Puzzled
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)SNK
Producer(s)Eikichi Kawasaki
Composer(s)Yoshihiko Kitamura
Platform(s)Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD
Release
  • Arcade
    • WW: 20 November 1990
    Neo Geo AES
    • JP: 1 July 1991
    • EU: 1 July 1991
    Neo Geo CD
    • JP: 9 September 1994
    • NA: October 1996
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Puzzled[lower-alpha 1] is a falling-block puzzle video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcade hardware in 1990, the Neo Geo home console in 1991,[1] and the Neo Geo CD in 1994.[2] The game was ported to mobile phones in 2005, then was re-published by D4 Enterprise on the Wii Virtual Console in June 2011,[3] and it is also one of the twenty games that came pre-loaded on the Neo Geo X console released in 2012.[4] It was also ported in August 2017 to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 as part of Hamster Corporation's ACA Neo Geo series.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot.

The visuals of Puzzled look a lot like Tetris and the core gameplay is the same:[5] the player controls tetrominos falling from the top of the screen, and filling a horizontal lines clears it.[6][7] 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.[8][9]

The tower is divided into multiple floors, with 10 levels per floor, totaling 60 different puzzles.[10][11] 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.[8] 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.[8]

Development and release

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Puzzled on their December 15, 1990 issue as being the most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Carrier Air Wing and Raiden.[23]

The graphics of Puzzled were described as being simplistic and unremarkable but well-designed and efficient.[6][10] The sound effects were also considered minimalistic but enjoyable for a game of this type.[6][10]

The game's multiplayer portion was criticized for not featuring any interactions between the two simultaneous players.[10][11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as Joy Joy Kid (Japanese: ジョイジョイキッド, Hepburn: Joi Joi Kiddo) in Japan.

References

  1. ↑ "Oh! Neo Geo Vol. 23 - ジョイジョイキッド". Beep! Mega Drive (in Japanese). No. 58. SoftBank Creative. July 1994. p. 134.
  2. ↑ "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - Puzzled". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 106.
  3. ↑ Marcel van Duyn (27 May 2011). "Japanese Virtual Console list – June 2011". NintendoLife. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "NEOGEO X FAQ". Neo Geo X. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. ↑ Knauf, Andreas (January 1992). "News - Neo Geo - Joy Joy Kid". Video Games (in German). No. 5. Future-Verlag. pp. 10–12.
  6. 1 2 3 Omega Kyo (2 June 2004). "Puzzled / Joy Joy Kid" (in French). Neo-Arcadia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. ↑ HG Staff (27 December 2012). "Hands-on With the Full Neo Geo X Launch Library". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Bill Kwando (2002). "Puzzled Review". Neo-Geo.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Tarma (2010). "Puzzled" (in French). Neo·Geo Spirit. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Tibe (2012). "Puzzled US". NeoGeoKult. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  11. 1 2 Cyril Lachel (13 March 2004). "Puzzled Review for Neo Geo (1990)". DefunctGames. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "ACA NeoGeo: Puzzled for Nintendo Switch". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  13. ↑ Scullion, Chris (August 29, 2017). "Puzzled Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  14. ↑ Knight, Kyle (1998). "Puzzled (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  15. ↑ "Reportaje - Clásicos en CD -- Titulos disponibles para el nuevo formato de SNK: Puzzled". Hobby Hi-Tech (in Spanish). No. 1. Axel Springer SE. March 1995. p. 29.
  16. ↑ Demoly, Jean-Marc (March 1991). "Tests - Neo Geo - Puzzle". Joystick (in French). No. 14. Anuman Interactive. p. 145.
  17. ↑ "Console News - Neo Geo: Joy Joy Kid". Joystick (in French). No. Hors-Serie 3. Anuman Interactive. July–August 1991. p. 59.
  18. ↑ Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - Puzzled". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  19. ↑ Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい！: ジョイジョイキッド". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 208.
  20. ↑ "NF編集部にまる - ネオジオゲームㇱインレビュー: JOY JOY KID". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 25. Geibunsha. June 1997. pp. 124–128.
  21. ↑ Drevet, Cyril (March 1991). "Tests De Jeux - Neo Geo - Puzzled". Player One (in French). No. 7. Média Système Édition. p. 52.
  22. ↑ Hermelin, François (May 1991). "Rolling Softs - Joy Joy Kid -- Neo Geo, cartouche SNK". Tilt (in French). No. 90. Editions Mondiales S.A. p. 79.
  23. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 394. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1990. p. 25.
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