New Type Action Game NOON
One of the libraries I've enjoyed a lot in the last few years is the Japanese PS1. There is such a deep frontier that's all but unexplored to dig around in and find gold and/or cat turds. As an english speaker with very limited knowledge of Japanese, I love stumbling across games that transcend language and are just playable. New Type Action Game NOON is just one of those; an action puzzler with an arcade feel that can be played by anyone. The question is, is it enjoyable?
NOON is a slightly tilted overhead perspective competitive puzzle game that calls to mind a combination of Bust A Move and Bomberman. You directly control a character you select in a chibi anime design, each with their own attacks and attributes. Running around the confined arena, each player runs amok popping colored bubbles that fill a special attack meter by squashing them against each other or a wall. You can also attack other players by pressing square or x, sending them flying. In the same way you can strike a bubble and send it careening across the screen, and it will stun anyone it hits. Line up 3 or more of the same color (rainbows can be any) and hit them instead of pushing them to set off a NOON chain that will both fill your special meter in a hurry and send black blockers at your opponent. Why does that matter?
You don't have health in NOON. Get hit and you get stunned. See, each player has a set of colored tiles to guard. When all of the squares are covered, a 10 count begins, which never refreshes. If that count hits 0, you lose. The only way to stop it is to clear your tiles, forcing a balance between offense and defense. The aforementioned special meter allows for one giant attack, which will send a swath of black blockers in its wake. The blockers can be popped but not kicked, so you don't want them anywhere near your space.
Random powerups will sometimes pop up, allowing for special attacks like becoming a giant that can squash bubbles instantly, shrink and slow your opponents, instantly fill your meter, and so on, some even rotating the location of your base tiles. The action gets frantic in a hurry, and with up to 4 players, NOON can be Bomberman chaotic.
Graphically, the game has a nice arcade-like presentation with anime flair. It's bright and colorful with peppy music, and has nice scaling sprites of chibi characters. It is not taxing on the hardware, but it lends itself to that mid-'90s arcade feel. The game speed is fast, making for a wild party game. There is a single player story mode that is reasonably challenging, but multiplayer is what gives the game longevity.
I feel like I'm glossing over this, maybe because I'm rather sleep deprived. NOON is a fun little arena battle puzzle game, though, and draws favorable comparisons to the likes of Bomberman and Poy Poy. It isn't a masterpiece, but it's a hectic good time with friends, and a great alternative if you've played out other party games. On another positive, the menus are bilingual with Japanese and English, so it's easy as can be to get going. A complete copy cost me $5. If you have friends who you get together with or just dig some arcade puzzle action, you can't go wrong.
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