Magical Drop III (1997)

Developer: Data East
Publisher: Data East, G-MODE Corporation, D4 Enterprise
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Zeebo, Wii
Genres: Puzzle

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Fast-reflex balloon-bursting puzzle game with tarot-card characters demands quick combos and chain reactions under pressure.

puzzlearcadefast-pacedcolorfulfantasycompetitive

About

Control a clown to pull in and throw back balloons hurled from the top of the screen. If you line up three or more balloons of the same color in a vertical row, they will burst. If you're not quick enough, the balloons will squash the clown and the game is over. Once you've got the hang of bursting balloons, you'll need to master combos and chains. The third Magical Drop game, first released in 1997, was also developed for the Neo Geo. This games adds representatives for the remaining Tarot Major Arcana, as well as introducing a "daughter" Strength character that more closely resembles the traditional depiction of Strength. The game adds a third button, which allows players to add rows to their field at any time. Additionally, attacks now sends lines to the opponent in non-even rows that vary by character. Hirameki mode is replaced by Adventure Mode, which is a board game that challenges players to reach Empress before CPU-controlled rivals. The English versions of Magical Drop III remove the hardest difficulty setting in Vs. CPU Mode and rival opponents in Adventure Mode.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.