| Graphics: |  5 |
| SFX: |  4 |
| Music: | 4 |
| Gameplay: |  4.5 |
| Challenge: | 5 |
| Replay: | 5 |
| Overall: | 4.5 |
| Genre: | Puzzle Game |
| Reading ability: | Not required |
| Company: | Rumic Soft |
Background:
Puzzle fighting games seem to be popular in Japan. This game is similar to Tetris Attack for the SNES and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo for the Playstation (which is an excellent game, I might add). There is also a Sailor Moon S puzzle fighting game, but I have yet to play this game.
The Game:
"Jan Ken Pon." That's the Japanese name for the game "Paper, Rock, Scissors." That is the premise of this game. Rock smashes scissors, scissors cuts paper, paper wraps rock. You are given a row of three items, and you may rotate them horizontally. There are also two different colored balls that fall with the three icons. They are removed when they are next to a piece that is removed. The six characters to choose from are Ranma, Akane, Shampoo, Mousse, Ryoga, and Genma. When things are not looking good for you, you can throw a bucket of water on your opponent, and he/she will turn into his/her cursed form to turn things in your favor. This is cute! Naturally, Akane is the only player who is immune to this.
In the options screen, you can change the "Paper, Rock, Scissors" to something else. These include "Water, Fire, Blanket" and "P-chan, Neko-chan, Panda," and some geometric colored objects that don't look too fun. Although the characters' faces option is cute, it's confusing to keep track of which conquers which.
A power bar increases when you do multiple attacks repeatedly until your character shouts their super attack against your opponent. When you aren't doing well and your side of the screen keeps piling up, your character's face gets worried and then frustrated. When the battle is over, the victor rejoices while the loser weeps.
The Good:
The music for this game is even more enjoyable than that for Ranma 1/2: Super Battle. The sound effects aren't much, but they are pleasant and well done. Also like the Super Battle game, the graphics are absolutely stunning! And for the most important quality, this is probably the most unique and original vs. puzzle game I have ever played.
The Bad:
Not much to say about what is wrong with the game. Although there could've been more speech in the game. The voice clips sound like they're taken straight from Super Battle. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled by Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and other later puzzle games, where the characters are constantly talking back and forth to each other.
Overall:
This is an incredible game! I'm glad that I've finally obtained the game! This is one of my all-time favorite puzzle games. It is truly a one-of-a-kind puzzle game.
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