| Puzz Loop | |
|---|---|
Cover for PlayStation version of Puzz Loop |
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| Developer(s) | Mitchell Corporation |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Nuon, iOS |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players alternating |
Puzz Loop is a 1998 arcade puzzle game developed by Mitchell Corporation. It was later ported to the Game Boy Color, Neo Geo Pocket Color, PlayStation and Samsung Nuon DVD players under the name Ballistic. The original Puzz Loop game was also known by this title. In 2008, publisher Hudson Soft released the game on Apple's App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The original Puzz Loop was followed by a sequel, Puzz Loop 2, in 2001.
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In the game, marbles of different colors roll down a spiral path towards a central goal, which the player must stop by shooting new marbles using a cannon into the oncoming ones. The marbles disappear if player matches three or more marbles of the same color. In addition, collecting bonus items attached to marbles can, for example, temporarily slow down the rate the marbles advance or cause all marbles of the same color to disappear.
The game is over once the marbles are pushed over the goal threshold.
Puzz Loop 2 is an arcade puzzle game by Mitchell Corporation which was released in 2001 on Capcom's CPS-2 hardware only in Japan.
Gameplay is exactly the same as its predecessor, with the player needing to deplete all the colored balls before they hit the center of the screen. The most popular feature of Puzz Loop 2 was the two-player versus mode.
The success of Puzz Loop lead to a number of clones with similar gameplay from other companies including Zuma, the Luxor series, Tumblebugs, Potpourrii, Butterfly Escape, Loco, and Bonsai Blast.[1] Mitchell alleges that Zuma, one of the more popular clones, directly infringes on their intellectual property.[2][3] In reply, Zuma developer PopCap Games asserts that their game is "not an exact clone", but an elaboration of Mitchell's original idea.[4]
Mitchell itself released a version of the game for the Nintendo DS called Magnetica in 2006. A Wii version of Magnetica was released via WiiWare in 2008.[5]