This next game here is rather intriguing.

I have only seen it once or twice on eBay in the last 3 years or so. I had been hunting this game for some dang time. It just never popped up. One morning last summer I was surfing eBay and happened to see it, at a reasonable BIN, and I jumped all over it.

Since that auction, I just have never seen this game appear again.

Some Saturn games are indeed a pain in the butt to locate. Ultraman PD Link comes to mind. I haven't seen Keriotosse! in a long while, nor Shingata Kururin PA! or Welcome House. Oh and Ninja Jaja Marukun.... never saw it again. Waku Waku Monster and Coin Puzzle Moujiya also aren't exactly prancing around out there.

And Super Tempo? Let's not go there...

At any rate, speaking on Super Tempo this next extremely hard to find game is what I would describe partly as.... "Super Tempo meets Bust-A-Move."


PASTEL MUSES





Like Super Tempo, it's extremely colorful with beautiful pastel graphics. Like Tempo, Muses has musical notes and in general incorporates a side-music gimmick in gameplay. Like Tempo, you can control either our cute hero or his cute girlfriend.

Like BAM, PM employs aiming techniques. Like BAM, you launch one bubble at a time. Like BAM, you have a launcher that you can move (instead of left and right it's up and down).

You can't help but think the makers sat down and thought.....

*circa early 1997 in some Japan office*

"Hooookay, I want to make a puzzle game.... how can we put a spin on the ole Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble gameplay?"

Then one executive raised his hand.

"How about we put it to the side!"

"... I like that idea. But if it's on the side, how can we still employ the aiming techniques? I don't want our top secret puzzler to be known as a PAPPARA PAOON clone! That game was rather ho-hum.."

"Hmmmm."

They all rubbed their chins.

"I got it! On its side... on a slanted hill!"

"And we can give it a very pastel look. With cute furry wide-eyed creatures and add in musical notes in bubbles so when players deliver a long chain their ears shall be treated to the sweet sounds of victory -- literally!"

".. Bust-A-Move... on a hill.... pastel graphics... musical notes... furry cute wide-eyed creatures... brilliant! Commence Project Pastel Muses!"

And that's how it came to be.

Well maybe not but let's not ruin the magic for the kids eh. :P

PM has four modes.

1. Story Mode
Here you can pick the guy or girl. You then go through several stages, each stage having four levels and on the 4th level you face the boss of that stage before moving on. After you move on you can pick to go left or right. First 3 levels of each stage you just try to clear the playing field. 4th level is the same idea... only this time the boss for that stage is on the playing field... slowly advancing toward you. When he reaches the cross line you're toast. If you hit him with your bubble he will throw a fit and advance a little faster forward before resuming his regular speed. So you have to work fast and accurately. The bosses start from being small and then gradually get larger and larger... later on they will really tax you. I was playing this mode for over an hour, and just couldn't beat this huge clown lion... damn.

2. 2P Mode
Ah the game's best mode. First one to squeeze or push their opponent's playing field over the crossline wins. Last summer when I got this game I played it a bit with my ex. She didn't like it as much as Waku Waku Monster, but it probably was because I crushed her all the time, haha. Gotta love the trash talking.

3. Stand Alone mode
self-explanatory.

4. Single stages with a time limit
How fast can you advance and how far can you get?

The launcher has four positions. It's all parabolic. Ranges from roughly 1 o'clock to 3 o'clock. Press A and your furry friend will jump in the air. The longer you hold the higher he jumps. Release A and he will slam down on the launcher releasing the bubble. Connect 3 or more like colored bubbles. Some heavy chains can be accomplished here, and due to the hill gravity does play a role, sliding some bubbles appropriately if you burst a lot, perhaps unleashing nearby bubbles downward.

The higher he jumps the further the bubble will go. So, basically, first pick one of the four positions the launcher can go to, then decide how strong you want the bubble to fly, and then press A and follow thru.

Graphics are great. Beautiful pastel colors... you can almost feel your teeth rotting coz it's so sweet. Music is excellent. The musical notes are a nice touch, and as such you'd expect this game to have pretty ace music -- which it does. The continue screen has the SAME exact music as the infamous "girls jumping on a trampoline" end sequence/credits on the ole show THE MAN SHOW. It's the same I swear. That same catchy, beaty theme... without, of course, the visual flare... ah wellz can't have 'em all, right? :P

Intro is well done and introduces us to the many bosses the game will throw at you, with a sneak peak at the sinister end boss.

It's a nice little puzzle game. It gets pretty frantic when you're on the verge of dying... every so often the field will shrink... or when the boss comes waddling your way... and the music races and your furry friend goes into "AISH!" mode... haha good stuff.

I recommend it. It's a nice ole twist to the ole Puzzle Bobble formula. Only problem of course is locating a copy... but what else is new. This one may take a while to figure out and come to an understanding of with its physics, but when you figure it out it quickly becomes very fun and charming.

Another ace Saturn puzzler... who woulda thunk it? Good day all. See ya later tonight with my next write-up.