Puzzled
| Puzzled | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | SNK |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Platform(s) | Neo Geo MVS & AES, Neo Geo CD |
| Release |
Neo Geo MVS November 20, 1990 Neo Geo AES July 1, 1991 Neo Geo CD September 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle video game |
Puzzled, released as Joy Joy Kid (ジョイジョイキッド) in Japan, is a falling-block puzzle video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcades in 1990, on the Neo Geo home console in 1991, and the Neo Geo CD in 1994. The game was ported to mobile phones in 2005, then was re-published by D4 Enterprise on the Wii Virtual Console in June 2011,[1] and it is also one of the twenty games that came pre-loaded on the Neo Geo X console released in 2012.[2]
Gameplay
The visuals of Puzzled look a lot like Tetris and the core gameplay is the same: the player controls tetriminos falling from the top of the screen, and filling a horizontal lines clears it.[3][4] However, the objective is to clear a vertical path for a hot-air balloon initially trapped at the bottom of each level, enabling it to fly off the top of the playing field and moving up to the next level of a tower.[5][6]
The tower is divided into multiple floors, with 10 levels per floor, totaling 60 different puzzles.[7][8] Some levels feature varied obstacles like robots floating around the puzzle to attack the balloon, regenerating blocks, and gold blocks that need to be cleared multiple times before disappearing.[5] The player can also use a power-up called an "L-Ball": a meter fills up as lines are cleared, and once ready, the player can trigger a lightning ball to explode outwards from the balloon's current location, removing surrounding blocks.[5]
Reception
The graphics of Puzzled were described as being simplistic and unremarkable but well designed and efficient.[3][7] The sound effects were also considered minimalistic but enjoyable for a game of this type.[3][7]
The game's multiplayer portion was criticized for not featuring any interactions between the two simultaneous players.[7][8]
References
- ↑ Marcel van Duyn (27 May 2011). "Japanese Virtual Console list – June 2011". NintendoLife. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ↑ "NEOGEO X FAQ". Neo Geo X. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- 1 2 3 Omega Kyo (2 June 2004). "Puzzled / Joy Joy Kid" (in French). Neo-Arcadia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ↑ HG Staff (27 December 2012). "Hands-on With the Full Neo Geo X Launch Library". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- 1 2 3 Bill Kwando (2002). "Puzzled Review". Neo-Geo.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ↑ Tarma (2010). "Puzzled" (in French). Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Tibe (2012). "Puzzled US". NeoGeoKult. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- 1 2 Cyril Lachel (13 March 2004). "Puzzled Review for Neo Geo (1990)". DefunctGames. Retrieved 17 April 2017.