Manual Stimulation: Snow Bros. Jr. (GameBoy)

I don't know about you, but I really love the instruction manuals that were made for Japanese GameBoy games.

I especially love the ones that utilized two-tone or "spot color" printing. The manual showcased in this post is a good example, with others including the booklets that were packed inside copies of Kitchen Panic, Painter Momopie and Penguin Land.

To achieve this effect, just two ink colors--rather than the more traditional four--are used during the printing process. In most cases, one of the ink colors is black, although that's not always true. Two cases in point: Bubble Bobble Junior's manual features blue and green ink, while The Tower of Druaga's features red and green. (Although I spot some black ink on the cover of the latter as well.)



Intriguingly, the artists at Naxat Soft went with either orange or yellow ink (I honestly can't tell which) when they prepped the instruction booklet that would be sold with their GameBoy port of Toaplan's Snow Bros.



I say intriguingly because most such manuals I've come across to date prefer cooler colors like blue and green and purple.

At any rate, I think the effect here is rather pleasing. Plus, it complements the rest of the game's packaging, which leans heavily on primary colors. (To see what I mean, check out my post from a few years back that highlights Snow Bros. Jr.'s outer box and cartridge.)



There's more to the Snow Bros. Jr. booklet than its use of spot color, of course. For instance, it also provides readers with a bevy of adorable illustrations.



Appropriately, they remind me of the similarly rough drawings that can be found in many of Taito's PC Engine manuals--such as Don Doko Don, Hana Taaka Daka!?, Mizubaku Daibouken and The New Zealand Story.



I'm particularly fond of the sushi and item illustrations that can be seen in the scan above, although the one in the lower-right corner deserves all kinds of kudos for so humorously depicting either Nick or Tom--the names of Snow Bros. Jr.'s "cool" protagonists--being accosted by one of the game's baddies.



Aside from the lovely art, this booklet dutifully explains how to play this pint-sized Snow Bros. port. There's not much to it, really--you hit the GameBoy's A button to jump, and its B button to toss snowballs at baddies. Also, once you've encased an enemy in a fully formed snowball, you can kick it with one more B-button press.

That simplicity helps make Snow Bros. Jr. both easy to play and thoroughly enjoyable. Sure, it lacks the brilliant (sometimes garish) colors of the arcade original and its console counterparts, but that doesn't stop this portable iteration from being just as much fun.



Even if that weren't true, I'd still be glad I own a copy of this Japanese GameBoy title. For starters, its cover art makes me swoon. Also, a four-page manga takes up the final section of its manual.



Unfortunately, I can't translate its story for you. I know the first few panels of the first page introduce Nick and Tom and describe their main methods of attack, but that's it. If any of you have the ability to summarize the tale told in the scans above, by all means do so in the comments section of this post.

UPDATE: a reader named Dave Edwards kindly volunteered to translate the entire Snow Bros. Jr. manual into English. Check out the fruits of his labor here.

And the winners of The Gay Gamer Giveaway™ (Drop Wizard Edition) are ...

Congratulations to the following trio for winning the Drop Wizard (iOS) codes the folks at Neuronized so kindly sent my way a week or so go:

* Rui
* Nightmare Bruce
* Justin Difazzio

Jeremy and Justin: I'll send your codes to you through Twitter and Facebook, respectively.

As for you, Rui, drop me an e-mail (bochalla at yahoo dot com) at your earliest convenience so I can get a code out to you, too.

Other than that, I'd just like to thank, once again, whoever mans the Neutronized Twitter account for being so kind as to offer up these codes.

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Drop Wizard Edition

Late last week, the folks at Neuronized offered me a free code for their just-released (on Jan. 8) single-screen platformer, Drop Wizard. (A game I previously discussed in this post.)

I had to turn them down, though, because I currently don't own any sort of iOS-enabled device. (At the moment, Drop Wizard is playable only on iPhones and iPads.)

Knowing that at least a few of you lovely people must own such gadgets, I quickly followed up that denial with a suggestion that I could pass along the code--as well as a couple of others, perhaps--to some of my blog's readers.



They liked the idea, so today I'm offering up three free codes for the company's lovely looking game (see trailer above), which apparently features more than 60 levels of Bubble Bobble-ish goodness.

Speaking of that Taito-made classic, if you'd like to nab one of these Drop Wizard codes, leave a comment below between now and 8 am Pacific time on Saturday morning that includes the name of your all-time favorite Bubble Bobble clone. (I'll announce the winners in a separate post later that same weekend.)

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed in the hope that the powers that be at Neuronized eventually decide to bring this game to the Nintendo eShops, the PlayStation Store and Steam.

I'm sure I'd love this in-the-works Bubble Bobble clone called Drop Wizard ... if I could play it

It's no secret that I love so-called Bubble Bobble clones.

As such, I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise to hear that I'm feeling a bit gaga about the game, called Drop Wizard, showcased in the trailer below. I mean, it's got an adorable, cherubic protagonist, similarly aww-inspiring enemies and all kinds of collectible fruit--how could I not go a bit gaga over it?

And then there's the cherry on top: its gameplay looks to include elements of one of my favorite Bubble Bobble clones, Snow Bros.



The only downside I can see to Drop Wizard at the moment is that the levels shown in this trailer seem a bit sparse--although that may be due to it being an iOS game?

Actually, it being an iOS game is another downside, if I'm to be honest. That's not me ripping on iOS game, mind you; it's me whining about the fact that I can't play this particular one because I don't own an iOS device.

Developers Neutronized suggest in the comments section of the trailer above that they'd like to follow up the initial iOS release with Android, PC, PS3/4/Vita, Wii U and 3DS versions, though, so here's hoping they're able to make that dream a reality sometime soon.

See also: other posts about Bubble Bobble clones

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Snow Bros. Jr. (GameBoy) Edition

So, here we are: my final Gay Gamer Giveaway™ (for the foreseeable future, at least).

As was the case with the last three such giveaways, this one features a loose copy of a Japanese GameBoy title. Specifically, a loose copy of the Japanese GameBoy port of Toaplan's Snow Bros.

To those of you who've never played--or even heard of--this single-screen platformer, it's an oh-so-capable Bubble Bobble clone that stars a pair of creepily cute snowmen (ignore the cart label art, below--the "official," in-game versions are far less adorable) who toss what I'm assuming are handfuls of snow at even creepier-looking adversaries until they're encased in towering snowballs that can then be rolled into other baddies or into the walls that line each stage.

It's all quite fun, plus it looks and sounds great. (I especially like its soundtrack--with the first level's backing tune being a particularly pleasant little earworm.)

Anyway, should my description of Snow Bros. Jr. make you want to own a copy of it, share the name of your favorite single-screen platformer (again, there are no wrong responses) in the comments section below between now and the morning of Monday, July 21--which is when I'll randomly point to one of those replies and send the person who published it the slightly abused cart seen above.

Speaking of this cart's slightly abused condition, I have to warn all interested parties that I've had a bit of trouble getting this game to boot on my GameBoy Pocket as of late. Sometimes the title screen pops up after I turn on the system, and sometimes it doesn't. Sadly, I don't know if a proper cleaning of the cartridge's contacts will put the kibosh on that little problem or not. So, just know that the cart that arrives on your doorstep--should you win the giveaway--may only work intermittently (or may not work at all).

See also: previous Gay Gamer Giveaway™ posts

There's no place like Gussun Paradise

For far too long, I ignored Gussun Paradise--a Japanese PlayStation game developed and published by Irem--because I thought it was little more than another entry in the company's Gussun Oyoyo series of puzzler-platformers. (They're a bit like a mashup of Lemmings and Tetris, if you've never heard of or played them.)

That's not to suggest there's anything wrong with the Oyoyo games. I've only barely played one of them, but I enjoyed myself well enough while doing so and I plan to return to it at some point in time. Still, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm eager to buy a second Gussun Oyoyo anytime soon.



Which is why, as I said at the beginning of this post, I've long turned up my nose at anything related to Gusson Paradise. That is, until I read Gamengai's painfully brief post about it, which describes this little-known (to me, anyway) curiosity thusly:

"Irem returns to the franchise ... for a Bubble Bobble-type single-screen action game. Using a party cracker, you stun your enemies and throw bombs on them. Unlike other games in the series, there are some power-ups which allow you to shoot lasers, suck in items, double jump, etc. To mix it up a little, the stages sometimes rotate and even turn upside down."



Admittedly, I stopped reading the post after seeing "Bubble Bobble-type single-screen action game" the first time through--partially because I'm a huge fan of "Bubble Bobble clones" and partially because Gamengai's post nearly caused me to choke on my morning coffee. (What can I say? I was stunned to discover that such an awesome-sounding single-screen platformer had previously escaped my attention.)

Like any self-respecting geek, I collected myself as quickly as possible and then made the rounds of the usual online game shops in search of a complete-in-box copy of Gusson Paradise. I found a few on ebay, but I wasn't entirely happy with the price tags that were attached to them.

A somewhat gay review of Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest (DSiWare)

Game: Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest

Genre: Single-Screen Platformer

Developer: Agetec

Publisher: Agetec

System: DSi/3DS

Release date: 2011

It isn't often that fans of single-screen platformers are presented with a current-gen game that can be considered an honest-to-goodness "Bubble Bobble clone"--especially one that costs just $1.99. As such, one of the first things I purchased from Nintendo's eShop after I obtained a 3DS was Agetec's Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest (which, it should be noted, is a DSiWare, rather than a 3DSWare, title).

So, does this, er, dual-screened platformer (the action takes place over both of the DSi's and/or 3DS' screens, after all) bring anything new to the genre made famous by Taito's classic quarter-muncher, or does it basically just trade on nostalgia? I'd say the answer's a little of both, if that makes sense.

What I mean is that, yes, Magical Whip is, initially at least, aimed at those of us who have enjoyed games like Bubble Bobble, Don Doko Don, Rod Land and Snow Bros. It quickly becomes apparent, though, that the team that made this digital title wanted to do more than just copy those aforementioned trailblazers.

That's especially obvious after you first discover Magical Whip's combo system, which pushes players to master the game's juggling mechanic--use your character's wand/whip to grab an enemy and toss it at another, which will then launch into the air so it can be captured and then launched at another enemy--and then rewards them by boosting the power of their attacks. (According to the folks at Agetec, if you string together enough attacks you can wipe out one of the game's bosses with a single strike--although I've yet to do this myself.)

Magical Whip's juggling mechanic and combo system aren't the only thing that help separate it from the pack. Also noteworthy: The fact that the action takes place over both of the DSi's and 3DS' screens. Admittedly, it doesn't significantly change the gameplay, but it alters it just enough to make things interesting.

As for this title's negative aspects (you just knew they were coming, right?), the main one, in my mind, is the repetitive backdrops. I know the game's subtitle is "Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest" and, as such, most if not all of its levels should take place in wooded areas, but couldn't the designers have changed the look of the trees every five or 10 stages?

Also rather disappointing is the game's limited number of enemy designs. If Magical Whip were a retail release, I'd complain that it includes 50 measly levels, but since it's a two-dollar digital one I'll forgive that particular transgression.

The "two dollar" part of that last sentence is perhaps the most telling part of this review, by the way. Basically, if you consider yourself a fan of Bubble Bobble and its ilk, there's really no reason to pass up Magical Whip if you own a DSi or 3DS given its minuscule price tag, as its few miscues are easily overlooked when you consider just how few pennies you have to hand over to buy it.

See also: Previous 'somewhat gay' reviews

Manual Stimulation: The Berlin Wall (Game Gear)

I have to be honest here: The main reason I'm dedicating a "Manual Stimulation" post to this particular instruction manual is its last two pages.

Also, I'm pretty sure scans of this game's manual are fairly hard to come by in the English-speaking portion of the Internet.

That's not to say The Berlin Wall's instruction manual is a dud. Actually, it's quite nice thanks in large part to the adorable illustrations that pop up here and there.



Those illustrations are present on the front cover of this import-only Game Gear title's manual, unsurprisingly enough, but they're also present on its back cover, which I think is a nice change of pace.



They can be found on its first few pages (above), too, which help spruce things up a bit.



Strangely, illustrations aren't used to tell The Berlin Wall's backstory (above). Instead, in-game visuals are given that task.

Acquisition #144: The Berlin Wall (Game Gear)

Considering my last two "Acquisition #123" posts focused on Japanese Game Gear titles, it probably didn't shock many of you to see that this post will focus on one, too.

Specifically, this entry in the "Acquisition #123" series will focus on Kaneko's The Berlin Wall, a rather adorable Bubble Bobble/Fairyland Story clone that hit the streets of Japan in 1991.

Although the game began life in the arcades, Kaneko's crack team of programmers did an admirable job of downsizing and squeezing it onto a comparably tiny Game Gear cartridge. In fact, I actually prefer the cuter, simpler looks of this portable port to its quarter-munching cousin.

Unfortunately, I've yet to actually give this cart a test drive, so to speak, as I still don't own a Game Gear. (I'm waiting for a particular UK-based eBay vendor to offer another refurbished, banana-yellow Game Gear system for sale before adding one to my collection.)

I've played and enjoyed this hammer-centric single-screen platformer (which, to tell you the truth, has as much in common with Brøderbund's Lode Runner as it does Bubble Bobble and its boppy, bouncy ilk) enough via emulation, though, to know that I'll continue to have an absolute blast with it as soon as I finally get my hands on one of Sega's brick-sized handhelds.

In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to stare at its package (that's what she said) and its similarly, er, "stimulating"--not to mention adorable--instruction manual.

Speaking of the former, I've just uploaded a number of additional photos of both the front and back of The Berlin Wall's box to my Flickr photostream, so please check them out if that's your kind of thing. (I also uploaded a bunch of shots of Banana's, Ganbare Gorby's and Magical Puzzle Popils' packaging, in case any of you are interested.)

See also: 'Another Bubble Bobble/Fairyland Story clone approaches'

Another Bubble Bobble/Fairyland Story clone approaches

Actually, this game is more of a Don Doko Don clone than a Bubble Bobble or Fairyland Story clone, but I'm sure most of you understand where I'm coming from regardless.

As for which game I'm talking about in the headline and sentence above: The Berlin Wall.

Specifically, I'm talking about the 1991 Game Gear port of this Kaneko-developed and -published quarter-muncher.

I'm not sure how or why, but I only learned about this game last week while perusing my bank account's least favorite website ever (aka eBay).

The premise of this single-screen platformer, for those of you who are in the same pixelated boat: Players are placed in the shoes of a boy who must use his hammer to break the blocks that form the platforms that fill each stage. The resulting holes act as traps for the many enemies (including penguins and porcupines) that patrol said stages--as in, after a baddie falls into a hole, the player can bop them in the head with his hammer and send them crashing into the platform or floor below.



Strangely (or not, if you're at all used to the single-screen platformer genre), that last bit causes the defeated enemy to transform into various power-ups and food items that can be collected.

As is the case with many of these Bubble Bobble/Don Doko Don/Fairyland Story clones, The Berlin Wall is almost insultingly easy at the beginning but the difficulty quickly ramps up--about halfway through the second world, in my opinion--to a level that can only be described as "maddening."

A little trivia for anyone who cares about such things: Kaneko basically re-skinned and re-released, in 1992, this game for the Sega Mega Drive. Called Wani Wani World, this single-screener stars a green crocodile who wields his/her hammer against a bevy of platform-stalking baddies.

See also: 'You say Bubble Bobble clone, I say Fairyland Story clone'

Manual Stimulation: Pop'n Magic (PC Engine)

Diabetics beware! The manual below--for the PC Engine CD game, Pop'n Magic--is about as sugary sweet as you're about to see in these "Manual Stimulation" posts.

Actually, both the manual's cover and one of its first two inside pages literally are sugary sweet, as both feature photos of colorful candy.





Strangely, that's it as far as photos of candy are concerned. I wonder if the designers of this manual were worried about putting readers into confectionary comas?

Regardless, they certainly didn't seem to be afraid that readers would suffer from an overdose of cuteness. The guy and gal seen in the spread below, by the way, are Pop'n Magic's rather adorable protagonists.





I really like how the folks at Riot/Telenet spruced things up throughout this manual with splashes of color and the occasional illustration--a number of which can be seen in the pages above and below.

You say Bubble Bobble clone, I say Fairyland Story clone

Over the years, a lot of games--such as Chip Chan Kick!, Don Doko Don, Parasol Stars, Rod Land and Snow Bros.--have been called "Bubble Bobble clones." That's always struck me as a bit funny (despite the fact that I've often used the phrase myself--in this recent post about Pop'n Magic, for instance), as I think it would be a lot more accurate to call them clones of The Fairyland Story.

What, you've never heard of The Fairyland Story? No worries, here's a brief history of this not-quite-classic: Developed by Taito, it first hit the floors of the world's arcades--and bars and bowling alleys and whatnot--in 1985. The game's protagonist, a puny witch named Ptolemy, prances from castle-themed stage to castle-themed stage while transforming a cast of surprisingly cuddly enemies--including dragons, helmeted (and knife-wielding) pigs and wizards--into cakes with her trusty wand and then smooshing them to smithereens (often by pushing them off of ledges and onto unsuspecting baddies).

Getting back to why the above-mentioned games should be called clones of The Fairyland Story and not Bubble Bobble, there are three reasons for it, in my mind: 1) The Fairyland Story predates Bubble Bobble by a year, 2) the former clearly informed the development of the latter (a number of The Fairyland Story's power-ups, such as the fire cross and the earthquake book, also appear in Bubble Bobble) and 3) none of the titles listed in the opening paragraph of this post actually copied the mechanics of Taito's most classic of quarter-muchers.

So, does all of this mean that I'll stop describing games as "Bubble Bobble clones" and start calling them clones of The Fairyland Story instead? Probably not, but only because most folks have never heard of the earlier title. That said, I'll do my best to plop the phrase "Fairyland Story clone" into a post every now and then--you know, just to keep things honest.

Acquisition #139: Pop'n Magic (PC Engine)

Two months ago, I detailed in this post why I gave the Riot/Telenet-developed "Bubble Bobble clone" called Pop'n Magic a second chance.

I was loathe to admit it at the time, but I may as well do so now: I didn't actually own a copy of Pop'n Magic when I wrote the aforementioned post.



There are a couple of reasons for that, of course. One is, well, I didn't much like this rather precious (but not too precious) single-screen platformer when I first played it. Another is that even used copies of Pop'n Magic can be kind of pricey.

Thankfully, I found a reasonably priced copy on eBay a few weeks ago. The case and manual are a tad worn (you can't really tell in the photos below), but that's OK. The only thing I care about is that the game runs properly when I stick it into my trusty PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 system (which it does).



Anyway, Pop'n Magic's cover art is pretty nice, don't you think? I'm not entirely sure why the main illustration was placed on top of a photograph of an assortment of candy, although I have a feeling it's because this game, like most that follow Bubble Bobble's lead, features quite a bit of the sweet stuff. (It pops up every time you defeat an enemy, naturally.)

The inside of its manual is similarly colorful, so expect to see a Pop'n Magic-centric "Manual Stimulation" post appear soon.



All of the photos above, plus an additional one, have been added to my Flickr photostream, by the way. Check them out in all their cacophonous glory here.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Is a Bubble Bobble clone really a Bubble Bobble clone if fruit and other food items aren't involved?

I asked myself the question in the header above shortly after I played the awkwardly titled (in my humble opinion) DSiWare title, Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest, for the first time a few weeks ago.

In case you've never played--or even heard of--Magical Whip, it's a nice little dual-screened "Bubble Bobble clone" that puts players in the shoes--not to mention flowing robe and pointy hat--of a young warlock (or witch, if that's the way you swing) and tasks them with clearing 50 forest-themed stages of bats, ghosts, slimes and other baddies. That's accomplished, for the most part, by picking up--with the titular whip--one or more of the aforementioned spooks and tossing them at each other. (Larger enemies and bosses, which appear on every fifth stage, also can be beaten by bopping them with your weapon.)

Disappointingly, Magical Whip's foes don't produce an eruption of fruit and other food items, a la Bubble Bobble and most/all of its wannabes, once dispatched, which I have to admit caused me to wrinkle my nose in disgust at first. "What's the use in being a Bubble Bobble clone if you can't collect food?" I asked myself after clearing the game's first stage.

I've since gotten over Magical Whip's lack of munchables (for the most part) thanks to the unique spin it puts on this well-worn genre. Like I said earlier, rather than encasing enemies in bubbles or bopping them with hammers, the witchy protagonists in this digital title use their whips to grab and then hoist baddies above their behatted heads. After that, they can toss them at other baddies, causing them to flip into the air. Catch the spinning enemy (with a flick of your whip, of course) and you create a combo that slowly but surely increases your character's attack strength.

That's not all Magical Whip has to offer single-screen platformer fans, of course. It also offers up some surprisingly well-crafted sprites and an appealingly triumphant--if slightly repetitive--soundtrack.

Speaking of repetitive, the only real negatives associated with this game, in my mind, are its backdrops, which barely change from stage to stage. Considering buying the game will only set you back $1.99, though, I wouldn't let it keep you from giving it a try.