Steve's Obscure Super Famicom Games Thread

[kammedo]

HAMELIN NO VIOLIN HIKI

Am i wrong or is this game Violinist of Hamlet? There should be a translation of it somewhere too...

[Steve]

Am i wrong or is this game Violinist of Hamlet? There should be a translation of it somewhere too...

Yeah, it's Violinist of Hamelin... Hamlet, Hamelin... eh, it's all the same game XD

[Taucias]

There was an absolutely beautiful Raccoon puzzle block game released in Japan where you control the Raccoon and jump around throwing the blocks into collumns etc to progress through the stages. I forget the name now, but the title screen was also pretty amazing for the SNES.

Any ideas?

I'd like to see a mini review of it too.

[DoDonGouki]

There was an absolutely beautiful Raccoon puzzle block game released in Japan where you control the Raccoon and jump around throwing the blocks into collumns etc to progress through the stages. I forget the name now, but the title screen was also pretty amazing for the SNES.

Any ideas?

I'd like to see a mini review of it too.

Tada !!

I think you mean Araiguma Rascal, a game based on the anime Rascal the Raccoon. But "title screen was also pretty amazing for the SNES"... eehh, not really ;)

[Steve]

There was an absolutely beautiful Raccoon puzzle block game released in Japan where you control the Raccoon and jump around throwing the blocks into collumns etc to progress through the stages. I forget the name now, but the title screen was also pretty amazing for the SNES.

Any ideas?

I'd like to see a mini review of it too.

It was looked at... back in early November. If you go back a few pages you'll find it

edit: yeah, it's a sweet game. Definitely recommended

[Taucias]

Oops! Sorry Steve, I must have missed it on your list. That's the game, sickly cute but in an acceptable way :)

[Steve]

Today, tomorrow and Friday will be devoted to 3 little-known gems... well, at least in my book. This first one is my favorite of the 3




PUZZLE'N DESU!


Hell of a mind-teaser, this one. You move the little guy on the left around a giant square arena, trying to match all the like-colors. You can only push 1 block at a time, and it'll travel until it's stopped by a wall or block

If you think this game's a cheap Soukoban clone, think again

3 like-colors, minimum, are required to make a successful match. Sometimes there are four instead of three, so you must connect all four. Match only 3 in this instance and fail -- as there'd be one block remaining

Here's the 1st stage:


If you can't figure this out....

Stage 2:

--->
The rest is easy to work out

The 3rd stage is where things get a bit trickier



The blue blocks are a cinch as you can see... but hmmm at the pink ones... what to do...


Set 'em up like such

--->

There you go, now this pink formation's ripe for the pickings. Can you solve the rest? If not, you can always check the video to see the solution

Later on, the puzzles become murderous. A la Sutte Hakkun and Super Soukoban




BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

An ace 4-player battle mode is included! Much more than a mere afterthought, this can rival Bomberman believe it or not! The goal is simple. Squish your opponent(s) via block pushing. The winner is the sole survivor. And for good measure, you get 10 different stage designs, whose block placement is randomly generated, enabling countless variants! (similar to the map system of the beloved WORMS franchise)

B = push

A = moves a block around you

Note the "A" command is only valid in the battle mode, for obvious reasons. Also, EVEN in this mode blocks will disappear when accidentally or purposely matched. Awesome

1.

Basic plain 1st stage

2.

Blue blocks with the % marks are immovable

3.

The ice blocks dissipate when pushed against a wall or block

4.

The arrows determine the path of destruction

5.

These arrows affect block AND player movement

6.

The arrow blocks here can only be pushed in the direction they're pointing. The numbered blocks travel their respective number (i.e. 3 spaces)

7.

Teleporters! Bomberman is rollin' in his grave ;)

8.

Great gimmick here. Arrows guide block movement. Easy to kill yourself if you don't watch it. When walking on arrows, they act like butter, sliding you in their set direction

9.

The blocks here can be pushed despite touching each other. They fly across and through the screen disappearing whether they've crushed someone or not. Arguably the most chaotic stage, with the potential of numerous blocks zooming by at break-neck speed in all directions

10.

A veritable smorgasbord of the others. Nice


D'OH!

Unfortunately, this mode is restricted to human players. Why they didn't allow CPU opponents is a mystery. But it's better than nothing. Like Bomberman, 2 to 4 can play, with the win total required for a stage adjustable from 1 thru 10

To cap things off, a create-your-own-stage option is available


CLOSING THOUGHTS

These games possess a purity I can't help but love. They're simply brilliant and brilliantly simple (yet complex). If you love pitting your logic skills to the test, and especially if you have gaming buds, hunt this gem down. From what I understand though, it's fairly scarce

"Bomberman meets Soukoban" is one way to describe PUZZLE'N DESU! Another way would be, "bloody ace"


Stages 1-3 (2:08)

[Steve]

LITTLE MAGIC (no relation to NES "Little Magic") is not what you'd call an epic game, or a showcase piece. Heck, it looks like something off the 8-Bit Nintendo... Adventures of Lolo comes to mind immediately. But as we all know, gameplay reigns supreme, and Little Magic is rock-solid in that department

Little Magic is a bit like Soukoban. As May, in each stage you must transport a fiery icon to its designated location. It's a simple concept, but the complexity of the level design becomes increasingly difficult

May walks one square for any D-Pad movement you make. So she cannot turn without moving. 3 ways to move the fire:

1. Push (just use the D-Pad)
2. Poke ("A" button)
3. Bubble. It'll pop pushing the fire 1 space forward ("B" button)

May cannot walk through water. Here she pokes the fire into the proper location

--->

The bubble should be used when May is out of poking range, as seen below



Stage 6 is where business picks up. You're toast if you push the fire against the wall

--->

Form a bubble next to the fire, then move May to the top corner and wait for the bubble to burst, pushing the fire toward May. Now you're home free

--->

Stage 7 is much trickier. Those stairs vanish as soon as you step off

--->

The intro shows off clever techniques



It's sort of like a "how-to-play" video, really



Later on, enemies crop up as well, in addition to teleporters, spikes, gaping holes, etc. In all, there are 99 levels. 6-character passwords are given for each stage




















CLOSING THOUGHTS

The Game Boy Color version also received a Japan-only release. Crap graphics make a bad game not. This is a classic example of gameplay triumphing over looks. Like Puzzle'N Desu, Little Magic seems hard to find and is a praiseworthy diamond in the rough


Stages 1-6 (1:25)
"How-To-Play" (1:02)

[Steve]

DHARMA DOUJOU approaches the puzzle genre with a fresh take. Instead of descending, pieces are stationed on the screen. You must eliminate all like-pieces. Using a mallet, you hammer one piece at a time off the playing field and onto the bottom screen. ONLY those on the far left are applicable. At the bottom the match-making occurs, thereby eliminating the possibility of a chain reaction. If a match doesn't take place, the pieces simply go to the bottom of the well, bumping everything up



You lose by:

1. The baddie reaching the top and cutting the rope



2. Going over the top



The main game consists of a baddie trying to reach the top before the well is cleared

--->
Matches momentarily stun the baddie, giving you precious breathing room

--->
Later, four like-pieces are required to form a successful match, not just three


A map highlights your journey

Amusing cutscenes abound inbetween bouts

--->
Classic! [Say, you don't act like that behind my back, right? -Ed.]

[Steve]

In addition to the main game there are several others, including 2-Player, Endless and Puzzle. The endless mode drops a new stack occasionally. Fall behind and you're toast


Work fast, young grasshopper!

In the puzzle mode you have a set move count to line up the pieces as the old man wishes. Matches are removed for obvious reasons


2 moves. First knock the cats down


1 move left -- now the red ones


Hurrah!


The later puzzles get much tougher


CLOSING THOUGHTS

Dharma, in my opinion, involves more logic than those standard falling piece puzzlers. Why? You constantly have to weed out the best method to set up matches. Sure you do that in the others, but it's different here. Believe me, it's a lot harder than it may sound. Tired of formulaic puzzle games? Looking for something different? Then be sure to check out Dharma Doujou


The tanuki lives


Dharma Doujou (2:24)
Endless mode (1:29)

[wilo]

Thanks for the nice Thread Steve.
Im happy to see and read your comments abouts japan SFC raritys.

Have you already played Clock Tower?

[Steve]

Thanks for the nice Thread Steve.
Im happy to see and read your comments abouts japan SFC raritys.

Have you already played Clock Tower?

No problem. I've only played CT translated on ROM. I *loved* the PS1 version. I bought it for $30 used back in '98 or so, and got all the endings. I really thought Scissorman was a brilliant character (aside from his true identity which was SO easy to figure out from the very beginning).

Anyway, the SNES version was a bit too slow for my tastes. I haven't bothered buying the game because it'd be in Japanese and I didn't like the translated ROM too much to begin with. The SFC game does have a lot of fans though, so I thought I would like it too, coming into it. I was therefore a bit shocked when I felt "meh" toward the thing.

[Steve]

I have bad news and good news.

Over the past couple weeks I've been busy. I also did some thinking regarding this project.

It's time to pull the plug.

It had a great run, but these days I have my mind on other matters.

However, the good news is...

I finally sided with everyone who said I should get my own site. The reason I didn't start one earlier -- my lack of know-how. Therefore, don't expect a fancy page.

To those mods who stickied my topic, feel free to remove it at your discretion.

Are new SFC write-up's on the way? For sure.

Farewell, topic. It was fun

Adios.
-Steve


[.... Aren't you forgetting something? -Ed.]

Of course...

The madness lives on at

www.RVGFANATIC.com

[Taucias]

Best of luck Steve, your thread updates will be sorely missed! *bookmarks the URL*

[WolverineDK]

Steve, your thread rocked bigtime ! :)

best of luck with the site :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[babu]

sad to see a end to this thread, but a good thing that you now have a site for it instead :)

[Yakumo]

I'm glad you finally got the site up! Looks pretty cool as well. Was that built all with the tools on offer from Brinkster?

Yakumo

[Anonymous]

I cant wait to see the "SNES Memories" Section...
Thank you for your time.

[Steve]

Yakumo, yep. I'm very surprised with how the site looks, I thought it would be a lot more primitive. Brinkster is awesome. Some people don't believe me when I say I know jack about site design, based on how my site looks. God bless that website builder tool ;)

qirex-rd, no problem. That's a section I might still change. I might combine it with other gaming memories and call it Gaming Memories. We'll see.

[Celine]

Just stumble onto this thread. Great stuff.