Puzz Loop

{{Short description|1998 video game}} {{Infobox video game | title = Puzz Loop | image = Puzzloop jp.JPG | caption = Japanese PlayStation cover art | developer = Mitchell Corporation | publisher = '''Arcade''' Mitchell Corporation '''PlayStation'''{{vgrelease|JP|Capcom|NA|Infogrames North America|EU|THQ}}'''Nuon''' Samsung '''Neo Geo Pocket Color''' SNK '''iOS''' Hudson Soft | producer = Monte Singman | designer = | released = '''Arcade''' {{vgrelease|JP|December 1998}}{{vgrelease|NA|December 1998}}{{vgrelease|EU|January 1999}}'''PlayStation''' {{vgrelease|NA|November 2, 1999<ref name="release">{{Cite magazine |date=2000-01-22 |title=Game Informer Magazine - News Story |magazine=Game Informer |url=http://gameinformer.com/news/news_story.cfm?NEWS_ID=112 |access-date=2023-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000122225931/http://gameinformer.com/news/news_story.cfm?NEWS_ID=112 |archive-date=2000-01-22 }}</ref>|JP|March 16, 2000|EU|October 20, 2000}}'''Game Boy Color''' {{vgrelease|NA|November 2, 1999<ref name="release"/>|JP|March 17, 2000}}'''Nuon''' {{vgrelease|NA|July 2000}}'''iOS''' {{vgrelease|WW|August 4, 2008}} | genre = Puzzle | modes = Single-player, multiplayer | platforms = Arcade, Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Nuon, iOS | arcade system = Kaneko Super Nova System }}

'''''Puzz Loop''''' is an arcade tile-matching puzzle game developed by Mitchell Corporation and released in 1998 in Japan and North America and 1999 in Europe. It was later ported to the Game Boy Color, PlayStation and Samsung Nuon DVD players under the name '''''Ballistic'''''. The original ''Puzz Loop'' game was also known by this title. In 2008, publisher Hudson Soft released the game on App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. There was a Neo Geo Pocket Color version of the game initially planned to be published by SNK, but cancelled due to bankruptcy of the original incarnation of the company.

The original ''Puzz Loop'' was followed by a sequel, ''Puzz Loop 2'', in 2001.

==Gameplay==

In the game, marbles of different colors roll down a spiral path towards a central goal, which the player must stop by shooting new marbles using a cannon into the oncoming ones. The marbles disappear if player matches three or more marbles of the same color. In addition, marbles will roll backwards to close gaps if they are the same color as the marble on the other side of the gap, potentially causing chain reactions of clearances and setting back the advancing marbles. Also, collecting bonus items attached to marbles can temporarily slow down the rate the marbles advance or cause all the marbles of the same color to disappear. Once the marbles are pushed over the goal threshold, the game is over.

==Reception== In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Puzz Loop'' on their March 1, 1999 issue as being the eight most-successful arcade game of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=582|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 March 1999|page=25|lang=ja}}</ref> ''Game Machine'' also listed ''Puzz Loop 2'' on their April 1, 2001 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful arcade game of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=631|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 April 2001|page=21|lang=ja}}</ref>

Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for ''Next Generation'', rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "OK, so it's an ultimately derivative action puzzler; but give it a shot and we guarantee you won't want to put it down."<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|last=Lundrigan|first=Jeff|title=Finals|magazine=Next Generation|volume=3|issue=1|publisher=Imagine Media|date=January 2000|page=97}}</ref>  ==Legacy== ===Sequel=== '''''Puzz Loop 2''''' is an arcade puzzle game by Mitchell Corporation released in 2001 on Capcom's CPS-2 hardware.

Gameplay is exactly the same as its predecessor, with the player needing to deplete all the colored balls before they hit the center of the screen. The most popular feature of ''Puzz Loop 2'' was the two-player versus mode.

===Clones=== The success of ''Puzz Loop'' led to a number of clones with identical or nearly-identical gameplay from other companies including ''Zuma'', the ''Luxor'' series, ''Tumblebugs'', ''Potpourrii'', ''Butterfly Escape'', ''Loco'', ''Bonsai Blast'', and ''Bonbon Factory''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game-group/puzz-loop-variants |title=Puzz Loop variants |publisher=MobyGames |accessdate=2010-02-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Games |publisher=JVL Labs |url=http://www.jvlhome.com/games.html |accessdate=2016-09-24 |archive-date=2016-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408055646/http://www.jvlhome.com/games.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mitchell alleges that ''Zuma'', one of the more popular clones, directly infringes on their intellectual property.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insertcredit.com/features/hitofude/ |title=Feature: shokkingu hitofude |publisher=Insertcredit.com |accessdate=2010-02-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615105044/http://www.insertcredit.com/features/hitofude/ |archive-date=2006-06-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1797/soapbox_ripping_off_japan__.php?page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227104256/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1797/soapbox_ripping_off_japan__.php?page=3 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 27, 2008 |title=Soapbox: Ripping Off Japan - Japanese Video Game Copyright Protection & Preservation (Or Lack Thereof) |publisher=Gamasutra |date=2006-10-24 |accessdate=2021-09-20}}</ref> In reply, ''Zuma'' developer PopCap Games asserts that their game is "not an exact clone", but an elaboration of Mitchell's original idea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221540 |title=Casual game biz serious about growth |publisher=Hollywood Reporter |accessdate=2010-02-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930232038/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221540 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref>

Mitchell itself released a version of the game for the Nintendo DS called ''Magnetica'' in 2006. A Wii version of ''Magnetica'' was released via WiiWare in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gonintendo.com/?p=40410 |title=Minna de Puzzleloop/Magnetica WiiWare dated |publisher=Gonintendo.com |date=2008-04-16 |accessdate=2021-09-20}}</ref>

==See also== * ''Zuma'' (video game)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{KLOV game|id=9165}}

Category:1998 video games Category:Arcade video games Category:Capcom games Category:Game Boy Color games Category:IOS games Category:Marble video games Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games Category:Nuon games Category:PlayStation (console) games Category:SNK games Category:Tile-matching video games Category:Video games developed in Japan