Game:

Puyo Puyo Sun (1996)

Duration: 17:37

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40

I have been adding various "Qix" style games to the archive and one that really stands out is "Gal Pani X" --- A game from the seemingly defunct/retired doujin group known as "D5". D5 only really had two games in their portfolio, with Gal Pani X being freeware and "Sispri Gauntlet" being a game sold at Comiket at one time. Both games are actually well-crafted "reimaginings" of classic titles. Sispri Gauntlet was actually a colorful and crafty sort of update to "Gauntlet"...perhaps I will look into adding it to the archives in the future.

That all said, since this game is like Qix, you may be familiar with the fundamentals --- move around, "draw" to fill in pieces of the screen, fill the "supermajority" of the screen to go on to the next stage...don't get touched while drawing. All of that is still true of Gal Pani X, but there is so much that can be said about this fine update that I know won't fit within the description field limit...thankfully, there are a couple of other places that can fill you in on the intricacies. One, in particular, is an incredibly detailed write-up. Give them both a read/glance at:

http://www.blackfalcongames.net/?p=242 (Good read)

http://www.old-games.com/download/2183/gal-pani-x (the game can also be downloaded from there, though I haven't done so myself)

Here is my condensed overview: While the aforementioned fundamentals are indeed still things to consider, D5 went really outside-of-the-box with the Qix formula...and the vast majority of their effort paid off. You may notice that unlike classic Qix, you aren't playing on the "outer wall" of the screen at the start...nope --- you actually have free movement. You can move anywhere you have filled in, but you also can move AROUND INSIDE OF ANYTHING YOU FILL IN. This sounds a bit weird, but when you play the game, you will immediately realize how much more liberating it is to have that extra movement...but you won't be getting carried away. Why is that? There is naturally a great counterbalance to take away the joy of such freedom.

D5 has, in great fashion, combined "Qix" with a bullet-hell shooter. You will need that extra movement to dodge a wide array of tricky bullet patterns and missiles and laser cannons and witchcraft (no, really...) and other THINGS. The cool thing is that it would be too cheap if mere enemy bullets could kill you by touching your line in the middle of a drawing...so you can start a line, even if you have little filled in, just to avoid various attacks, which comes in handy. However, if an enemy itself touches your line, you still lose a life.

They did not just stop at the bullet patterns either; you can also "graze" --- brush close to death (or enemy fire) and get bonus points for it, as well as "build combo", which helps get you even more points. One of the better ways to graze is to simply be right next to an enemy that is close to your filled in area...because you are still "not drawing", you are typically safe, but watch out if they start to attack. I demonstrate a great case of "graze" in this video by completing the difficult "mission 2" in mission mode (people on forums have a bit of trouble with it). You have a bomb that will destroy all "minor" attacks as well...it turns those attacks into stars too, which are worth points. Destroying stage enemies will help you get bigger stars, as well as power-ups...things like speed up, bomb stock, and a shield that takes a hit for you. Combined with the other creative "non-Qix" elements, it works out great.

Even filling the "supermajority" has a twist. If you fill the "silhouette" of a character 100 percent while doing the stage, you get to a bonus round where you typically get more risque versions of characters to reveal. Revealing the characters is not merely a "bragging rights" thing --- the incentive to trying to get 100 percent of a silhouette is that you get artwork in a CG gallery, not just for the stage, but enemy attacks and music and such from the stages. Between the branching paths, to the bonus rounds for each girl if you get 100 percent (as opposed to filling 80 percent or so of the screen randomly), to the mission mode, you actually have quite a bit to unlock. While the main game is pretty short, the game makes up for it with challenge and lots of replayability. The visuals are nice (the game can only be played fullscreen, though --- resolution is 640x480...looks nice regardless) and the music is nice, and if you like "To Heart" in any capacity (the girls are from that)...this game is really a win. If you aren't sure about the link I posted earlier that has the game, you can also download my copy...it only has a handful of things already unlocked. You can snag it at:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/6b3eutikg3z2773/gpx.zip/file

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