Puzznic (NES) Playthrough
126A playthrough of Taito's 1990 puzzle game for the NES, Puzznic.
This video shows both the Puzznic and Gravnic modes played through to the end. Gravnic begins at 2:01:52.
Puzznic did quite well for itself when it landed in arcades in the fall of 1989, and Taito was clearly eager to capitalize on its popularity. By the end of 1990, ports of the game had appeared on no less than thirteen consumer-level hardware platforms, the NES included.
The NES version was marketed as being "simple enough for complex minds," and that slogan is fitting. The premise of the game is easy to grasp - you match like shapes to clear them from the board, and you clear the board to win the round - but as in all good puzzle games, the devil is in the details. The time limits are tight and a single mistake can render a stage unwinnable, forcing you to keep up the pace as you attempt to consider the knock-on effect of every move. It's challenging, it's fun, and the 160 stages of the main mode will keep you busy for a long while. And worry not if you aren't a fan of the timer. The 80 additional stages featured in the Gravnic mode offer up a novel, pressure-free way to get your puzzle fix.
It's not going to win any awards for its graphics and sound, but Puzznic is a thoroughly enjoyable workout for the grey matter.
(A note about the playthrough: I'd like to make it clear that I wasn't figuring out the puzzles as quickly as the video makes it look. To keep things moving along at a watchable pace, I was pausing the game at the beginning of each round to take notes and plan my strategy. I wasn't playing for a high score, and since the game gives you unlimited continues and has a password system, I didn't think it constituted any sort of underhanded advantage.)
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