To the person who pointed out two pages were missing from my post about the Magical Puzzle Popils manual: that's no longer the case

Three or so years ago, someone pointed out that two pages of the Magical Puzzle Popils instruction booklet were missing from this old "Manual Stimulation" post of mine.

Unfortunately, that comment came in while my husband and I were on sabbatical. I didn't have my copy of this Sega Game Gear puzzler or access to a scanner at the time, so I couldn't rectify the situation then.



I finally rectified it the other day, but who knows if the person who made me aware of the gaffe is still waiting to see the full Magical Puzzle Popils manual?

In the off chance they are, I decided to publish the post you're reading right now to let them know it's finally available in all its "Magical Guide" glory. (Click on the link above to see it.)

That's not the only reason I'm publishing this post, though. I'm also doing so because I want more people to know about this wonderful Game Gear title, which the late, great Fukio Mitsuji developed for the now-defunct Tengen.

If Mitsuji's name doesn't ring a bell, he's the brainchild behind two games you should know well: Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands.



Unlike that pair of Mitsuji creations, Magical Puzzle Popils, renamed Popils: The Blockbusting Challenge when it hit European store shelves in 1992, challenges your brain rather than your reflexes.

Popils is just as cute as those classics, though, if not quite as kaleidoscopically colorful. It also matches their blissful soundtracks.

Add it all up, and you've got one of my five favorite Game Gear games. Is the Magical Puzzle Popils instruction manual a favorite, too? I'll let you be the judge of that.

See also: five Game Gear games you need to play as soon as possible

Be still, my Fukio Mitsuji-loving heart: Tengen prepped Magical Puzzle Popils ports for the Famicom and PC Engine way back when

If this is the first time your eyes are coming across the name Fukio Mitsuji, please take a seat.

In short, Mitsuji was a brilliant Japanese game designer and artist who helped create a number of outright classics during his unfortunately short career. (Sadly, he died in 2008.)

Specifically, Wikipedia credits him with having a hand in just nine games within the span of seven years (1985 to 1991).

Of those three games, I personally consider three of them to be among the best games ever to see the light of day. One is Bubble Bobble, another is that game's sequel, Rainbow Islands, and the third is Magical Puzzle Popils.

Don't worry if you've similarly never heard of that last title. After all, Magical Puzzle Popils was made for Sega's Game Gear--and only for Sega's Game Gear. (If you want to learn more about this puzzler, which was called Popils outside of Japan, check out its GameFAQs entry, its Wikipedia page or this previous post of mine.)



Or so I thought until yesterday. That's when I learned (via neogaf.com) that, at some point in the fairly distant past, developer and publisher Tengen prepped Famicom and PC Engine ports of Magical Puzzle Popils.

It's also when I came across footage of these previously unknown console ports. The PC Engine version can be seen in the video above, while the Famicom version can be seen here.

None of what's showcased in these clips looks tremendously different from what can be found in the Game Gear original, although the stages appear a smidge larger and some of the intermission graphics seem unfinished. (Or maybe the latter are just oddly rough?)

Still, I'd hand over a week's salary to buy physical copies of these long-lost conversions so I could play them on real Famicom and PC Engine hardware. How about you?

See also: a couple of photos of Magical Puzzle Popils' Japanese Game Gear box and my 'Manual Stimulation' post devoted to this 1991 title

Manual Stimulation: Magical Puzzle Popils (Game Gear)

You know you're in for quite a read when someone decides to call the booklet that's included with a particular game--in this case, Tengen's Magical Puzzle Popils for the Sega Game Gear--a "guide" rather than a "manual," as is typically the case.

Which begs the question: Is it a good read in this case or a bad one?

Considering I don't know a lick of Japanese, you'll have to take my response with a rather large grain of salt. Based on what I can see, though, I'd say Magical Puzzle Popil's 30-page (yes, you read that correctly) "guide" is a bit of both.



The manuals' designers certainly didn't start things off on the wrong foot, thanks in large part to its colorful front and even back covers.



The first two interior pages are quite a bit less thrilling, but the following pair offer up a trio of adorable illustrations that more than make up for the preceding yawn-fest.





Even more illustrations appear on the manual's next handful of pages. They're not as precious--or large--as the ones I just pointed out, but they're still pretty cool.

Acquisition #143: Magical Puzzle Popils (Game Gear)

If you visit this blog with any regularity, you've likely seen a mention or two (or five) of the Tengen-published puzzler known as Magical Puzzle Popils in Japan and Popils: The Blockbusting Challenge in Europe.

As I'm sure you can guess from the frequency of those mentions, I'm a pretty big fan of this Game Gear title, which was designed by the man responsible for both Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Fukio Mitsuji.

In fact, I'm such a big fan of this game that earlier this year I bought a loose copy of it via eBay. (You can see a photo of that acquisition and read more about it in this post.)

Given that, some of you are likely to be a bit surprised to hear that I recently picked up a complete-in-box copy of the very same game. Why did I do that, you ask? I think the cover art shown in the following photos is all the response I need to share.

In addition, I've also long wanted to own (and mindlessly flip through on a regular basis) Magical Puzzle Popils' manual. So, in a way, you could say this particular acquisition was kind of a two-for-one deal for me.

Expect to see scans of said manual in an upcoming "Manual Stimulation" post, by the way. Also, a few additional photos of both the front and back sides of this game's box will be uploaded to my Flickr photostream shortly, so keep an eye out for them, too, if you're so inclined.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Reason #404 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I recently bought a Game Gear game--the Japanese version of Tengen's Magical Puzzle Popils, to be exact--despite the fact that I don't yet own a Game Gear system.

There's a method (well, kind of) to my madness, though; you see, in part I bought a copy of this Fukio Mitsuji-designed game because I hoped it would push me to (finally) pick up Sega's first handheld. (Its second being the Nomad, of course.)

Another reason I bought the copy of Magical Puzzle Popils you see in the photo to the right: Its cover art. Duh! (For a bit more information on this precious puzzler, read these previously-published blog posts.)

Don't worry, I won't hold off on reviewing this titillating title until I actually acquire a Game Gear system. I've played it enough via emulation to know it inside and out, so there's no real reason for me to wait. Anyway, keep an eye out for it if you're so inclined.

In the meantime, have any of you ever bought a game or two for a system (console or handheld) that you don't yet own?

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

Reason #398 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I really want to buy a Sega Game Gear--despite the fact that I only want to buy one game along with it.

That game: Magical Puzzle Popils, which I'm pretty sure I've mentioned on more than one occasion. (Yep, here and here.) I know, I could easily continue playing this Fukio Mitsuji-developed title via emulation if I really wanted to, but I'd prefer to own the real deal if at all possible.

There are a few other Game Gear titles I'm at least mildly interested in, of course--like Fantasy Zone Gear, Madou Monogatari I, II and III, and Shining Force Gaiden--but I likely wouldn't even consider picking up the system if Magical Puzzle Popils weren't available.

To make things even worse, I'd love to buy one of the rare, white Game Gears--like the one seen in the photo above--that only saw the light of day in Japan. Thankfully, even I have my (spending) limits. So, black it will be--should I ever buy one, of course.

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer