Magical Drop II

Gameplay is similar to the first entry albeit with improvements; the objective is to clear the screen from a stack of constantly advancing colored 'drops' that descend from the top of the playfield. Drops can be picked up and dropped by the player's character, which is placed at the bottom of the screen, and they disappear when three or more of the same color are put together on a single column. Chains are formed either when a single drop caused a chain reaction or when more than one group of drops are cleared in quick succession. Forming chains cause the opponent's stack to descend faster. One notable gameplay change is that normal drops and "special" drops can now be matched together, unlike the first game where they were considered completely separate. The single-player mode, now known as "Puzzle" mode, was also changed to add more rows to the player's playfield. New to the series are rainbow pieces, which can become special drops when they are incorporated into the playfield. The Japanese version contains a third mode named "Hirameki" that offers preset puzzles for the player to solve. The difficulty levels now correspond to a chosen character as well. Two players can also participate in a competitive versus mode (one may be a computer opponent). The game is over once a player is defeated when the stack of drops hits the bottom. Characters The original cast from Magical Drop (1995) returns. In addition, four new characters are introduced: Justice: A teenage girl with a strong sense of justice, true to her namesake. Strength: A muscular man who wears iron knuckles, sometimes referred to as Father Strength. Empress: The game's final opponent. A villainous woman who wears a dominatrix outfit, though she was originally a kind and gentle woman. Black Pierrot: An evil jester-like demon who acts as the game's secret boss, who was responsible for the corruption of Empress.