Puzzle Uo Poko

Puzzle Uo Poko
Developer(s)	Cave
Publisher(s)	Jaleco
Designer(s)	Toshiaki Tomizawa
Platform(s)	Arcade, Mobile phone
Release	JP: February 1998
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Vertical-scrolling shooter
Arcade system	CAVE 68000

Puzzle Uo Poko[a] is an arcade puzzle game developed by Cave and distributed by Jaleco.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Puzzle Uo Poko is a visual matching game in which one player or two co-operative players (represented by cats) try to clear the screen of coloured bubbles in order to progress to the next level.[1][2] All the action takes place underwater across 30 stages and with each completed level the cats travel deeper in their submarine.[3][4]

Development and release

Puzzle Uo Poko arcade PCB

Puzzle Uo Poko was solely designed by Toshiaki Tomizawa, a co-founder of Cave whose previous works include the DonPachi series.[5][6][7]

Puzzle Uo Poko was released in Japanese arcades by Jaleco in February 1998.[8] Unlike several other releases by Cave, Uo Poko remained exclusive to arcades and did not see a contemporary port for a home console.[9] The title has since been re-released on the AntStream service.[10]

In 2005, Cave released Puzzle! Mushihime-tama, a spiritual sequel to Uo Poko presented as a spin-off of the Mushihimesama series of manic shooters.[11]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Puzzle Uo Poko on their April 15, 1998 issue as being the twenty-first most-popular arcade game at the time.[12] Game Hihyō also reviewed the game.[13]

Notes

1. Japanese: パズル　魚ポコ(うおぽこ), Hepburn: Pazuru Uo Poko

References

1. Ishii, Zenji (15 April 1998). "紹介 - 魚ポコ". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 219. Shinseisha. p. 185.
2. Ishii, Zenji (30 April 1998). "紹介 - 魚ポコ". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 221. Shinseisha. p. 198.
3. Ishii, Zenji (15 May 1998). "攻略 - 魚ポコ (10 ～ 19 話)". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 222. Shinseisha. pp. 176–183.
4. Ishii, Zenji (May–June 1998). "攻略 - 魚ポコ (20 ～ 30 話)". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 224. Shinseisha. pp. 206–207.
5. "魚ポコ - 富沢敏明氏". Game Hihyō (in Japanese). Vol. 22. Micro Magazine. September 1998. p. 92. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2020-12-10 at the Wayback Machine).
6. "CAVE 15th Anniversary ~Shoot'em All!!~". Monthly Arcadia (in Japanese). No. 118. Enterbrain. March 2010. pp. 46–55. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-09-14 at the Wayback Machine).
7. "Dossier Shoot 'em up". IG Magazine (in French). No. 8. Ankama Presse. May–June 2010. (Translation by Gaming.moe. Archived 2019-02-13 at the Wayback Machine).
8. Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). ケイブ Cave; ジャレコ（ジャパンレジャー） Jaleco (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. pp. 26, 33. ISBN 978-4990251215. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
9. "The Unconverted: Puzzle Uo Poko". Retro Gamer. No. 203. Future Publishing. 23 January 2020.
10. Mason, Graeme (10 December 2019). "The Best Games From Cave - Now on Antstream Arcade". Antstream Arcade. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
11. Johnson, Spencer (16 August 2014). "Puzzle! Mushihime-tama". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
12. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 562. Amusement Press. 15 April 1998. p. 21.
13. "Arcade Game Pickup - 魚ポコ". Game Hihyō (in Japanese). Vol. 21. Micro Magazine. July 1998. p. 56.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)