Magical Drop III
Grab, drop and chain balloons before the ceiling crushes you.
Coming soon to UsuArcade
Votes to bring it to the arcade: 0
In the meantime, head into the arcade and play the cabinets that are already there
- Year
- 1997
- Manufacturer
- Data East
- Players
- 2 players at once
- Genres
- Puzzle games
- Decade
- '90s arcade games
Magical Drop III is puzzle gaming at full throttle: columns of colored balloons creeping down while a jester, a magician or a priestess snatches them up and fires them back at insane speed. Data East put it out on Neo Geo in 1997, and it was the kind of cabinet that left your fingers sore.
If you loved head-to-head puzzle battles in 90s arcades, this was one of the most intense ones on the floor.
History
It's the third game in Data East's Magical Drop series, which took its cue from falling-block puzzlers but went all-in on pure speed instead of careful planning.
The characters are based on tarot cards like the Fool, the Empress and the Magician, each with their own look and attack pattern.
How to play
Slide your character along the bottom, grab balloons from one column and drop them into another. Line up three or more of the same color vertically and they pop, and if the fallout creates new matches, you chain.
Chains send extra rows over to your opponent. The ceiling keeps creeping down, and if the balloons reach your character you lose, so speed is everything.
Fun facts
- The characters are based on tarot cards.
- It's the third entry in the Magical Drop series.
- It ran on Neo Geo hardware.
In the arcade
Magical Drop III is coming soon to UsuArcade. It's on the wishlist, and you can vote with I Want to Play It to get it here sooner.
Meanwhile, the arcade has Puzzle Bobble for a head-to-head bubble battle with a friend, Atari's Tetris arcade for two players at once, and Pang, where you and a buddy shoot bouncing bubbles to pieces.
Once Magical Drop III lands in the arcade, you'll be able to play it online two-player, each on your own phone or PC, in the same game.
FAQ
Can I play Magical Drop III on UsuArcade?
Not yet. It's on the wishlist, so vote with I Want to Play It, and try Puzzle Bobble in the arcade meanwhile.
What year did Magical Drop III come out?
1997, from Data East.
How many players is Magical Drop III?
One or two players at the same time, head to head.
How do you play Magical Drop III?
Grab balloons from one column and drop them in another to line up three or more of a color. Chains dump rows on your opponent.
