PixlBit

A fantasy-based puzzle game that is strange yet enjoyable

Magical Drop III is the third puzzle game in the series, and, as with most Neo Geo games (if not all), it's an arcade port. It was developed and published by Data East and released in 1997. I haven't played the first two games, but I imagine they're all very similar since they all came out one year after the other. Luckily, the Magical Drop series sets itself apart from other puzzle games with its setting, characters, and most of all, the gameplay.

The gameplay in MD3 is backwards from your typical puzzle game. Instead of gems going up (in this case, balloons, as the game calls them), your goal is to keep them from hitting the bottom of the screen. You control a clown at the bottom of the screen who can grab and throw balloons upward that are the same color. He can grab as many of the same color as possible. Your goal is to match three or more balloons of the same color vertically. Sometimes the balloons come down matched already, but they will not disappear until you grab them and throw them. By setting off chains, you can get combos and cause your opponent's balloons to fall faster.

The characters in MD3 are bizarre. There are 16 total characters, all fantasy-based. They have strange names, such as Strength and Judgment, instead of real names like Bob or Jim. Let me give you some examples. Lovers is a girl and her pig; Devil is a guy with wings and horns; Chariot is the name of the knight (who doesn't have a chariot, by the way); Empress is a dominatrix character with a whip; Judgment is an angel boy; Sun is a baby sun, complete with diaper; and I could go on. While the characters are bizarre, they're also charming and have good animations in your window as you play, showing happiness when you get combos and pain when you get hit by the opponent. It's actually quite funny.

The game has three modes: Survival Mode has you trying to survive as long as possible; Challenge Mode is the main story mode where you must defeat many of the characters in one-on-one battles; and Magical Journey has your character moving from space to space on a map getting power-ups and completing challenges (mostly clearing all the balloons, but these challenges can get tough, such as when they broaden the screen to give you more balloons). They also explain to you how to play as soon as you start the game, but good luck reading the fast-moving text!

The game doesn't have much of a story. There's a neat opening video at the beginning of the game, showing all the characters, but not a word is said or shown. When you play Challenge Mode, which is the story mode, your character will face another on a book and say the same thing every time ("I'm gonna beat you" or something like that). The game makes even less sense at the end, when you fight a giant tower and then fight a lady with long red hair and streamers floating around her body (she's the final boss). The fact that the game doesn't make any sense doesn't bother me, mostly because it's a fun game, and that's the most important thing.

You can choose to save your game, which is always a good idea, especially if you're playing through Challenge Mode, but you can only save one file, meaning if you save on a different mode, you'll erase previous save data. Also, MD3 has a small problem that is one of my pet peeves: due to the fact that this is an arcade game port, you can't pause the game. Would it be too much to add that?

The puzzle part of the game is fun and addicting. It's simple at first, but like any good puzzle game, can become intense and challenging. Having balloons fall into place to get chains is tricky, which is why I'm thankful that chains can also be accumulated by matching colored balloons in quick succession. If you match three blues here, then quickly match something else before they can totally disappear, that's a chain. Many times I would create holes in the middle and have to move balloons in from the sides. To make things interesting, there's a couple special balloons: the ice balloon will change to the color of the balloons you place beneath it, and the rainbow balloon will cause all balloons of the corresponding color to disappear (which is a life-saver).However, if the balloons start coming down too quickly and you find yourself with only one or two spaces left, you're in trouble. Getting out of that is nigh impossible. Skill is far more important than luck in this puzzle game.

The Challenge Mode is no cake-walk. At first it seems pretty easy, but then the opponents will start getting hard. The final boss is very difficult, made only harder due to a time limit you're under. Beating Challenge Mode is a real accomplishment. Fun, intense, challenging, and certainly addicting, all the qualities of a good puzzle game.

Finally, the music in MD3 is awesome! It has that arcady feel to it, which I really love. There's a wide variety of themes, ranging from slower and nicer ones to intense ones, such as the boss and final boss. The music simply gives the characters more charm and personality, and makes the overall game more enjoyable.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

This puzzle game has a lot of charm. Sure, it's bizarre, with some seriously weird characters, but it's also Japanese, so all is forgiven. The gameplay is fun and addicting, the modes are solid, and the music is great. You can also grab a friend and play against each other. I'm not sure if MD3 is the best of the three, but I doubt the other two could be better than this one. It's available on the Wii Virtual Console, and if you enjoy great puzzle games, I recommend you give this one a try.

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