colours. To level up, the player has to keep erasing beans. Helpers (Big Puyo or Carbuncle) will appear when the player gets stuck on Level 1 the first time, but they can only appear once. For Level 3, at random times, Carbuncle will drop from the screen to help out. When Carbuncle is placed on a colour, it travels in a random direction, following downwards, changing all beans to that colour. For Level 5, at random times, a Big Puyo will drop from the screen. When Big Puyo falls, it occupies 2 columns of the grid, and when placed, squashes all beans and removes them from the grid.
[edit] General notes
There is no protagonist in this game. Some players may assume they play as Sonic or Tails, although they are not shown on screen nor mentioned. Has Bean, who is really just Carbuncle from the Puyo Puyo series with a different name, does various actions in the middle which are unchanged from Puyo Puyo.
Another notable difference is that Mean Bean Machine has a Password feature while the original Puyo Puyo didn't. This is due to the fact that M.B.M. is slightly more challenging compared to the original game.
Music
A lot of the music in Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine was reused, albeit remixed and/or resynthed, from the original Puyo Puyo music score created by Katsume Tanaka. The list of themes that stayed in the game are as follows:
"Memories of Puyo Puyo": This theme is heard during the character intros (just before the game started) for stages 1-8 as well as the practice stages. In Mean Bean, it was used for the Password Screen, and had slightly different notes as opposed to the original.
"Theme of Puyo Puyo": In Puyo Puyo, this theme was heard during Stages 1 through 8. In Mean Bean, it was moved for the Cast List ending sequence. Once again, some the notes were altered or removed, but is still somewhat similar.
"Satan's Theme": This theme was used for the last stage in Puyo Puyo, against Satan (a.k.a. Dark Prince). In Mean Bean, it was used for two different themes, for the "danger" music, as well as for the two-player competiton game.
Stage 9-12 Intro: This theme was moved for the final stage's intro. The big difference is that only the first portion of the theme was used and repeated.
"Sticker of Puyo Puyo": Heard during Stages 9 through 12 in Puyo Puyo. It was moved for the Exercise Mode theme in Mean Bean. Unlike most of the themes listed, this one was almost completely unaltered.
Credits Theme: This theme was unaltered, and was still used for the credits roll for Mean Bean.
Unlike its SNES counterpart (Kirby's Avalanche), in which only the Panic music was kept the same, this version was kept as close to the original as possible. The sound effects however, though similar, were rather different.
The Stage badniks (except those who were mentioned, talked in 3rd person, or introduced themselves) do not have given names in the Genesis version. Their names are on the Game Gear version, however.
[edit] Release
The game was released in February of 1993 for North America markets, and quickly became available to Europe via import. It was not a commercial success upon its original release, but it steadily progressed to become a classic. The game was never released in Japan, though talks had been in progress. Compile declined the opportunity most likely because the game was too similar to the popular Puyo Puyo, whose sequel was, at the time, already in development (Puyo Puyo Tsu).
When the game finally reached Japan, thanks to Sonic Mega Collection, it became known in that country as "Dr. Eggman's Mean Bean Machine", obviously because Dr. Eggman is Robotnik's name in Japan. However, the game itself wasn't made in Japan, though the original Puyo Puyo was. There was some debate on calling it "Dr. Eggman's Puyo Puyo", but Sega decided to keep it to the original US release name, substituting Eggman for Robotnik.
An 8-bit version was also released for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear in 1993. Like their Genesis counterpart, these versions are a clone of the original Puyo Puyo for the Game Gear (which was to be called Puzlow Kids, and was set for an international release). However it contains an extra mode, known as Puzzle Mode. Puzzle Mode was the precursor to the internationalised version of Nazo Puyo, a game where the player must take steps to solve increasingly difficult puzzles. Compile later went on to create sole Nazo Puyo games, two of which featured exclusively on the SNES, whereas one featured exclusively on the Game Gear, until it was included on many of the games merchandise, including Puyo Puyo Tsu for Windows 95. It was also included in Sonic Adventure DX and in Sonic Mega Collection Plus. However, the Megadrive version of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine was featured as part of the Sonic Mega Collection for Nintendo GameCube and Sonic Mega Collection Plus for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
On December 11, 2006, Sega released the game on the Wii's Virtual Console, at a price of 800 Wii Points.[1]
[edit] Trivia
- By setting a Genesis emulator to Japanese when playing the game, players would access a hidden sound test within the game. Notably, in addition to the music used in the game itself, there are also some music tracks left over from the original Puyo Puyo game and unused in Mean Bean Machine.
- It was also Sega of America's first attempt at a spin-off of a game for their Mega Drive/Genesis series, and although Puyo Puyo was not at the time a well-known franchise in the West, it did prove to be successful for their first attempt. Many western Puyo players first started on this game since its release in 1993. It is still credited as one of the better games in the series.
- Due to the success of Mean Bean Machine, some North American magazines showed promise of a later Puyo game, Puyo Puyo~n, appearing on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. However, it never appeared as the Dreamcast started its decline.
- This is the only game where Dr. Robotnik is the character whose name is in the title, and one of the few Sonic the Hedgehog-related games where Sonic does not appear.
- All the badniks in this game appeared in the episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, The Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad.
- The two badniks that disguised themselves as Tails' "parents" in the episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog "Tails' New Home" make a cameo appearance on the Game Over screen.
[edit] Staff Credits
- Producers: Yoji Ishii, Noriyoshi Ohba, Masamitsu (Moo) Niitani, Tetsuo Shinyu, Takayuki Yanagihori, Masanobu Tsukamoto
- Graphic Designers: Takaya Segawa, Saori Yamaguchi, Hideaki Moriya, Keisuke Saka
- Programmers: Manabu Ishihara, Tsukasa Aoki
- Music and Sound Effects: Dave Javelosa, Katsume Tanaka, Masanori Hikichi, Masayuki Nagao
[edit] References
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (2006-10-31). Wii Virtual Console Lineup Unveiled. 1UP.com. Retrieved on November 1, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine at MobyGames
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine at The Internet Movie Database
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