Cosmo Gang the Puzzle

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle[lower-alpha 1] is a 1992 falling tile puzzle arcade game developed and published by Namco worldwide. It is a sequel to the game Cosmo Gang the Video, released a year prior. In the game, players must stack blocks and pink-colored aliens together, the objective being to clear as many of these as possible. Blocks can be cleared by stacking them into rows of six, while aliens can be cleared by dropping blue-colored spheres, which will defeat any enemies in its path. It ran on the Namco NA-1 arcade board.

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle
Super Famicom version box art
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
SeriesCosmo Gang
Platform(s)Arcade, Super Famicom, Mobile phone
Release
  • WW: November 1992
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Namco ported the game to the Super Famicom a year later in 1993 - this version of the game would be remade as Pac-Attack for North America and Europe, which was later ported over to other systems such as the Sega Genesis and Game Boy. Cosmo Gang the Puzzle was met with a mixed to positive reception from critics, who praised its multiplayer aspect and gameplay while criticizing its graphics. The Super Famicom version was released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2008 and Wii U Virtual Console in 2015, while the arcade version was released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2009 - all of these ports were exclusive to Japan.

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot.

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a falling-tile puzzle game. Using the joystick, the player must stack groups of blocks and pink-colored aliens, known as "Jammers", onto the game board, the objective being to clear as many possible before they stack to the top of the screen.[1] Blocks can be cleared by matching them into horizontal rows of six, while Jammers can be defeated by blue-colored balls, which will point in the direction they will move and clear any Jammers in its path. A meter located at the middle of the screen will fill up each time a Jammer is cleared - once this meter is filled, a star will drop from the top of the screen and clear all Jammers on-screen. The game becomes progressively more difficult as it progresses, increasing the speed of the dropping blocks and Jammers. Once the blocks and Jammers reach the top of the screen, the game will be over.[2]

Alongside a single-player option, a multiplayer option is also available. The second player's screen will replace the Jammers with white-colored robots named 'Pipopapo-Tai", which behave the same as regular Jammers. In the multiplayer mode, the objective is to fill up the other player's screen, which can be accomplished by clearing more Jammers than the other player, causing the other's enemies to fall onto the opponent's side. The game will end once a player's blocks and Jammers reach the top. The game forbids the name "AAAAA" on the high score table, instead replacing it with the name of an earlier Namco video game.

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings58%[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famitsu29/40
Sinclair User76/100[2]
Mega Fun87/100[4]
Super Play58%[5]
Super Famicom Magazine21.63/30[6]
Award
PublicationAward
Gamest7th Gamest Award, 16 Annual Hit Game[7]

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle received mixed to positive reviews on release, with many praising its multiplayer and gameplay while criticizing its graphics. In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their January 1, 1993 issue as being the fourteenth most-successful table arcade game of the year.[8] The Super Famicom port of the game holds a 58% on aggregator website GameRankings.[3]

Notes
  1. In Japanese: Cosmo Gang the Puzzle (コズモギャング・ザ・パズル, Kozumo Gyangu Za Pazuru)
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References
  1. "Cosmo Gang The Puzzle - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Video Games. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  2. "Coin-Ops - Cosmo Gang the Puzzle" (March). Sinclair User. Retrieved 1 March 1993. pg 29.
  3. "Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle for Super Nintendo". GameRankings. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  4. Cosmo Gang the Puzzle. Mega Fun. Retrieved May 1993.
  5. Cosmo Gang the Puzzle. Super Play. Retrieved 14 May 1993.
  6. 8月情報号特別付録 スーパーファミコンオールカタログ'93. Super Famicom Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 1993. pg 91.
  7. 「ゲーメスト大賞11年史」『GAMEST MOOK Vol.112 ザ・ベストゲーム2 アーケードビデオゲーム26年の歴史』 Vol. 5. Issue 4. Shinseishiya. Retrieved 17 January 1998. pg 12-13. ISBN 9784881994290.
  8. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 441. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 January 1993. p. 35.
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