Magical Drop

"An excellent and overlooked puzzle game"

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Ingenuity: 10
Replay Value: 9
Difficulty: 8

Magical Drop is a game for the SNES by Data East (Makers of Joe and Mac). It was originally released for the arcade, and the series has made appearances on the Neo Geo, Saturn, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and even the Gameboy Color. The game’s story is pretty odd. All of your favorite tarot cards come to life, and are battling it out for the magical drop, which can grant the wish of whoever has it.

The gameplay is very original as far as puzzle games go. Your character stands at the bottom of his or her field. Gems (they don’t have to be gems, you can change them to a few other things in the options) fall down from the top of the field. Your character can grab gems as they fall, and throw them back up, trying to get three or more in a line. You can pick up more than one gem at a time as long as they are the same color. When you line up three gems, any other gem of the same color that is touching the line will disappear as well. You can attack your opponent……sort of. Medallions fall occasionally along with the gems. When you line up three medallions of the same color, they will make all the gems of the corresponding color of the medallion transfer to your opponent’s field. There are six starting characters: Fool, Magician, Priestess, Star, Devil, and Chariot. That’s not all, of course. You can bet that more tarot cards will appear to try and stop your character from getting the magical drop. There are a decent amount of modes including a story mode, two player mode, a challenge mode, and a Vs. computer mode. You can also change a few neat things in the options. The graphics are pretty nice. The characters and playing fields are nicely colored, and detailed. Sound is also above average. While it doesn’t match the ridiculously funky beats of TMNT IV, or Chrono Trigger, the music is still pretty good. There will be times when it gets a tad old, but it won’t happen too often. Story mode, and the challenge option can get difficult at times, and might frustrate those who aren’t strong in the puzzle genre, but for the rest, it’s a nice challenge. As with most puzzle games, the amount of modes, and the fun of the gameplay make for a nice amount of replay value.

I highly recommend this game if you’re in the mood for a new type of puzzle game, or are just looking for some fun. It’s a great game if you like a fun challenge, and are a fan of the puzzle genre.

Overall Score (Not an Average): 91%

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03