Line #38 VideoGame/MagicalDrop


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magical_drop_iii_saturn.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:Puzzles, TarotMotifs, and {{Fanservice}}]]
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4	''Magical Drop'' is a series of competitive color-matching puzzle games created by the now-defunct Creator/DataEast. It is the company's swan song on several levels: ''Magical Drop III'' was their final arcade game, while ''Magical Drop F'' was their final major console game and one of the last games published by the company in general.
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6	Like [[VideoGame/{{Tetris}} a certain other wildly-popular puzzle game]], ''Magical Drop'' has roots in Russia: Data East employees came across a compilation of small-scale Russian computer games and noticed a puzzle game by the name of ''Drop-Drop''. ''Drop-Drop'' is a simple affair where columns of tiles descend from the ceiling of the playfield, and players attempt to clear the field by grabbing and tossing individual tiles until several with the same picture are lined up vertically. Seeing potential in this obscure DOS game, Data East obtained a license and put their own spin on the title to create their entry into the competitive puzzle subgenre kickstarted by ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo2''. Instead of as many as seven different unique pieces, there are four color balloons and "special" field-clearing balloons that correspond to each color. Instead of ''Drop-Drop[='=]s'' minimalist aesthetic, the game is drenched in TarotMotifs, with a cutesy cast similar to ''Puyo Puyo[='=]s'' wacky stable of dungeon crawler characters. Instead of solo play, the game is a battle against the CPU or another player.
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8	Part of makes the gameplay of ''Magical Drop'' stand out is its heavy focus on reflexes and continuous action, as opposed to ''Puyo Puyo'' and similar games that focus on the construction of a large chain and then doing nothing but watching once it is set off. While it is possible to build similar chains in ''Magical Drop'', exploiting the fact that vertically matching three balloons of one color takes any horizontally-matching balloons with them, it is far from the most optimal way to play. Instead, players are intended to take advantage of the fact that they are free to grab and drop balloons while other balloons are disappearing to create chains on the fly. At the highest levels, be it the CPU or another player, stopping for any significant amount of time is a recipe for disaster.
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10	The characters are not just aesthetic dressing in ''Magical Drop'' either; there are subtle changes to the way that the game plays depending on the character, from the special balloons at their disposal to the balloons that they drop into their opponent's field to even the "damage" formula in later games. But speaking of aesthetics, the first two games' respective final bosses are [[MsFanservice attractive ladies]] that [[BestKnownForTheFanservice tend to be what many people remember about the games]].
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12	Games in the series include:
13	* ''Magical Drop'': The original, initially developed for Data East's proprietary arcade hardware. As Fool, Chariot, High Priestess, Magician, Star, or Devil, players must defeat their peers before taking on World, the three-eyed goddess of Magical Land. It received an UpdatedRerelease named ''Magical Drop Plus 1!'' that adds an additional level of polish and a solo play mode where players can aim for a high score without having to worry about an AI opponent. ''Plus 1!'' was released in North America and Europe as ''Chain Reaction''.
14	* ''Magical Drop II'': Jumping to SNK's Platform/NeoGeo, ''Magical Drop II'' features [[ArtShift significantly different aesthetics]] while bringing several gameplay refinements such as a heavily-expanded solo mode, more lenient Special Balloon rules (they can now be matched with standard Balloons), and Rainbow Balloons that are similar to Special Balloons but works with any color that is used to clear it. Five of the six playable characters from the original game, plus World and a new heroine named Justice, battle their way to {{Dominatrix}} villainess Empress, taking down her lackeys Devil and Strength along the way. The Japanese version also includes a challenge mode named Flash Mode that is inexplicably dropped from the international versions.
15	* ''Magical Drop III'': Data East's final arcade game is a massive expansion of the concepts introduced from the first two games. Every single Major Arcana from the traditional Tarot deck is represented in the game, including a new version of Strength that is more accurate to the card's traditional depiction. The traditional Vs. CPU mode now contains branching paths and even more hidden bosses as players attempt to topple Fortune and her [[TheDragon Dragon]] Tower. The last remaining control issues are ironed out, attack patterns are much more intricate, and attack rows now drop unevenly into the opponent's field adding an additional level of danger. Flash Mode is replaced by the board game-esque Adventure mode, as players race with the CPU to be the first to take their revenge on Empress. In addition to the original Neo Geo release, the Playstation port was translated and released in Europe. ''Magical Drop III'' inspired a trio of handheld games: the Neo Geo Pocket Color ''Magical Drop Pocket'', ''Magical Drop for Wonderswan'' (which combines the gameplay of ''Magical Drop III'' with the artstyle and music of ''Magical Drop F''), and the western-exclusive Game Boy Color ''Magical Drop''.
16	* ''Magical Drop F - Daibouken mo Rakujyanai!'': The fourth game, released exclusively for the Playstation, features a more traditional anime artstyle and experiments with character-specific items that have various effects on the field. The game also features an RPG-esque mode starring Justice, replacing the Adventure mode of its predecessor.
17	* ''Magical Drop V'': Developed by French indie team Golgoth Studio and published by UTV Ignition, ''Magical Drop V'' released exclusively on Platform/{{Steam}}. It featured none of the traditional single-player modes beyond the standard CPU gauntlet, but implemented characters and gameplay from the cancelled Data East puzzle game ''Ghostlop''. The game was delisted from Steam in 2020, meaning that it is impossible to legally obtain if you don't already own it.
18	* ''Magical Drop VI'': Developed by Storm Trident and Highball Games and published by Forever Entertainment, the sixth mainline entry released on the Platform/NintendoSwitch and PC (via Steam and Platform/GOGDotCom). In contrast to ''V'', this game features versions of all five single-player modes from ''II'' and ''III''; it also introduces "Instant Move", which allows players to immediately warp their cursor to the edges of the field.
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20	Compare ''Money Puzzle Exchanger'', a Neo Geo game that is ''Magical Drop'' [-[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace WITH COINS AND MAGICAL GIRLS]]-]. So much so that Data East actually took its developer to court.
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22	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant No relation to]] ''VideoGame/MagicalDoropie''.
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24	!!Start!:
25	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Most of the games lower the difficulty whenever the player uses a continue.
26	* ArtShiftedSequel: Every mainline game except ''Magical Drop III'' (which is a straightforward ArtEvolution) features a noteworthy aesthetic shift:
27	** The character design of ''Magical Drop II'' is closer to an evolution to a full-on shift, retaining similar massive eyes, spherical heads, and slightly SuperDeformed proportions. Everything else about the game's graphics, on the other hand, is much brighter and more colorful than its predecessor.
28	** ''Magical Drop F'' swaps to a more traditional anime artstyle, completely leaving behind the super deformed artstyle of its predecessors and employing a more subdued color palette.
29	** ''Magical Drop V'' embraces super-deformed character design once again with very simple colors employed.
30	** ''Magical Drop VI'' features relatively lanky character designs with matured faces, while simultaneously being as colorful as the Neo Geo games.
31	* ArtificialStupidity:
32	** For some reason, the ''Magical Drop'' AI in ''Magical Drop V'' regularly dips into this (to the point where [[AIBreaker Death outright breaks most of them in under 10 seconds]]). Unfortunately, the Ghostlop AI goes to the other extreme and edges into PerfectPlayAI (especially if the rank gets jacked up from defeating [[OptionalBoss Black Pierrot]]), forcing fights against them to go to quota.
33	** The AI in ''Magical Drop VI'' is insanely dimwitted, often moving at a glacial pace and making obvious errors even on higher difficulty settings. It's more surprising when the AI actually manages to string together a decently-sized chain.
34	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Some of the characters' wishes upon the titular Magical Drops go horribly wrong. For example, Hanged Man (who is perpetually hanging upside down) asks to be normal for a day; his wish is granted and he finally gets to walk on the ground...while everyone else hangs in midair.
35	* CompetenceZone: Much larger than many of its puzzle game brethren. Even excluding the ReallySevenHundredYearsOld characters, the roster's ages range from '''1''' to 75 years old, with less than a third of the cast being teenagers.
36	* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: In higher difficulties, your opponent moves via ''teleportation''. ''III'' in particular absolutely ''loathes'' the idea of a single-credit clear. On the standard difficulty, the game makes the player face 2-4 characters that are almost mathematically-impossible to beat without [[AntiFrustrationFeatures dumbing down the AI via continuing]], with the exact number varying based on how well you've played up to that point. It doesn't help that three of those four characters are [[PurposefullyOverpowered ridiculous regardless of their AI]].
37	* DependingOnTheWriter: Due to the series' checkered localization history, the way the characters are presented vary wildly. Data East consistently and aggressively scrubbed any dialogue that implied that the cast has characterization beyond being eager tournament participants in their in-house localizations, the Aeon Genesis translation of the Super Famicom port of ''II'' gives the cast a variety of verbal quirks (such as Fool meowing, Star being a ValleyGirl, and High Pristess speaking in old English), ''Magical Drop Pocket'' and the Swing! Entertainment translation of [=PSX=] ''III'' are more direct translations that only translate a few of the characters' quirks, and ''V'' plays with the characters' personalities based on what the developers read on the ''Magical Drop'' wiki of the time.
38	* DifficultyByAcceleration: Played straight in Puzzle Mode, but downplayed in competition-based modes where Quota prevents matches from going too long.
39	* DifficultyByRegion: Whether intentional or due to something going wrong in the PAL conversion process, the European PSX version of ''III'' moves at a much slower pace than the Japanese version.
40	* DynamicDifficulty: In addition to the AntiFrustrationFeature mentioned above, ''Magical Drop III'' attempts this by sending the player to different opponents based on their clear time.
41	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
42	** The ability to manually drop lines wasn't introduced until ''III''.
43	** The player had to match three item balloons in order to activate them in the first ''Magical Drop''. In ''II'', the player couldn't hold item and normal balloons at the same time.
44	* EasterEgg: Pressing certain buttons on the character select screen in ''for [=WonderSwan=]'' causes the highlighted character to perform their battle animations.
45	* EpilepticFlashingLights: Magician's Magical Flash animation in ''III'' is a textbook example, with an ''incredibly'' intense flashing effect that can easily disorient even non-photosensitive gamers. Death's victim animation, which rapidly cycles through multiple colors, also deserves mention.
46	* FakeDifficulty: Path of Destiny in ''VI'' is difficult for all the wrong reasons. Getting punted back to the start of the board for losing a duel is a extremely tough but ultimately avoidable penalty; the AI using items to drag you back 10 spaces or swap spaces with you is completely unavoidable and turns the whole mode into a LuckBasedMission. The rules are also ill-explained and sometimes contradictory: Puzzle spaces don't explain that they require [[AllOrNothing the puzzle to be solved with zero wasted steps]], nor does the game explain that failing a challenge by filling the field is a Game Over while running out of time merely results in skipped turns.
47	* FunSize: In ''II'', a miniature version of themselves is the cursor. The dialogue scenes in both ''II'' and ''III'' have chibi interpretations of themselves.
48	* GameplayGrading:
49	** ''Magical Drop V'' has this on each match, going from D to S. Originally, it was tied solely to speed in Story Mode and score in Versus mode, but the first major patch changed it to where you have to fulfill 3 conditions while winning to get an S rank (Get a 10 combo AND over 20,000 points in the stage without the match lasting more than a minute). Presumably, this was done because of the sheer difficulty of getting to the 200-balloon quota in under 20 seconds that the Ghostlop characters usually force you to do.
50	** In a bizarre take on this trope, the Japanese version of ''Magical Drop III'' has the "Today's Fortune" segment at the end of arcade playthroughs, that grades the player based on ill-explained criteria and provides the player with a fortune based on their grades.
51	* GuestFighter: In ''Magical Drop V'': Bruce, [[spoiler:[=McCoy=]]], and Mushman from Ghostlop
52	* InconsistentDub:
53	** Are the puzzle pieces Balloons, Drops, or Jewels?
54	** Is High Priestess interested in astrology or astronomy? (Japanese materials are clear that it's the latter.)
55	** The puzzle-solving mode in ''Magical Drop II'' is named Flash Mode in the [=ACA NeoGeo=] ports' manual and "Ah Hah!" Mode in the Aeon Genesis Super Famicom translation.
56	** Is the little girl Strength named Daughter Strength, Strength II, or Strength-ko? For that matter, is her pet Gao-Gao or Rawr-Rawr?
57	** The European PSX version of ''Magical Drop III'' changes Wheel of Fortune to Luck despite all other versions, including the European arcade version, sticking with the Japanese name. Likewise, the European PSX version renames Temperance to "Modesty" virtually everywhere except the actual character select screen.
58	* InstantWinCondition: Quota. The game keeps track of how many balloons have been cleared; when one player meets the Quota, the match ends right then and there.
59	* InterfaceScrew: The nature of many items in ''Magical Drop F''. Examples include Emperor's (slows down the opponent's clown cursor) and Empress's (flashes her character portrait on top of the opponent's field) items.
60	* LuckBasedMission: Dedicated ''Magical Drop'' fans have discovered that there is actually [[DownplayedTrope very little]] randomness involved in the competitive modes, with the fields being made of preset strips of balloons and attack patterns in the first two games being easily-recognizable. The intricate attack formula introduced in ''Magical Drop 3'' appears to be a way to make damage lines far less predictable.
61	* MagicalLand: The setting of the series is literally titled Magical Land, existing within a magical book titled ''Magical Drop''.
62	* MarketBasedTitle: Played straight for ''Chain Reaction'', the name that ''Magical Drop Plus 1!'' went under internationally. Heavily downplayed with the sequels; the international titles use Roman numerals while the Japanese versions use Arabic numerals, but that's the only difference.
63	* MatchThreeGame: A rare "launcher" type puzzle game.
64	* NightAndDayDuo: The Good path in ''VI'''s story mode ends with the player selecting one of Sun or Moon to convince Fortune to join forces with World. The duo is also unlocked simultaneously for Versus mode after beating Puzzle Mode on Hard.
65	* OddballInTheSeries: The Playstation and Saturn ports of the first ''Magical Drop'' ditch the TarotMotifs in favor of completely unrelated characters and prerendered graphics. One of the selling points of the ''Magical Drop 3 + Wonderful'' release for the Playstation is an actual faithful port of ''Magical Drop Plus 1!'' instead of this "3D" version.
66	* OptionalBoss:
67	** In ''Magical Drop II'', Black Pierrot is the TrueFinalBoss (reached by 1-credit-clearing the game)
68	** In ''Magical Drop III'', Black Pierrot occupies a "Special Stage" slot immediately before Tower, accessed by having 150,000 points and 3 consecutive victories before fighting Tower.
69	** In ''Magical Drop V'', Black Pierrot occupies an Extra Stage slot between Empress and Ghostlop character mushman, and requires you to get above a certain score and maintain a high rank to access. Unlike his two other appearances, he can be unlocked in this game by defeating him and finishing the game at the heightened difficulty rank.
70	* PerfectPlayAI: At release, the Ghostlop AI in ''Magical Drop V'' would either be defeated in the first 5 seconds by sheer luck or never miss its target forcing you to go to quota, which basically prevented you from obtaining an S-rank in Story Mode on stages 9 and 11.
71	* PragmaticAdaptation:
72	** The Super Famicom ports of the first two games use six columns in their playfields instead of the arcade version's seven, as the only other option would be to shrink the puzzle pieces in order to fit the console's resolution.
73	** ''Magical Drop Pocket'' and ''Magical Drop for Wonderswan'' emulate 1P vs CPU by having the CPU character represented as a fluctuating gauge and giving players the victory once that gauge is filled. ''Pocket'' has a much smaller field size to accomodate for the NGPC's screen, while ''For Wonderswan'' uses the handheld's vertical orientation and emphasizes the pieces' emblems to smooth over issues caused by the lack of a color screen.
74	* ReformulatedGame: The Saturn version of ''Magical Drop III'' is very different from the arcade version beyond graphics: the game is slower, the 1P vs CPU mode has an entirely different structure and uses single player-exclusive balloons like Bubbles and Bombs, and Adventure mode is likewise modified. The Japanese Playstation version uses this version as a ArrangeMode alongside an alleged arcade port of ''III'', but the European version removes the Arcade mode playing this trope completely straight again.
75	* SecretCharacter: In ''III'', Hermit, Hanged Man, Moon, Temperance, Tower, Fortune, and Father Strength can be played as through a secret code. [[spoiler:Press C three times quickly when the timer matches the highlighted character's arcana number. Father Strength requires holding the C button while selecting Daughter Strength.]]
76	* ShaggyDogStory: If another character gets to Empress's Castle before the player in ''III's'' Adventure Mode, [[NonStandardGameOver the game ends without the player's character getting their revenge on her]].
77	* SomeDexterityRequired: As the player's clown can be controlled even while pieces are clearing, ''Magical Drop'' is less reliant on the traditional "gravity" chains than FallingBlocks games like ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''. The trade-off is that ''Magical Drop'' instead relies on ''very'' fast reflexes and split-second thinking. Good luck getting to the end of ''Magical Drop Plus 1'', much less getting past the blatantly-cheating AI of ''II'' or ''III'', without moving about as fast as the game will allow you to.
78	* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The series goes back and forth as to whether or not characters are referred to as "The _____" like the Tarot cards that inspire them. An easy example of this discrepancy are the respective character select screens of ''Magical Drop II'' (which does use "The") and ''Magical Drop III'' (which does not).
79	* StalkedByTheBell: Flash Mode in the Japanese version of ''II'' challenges players to clear preset puzzles as a timer counts down. Should the timer reach 0, the ceiling will rapidly descend in an attempt to eliminate the player.
80	* {{Stripperiffic}}:
81	** The World wears only a floating toga strip. The funny thing is the game actually ''covered her up''. If you look at the artwork on the Rider-Waite tarot deck, of which the character designs are based on (see TarotMotifs below), you'll see that her costume is even more revealing.
82	** The Empress as well. A [[HellBentForLeather Leather clad]] FemmeFatale with a NoblewomansLaugh, bouncy breasts, [[WhipOfDominance and a whip]]...
83	* StylisticSuck: The arcade endings in ''III'', as well as the endings in ''V'', are depicted as crude doodles.
84	* TarotMotifs: Each of the characters is named and modeled after a Major Arcanum. Exactly how close they are to the actual card depends on the character.
85	** The Empress does double duty by representing both the reversed and upright arcana. Her default, dominatrix persona is the reversed arcana, which twists motherly love into smothering and controlling. Breaking her free from that corruption in ''II'' will revert her back to the original motherly persona associated with the upright arcana. Her personality swap is also integrated into her victory animation in ''III''.
86	** The Lovers, on the other hand, is a five-year-old girl who rides around on a pig — try figuring that one out.
87	** The Strength is a virtuous and courageous tomboy with a pet lion. Funnily enough, their first iteration of Strength (a huge, masculine brute) was the complete opposite of this. He still exists, but as a secret character.
88	** The Hanged Man is upside down. ''Constantly.''
89	** The World, who is not only Ms. Fanservice, but, ironically enough, the ribbon that strategically covers her is a slight departure. The original tarot card typically depicts her chest exposed, The World here has it covered.
90	** Heck, even the game pieces count too. The symbols for each color represent the Minor Arcana. (Red, Wand; Yellow, Sword; Green, Cups; Blue, Pentacles)
91	* TournamentArc: Most of the games are centered around a yearly tournament whose grand prize is a wish-granting Magical Drop.
92	* UpdatedRerelease: The first ''Magical Drop'' received one named ''Magical Drop Plus 1!'' that introduces an "endless" single-player mode alongside a bit of aesthetic polish. The English version, ''Chain Reaction'', is based on ''Plus 1!'' rather than the original.
93	* VerbalTic: Many of the characters have them in the Japanese version, for example:
94	--> '''High Priestess:''' "______ zamasu~!"
95	--> '''Magician:''' "______ de aru~!"
96	--> '''Star:''' "______ desu~!"
97	--> '''Temperance:''' "______ kana~"
98	--> '''World:''' "______ desu wa"
99	** Lampshaded in the Japanese version of ''II''; the difficulty levels for the Puzzle and Flash modes are labeled by character, and a given character's Verbal Tic is shown when they're highlighted.
100	* VictoryByEndurance: ''V'' trends towards this, with the game generally requiring larger chains to send lines than its predecessors. By comparison, it's not uncommon to see matches between two high-level players in ''III'' last for 20-30 seconds.
101	* WelcomeToCorneria: Each character only has one or two pre-battle lines in the arcade version of ''III''. This is taken up to eleven in the non-Japanese versions, where there are only a handful of pre-battle lines in general regardless of the characters involved.

Context VideoGame / MagicalDrop