A brand new Dreamcast game? Believe it! Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles is a traditional puzzle game that was originally released on the GP2X handheld but is being ported to the long-defunct, but adored, Sega Dreamcast game system.
The game is being developed by a Costa Rica-based duo who calls their company “Yuan Works”. So why on Earth would a company release a NEW Dreamcast game? WHY NOT! To quote the developers:
“Well, it’s a nice console with a dedicated fanbase. When I was younger, I would be extremely grateful when a Super Famicom (SNES) title arrived very late in its life, as it felt more like a tribute than a big commercial project. Many Dreamcast users around the world are really excited about this release! And the market, especially in Japan, is big enough to make it very profitable, which doesn’t hurt one bit!
On a more techie side, the DC is very robust, and supports true 240p RGB, which provides the definite 2D arcade experience. The controller suits the game perfectly, and there are practically no load times. There is also VGA and Arcade Stick support, so you can truly play this game any way you want on DC!”
Amen to that! I think it’s awesome to see a developer releasing a brand new game for a defunct system. Heck, I’ll probably purchase a copy myself just to support it! Also for those interested, the company is still allowing people to send in pictures of themselves to be featured as a sprite in Wind and Water!
More info on Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles below
Story:
You play the role of Amy, a young girl who wants to make games one day. Along the way, she encounters the developers at Yuan Works and finds out that this very game she is in is actually half-baked and has . Thus she has to help finish the game herself! Wind and Water is a parody and tribute to video game crafting; a window into the souls of those who make the games we play.
The game was created in order to show people that puzzle games aren’t just for the “casual” players. The game contains a very deep storyline along with a story mode. It tells an autobiographical story in which you learn via the game’s cast of characters and elaborate cut-scenes and picture slides, how the game was made, how it became a dream come true for the developers, and what traditional game art means.
Basic gameplay has players rotating blocks to match them in a diamond shape (like the cursor) of the same element, which will make the blocks disappear (and give you points). There are five basic block types: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water as well as two special blocks: Wind and Void. If you don’t achieve enough points, a press at the bottom will start rising, shrinking the space available for the player to match blocks. The longer you play, the game speed will increase causing the press to rise faster. In order to best handle the game, you will want to match four elements in a diamond shape to make them disappear. If you can do this when adjacent blocks also have the same element, it will make a combo causing them to disappear as well. You can continue the combo matching all the same element blocks on the board by having the blocks that fall to fill in the gaps also match, which is called a chain. There are also different characters you can choose to play as.
The game has literally hundreds of unlockables as well in addition to mini-games and a Making of. The battle system is polished and balanced enough as well so that beginners and experts alike can still find the game fun yet deep, easy to play yet challenging to master.
There are also multiple paths through the game. And the game itself was actually made with “speedrunners” and players that do “superplays” in mind! It was also made with two-player versus battles in mind, and features various ways that you can play the game, similar to the “Groove” system in Capcom VS SNK, you can tailor the gameplay-style to suit how you play, whether you are a fan of chain, combos, or you play defensively.
For much more on the game, check out this interview with Yuan Works.