Tsuyoshi Shikkarishinasai Taisen Pazurudama - 1994 - Super Famicom (Japan only)
A turn up for the books, this one. My hunt for information on Susume! Taisen Puzzle Dama ended with me somewhat desperately entering the arcane search term 'Pazurudama' and, rather unexpectedly, discovering the existence of a SNES game called 'Tsuyoshi Shikkarishinasai Taisen Pazurudama'. At first I thought it might be a port, or even a precursor to Taisen Puzzle Dama, though admittedly with a rather convoluted name change. Loading the rom up, the title screen showed exactly the same kind of suburban setting...but my hopes were slightly deflated once I started the actual game. Whereas TPD features Penguins and Mad Scientists, the cast of TSTP are a group of conservatively dressed individuals who apparently like nothing more than a civilised, domestic game of Puzzle Ball. There are several men with glasses and cardigans, their respectable wives and daughters and a small, inoffensive dog. It seemed like a castrated version of Taisen Puzzle Dama...as if Konami had had a temporary but nonetheless crippling case of creative deficiency. Here are some shots - try not to go mad with them:
So intially I was a bit phased. But, strangely enough, the characters kind of grow on you. They're really quite likeable...more accommodating perhaps than the typical wacky line up. And at any rate, it turns out that TSTP is based on some anime I've never heard of called 'Tsuyoshi Shikkarishinasai' - I'm sure if you watch the series then this game is great. There are over ten players / opponents, including a non-mad scientist and what looks like a terrorist. The gameplay is identical to the rest of the franchise and doesn't need any elaboration - just download the rom and you'll find out how every Taisen Puzzle Dama game works. As you can see, the graphics are reasonable - probably no worse than the Arcade TPD, and the music is OK. Actually, I found myself humming one of the tunes for quite some time, but I shouldn't imagine anyone's likely to want the MP3s. Having played TSTP quite a bit now, I've decided that I really quite like it...I don't feel like checking out the anime or anything, but the actual game is extremely pleasant. More pictures?
As you can see, things can get fairly hectic. It's just like the other TPD games really. And that's the attraction - I'm featuring this because, to my knowledge, Tsuyoshi Shikkarishinasai Taisen Pazurudama is the only game in the series which is currently emulated. I can write all I like about the different versions, but it goes without saying that people are going to get more from simply playing one of the games. By giving TSTP a go, you'll find out exactly how Taisen Puzzle Dama, Twinbee Taisen Puzzle Dama and the various other conversions play. Have fun.
