Magical Drop (マジカルドロップ) is a 1995 competitive arcade puzzle game created by Data East Corporation, being a heavily-modified adaptation of the obscure Russian puzzle game Drop-Drop. It is the inaugural game of the Magical Drop series.
The arcade game received an updated version named Magical Drop Plus 1! that features aesthetic improvements and also introduces a "Solo Play" mode. Magical Drop Plus 1! was released in North America and Europe as Chain Reaction; in this version, the puzzle pieces are changed from spherical Drops to various items (such as food or celestial bodies) and the character-unique voice acting is replaced by a single male narrator.
All versions of the original arcade game were developed for Data East's Simple 156 arcade hardware.
Gameplay[]
Magical Drop is a competitive puzzle game. The playfield consists of two 7x14 grids, one for the player and another for the opponent. Players control a clown located at the bottom of the screen while balloons (interchangeably referred to as Drops or bubbles) appear from the top of the screen. The clown is capable of grabbing and throwing all similarly-colored balloons in the column directly above it. Balloons are cleared when a throw results in three or more vertically-stacked balloons of the same color; both the vertically-stacked balloons and all touching balloons of the same color are eliminated. All balloons above the cleared balloons will then fall upward, potentially creating another clear. This is a "chain reaction," generally referred to as simply a "chain." If the player is able to manually clear a set of balloons while another set is in the process is being cleared, it will also count as a chain.
Creating a chain of 2 or more sets will result in the other player being "attacked," by way of rows of balloons rapidly entering their field from the top. These attack lines drop in a predetermined pattern based on the player's character.
In addition to normal balloons, there are also "special" balloons, which will clear all balloons that share its color when three are stacked together. As with attack lines, the color of special balloon that is available to the player varies by character.
A player is defeated when a column of balloons reaches beyond the bottom boundary of their field. A secondary method of victory is "Quota," where the first player to clear a predetermined number of balloons is declared the winner of the round.
Characters[]
Characters (Arcade Hits)[]
- Hamilton
- Storm & Mok
- Harp
- Mitchell
- Mint
- Waririn
- Isabella · R (Non-Playable also Final Boss)
1P VS. CPU Stage Order[]
| Stage Number | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fool |
| 2 | Star |
| 3 | Devil |
| 4 | High Priestess |
| 5 | Chariot |
| 6 | Magician |
| Final | World |
1P VS. CPU Stage Order (Arcade Hits)[]
| Stage Number | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton |
| 2 | Mint |
| 3 | Waririn |
| 4 | Harp |
| 5 | Mitchell |
| 6 | Storm & Mok |
| Final | Isabella R. |
Voice cast[]
| Voice Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Eri Tanaka | Fool, Devil |
| Mitsuyo Sunada | Star |
| Yū Mizushima | Chariot |
| Eriko Kodaira | High Priestess, World |
| Toru Kikuchi | Magician |
Voice cast (Arcade Hits)[]
| Voice Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Eri Tanaka | Hamilton, Waririn |
| Mitsuyo Sunada | Mint |
| Yū Mizushima | Mitchell |
| Eriko Kodaira | Harp, Isabella · R |
| Toru Kikuchi | Storm, Mok |
Gallery[]
Character artwork[]
Character artwork (Arcade Hits)[]
Others[]
Magical Drop games
|
|---|
| Magical Drop • Magical Drop II • Magical Drop III • Magical Drop F - Daibouken mo Rakujyanai! • Magical Drop V • Magical Drop VI |
| Magical Drop for WonderSwan • Magical Drop Pocket • Magical Drop (Game Boy Color) • Magical Drop Touch • Magical Drop DX • Magical Drop BATTLE • Magical Drop (Flash game) |
| Magical Drop characters |
 Fool  Magician  High Priestess  Chariot  Devil  Star  World
|
| Magical Drop II characters |
 Justice  Father Strength  Empress  Black Pierrot
|
| Magical Drop III characters |
 Emperor  Hierophant  Lovers  Daughter Strength  Death  Sun  Judgement Hermit  Hanged Man  Temperance  Moon  Tower  Wheel of Fortune
|
| Other Characters |
          
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