Chu Chu Rocket!

Chu Chu Rocket! Description

Puzzle games and portable platforms are practically made for each other. Chu Chu Rocket was the first example of the mythical free lunch. Every new Dreamcast owner could swap their details with Sega and receive a copy of the addictive, original puzzle game. Chu Chu was special because it was the very first on-line multi-player console game out of the box. Chu Chu was also the very first Sega game to appear on dedicated Nintendo hardware, coming after Sega's shifting hardware focus to a multi-platform strategy. The aim of the game is simple. You must guide a number of mice into a rocket for their own safety. This is harder than it sounds because the little mice act more like lemmings, they walk in a straight line until they hit a wall, an obstacle, or they will change direction once they hit one of your placed arrows. Evil cats wander around the maze, devouring any poor mice they encounter. And they follow your arrows as well, leading them directly to the feast. Each level is different, but usually you have to save a set number of mice within the allowed time period. In Chu Chu Rocket you can place up to three arrows on the playing field at any one given time. The fourth arrow will replace the first and so on. You have to adapt your playing tactics in real time to the constantly changing events, which can require lots of concentration when there are more than fifty mice on screen. Using the Advance link-up cable, up to four players can compete simultaneously for some of the best multi-player puzzle shenanigans around. Each player has to place arrows to direct the mice towards their base, so you can imagine the frantic battle, each player trying to win and beat the opponents at the same time. You want the mice to come to you and the cats to go to your friends. Add power-ups like millions of mice or cats and you've got a winner on your hands. There are several built-in single player puzzles to tax your intellect, usually limiting the amount of moves you have and requiring timing to avoid the dangers. Chu Chu Rocket is one of the best puzzle games to surface for some time, adding freshness and originality to a universally appealing genre. Recommended.