Pu-Li-Ru-La/Arcade Gears (プリルラ／アーケードギアーズ) is a remake of Taito's 1991 arcade beat-'em-up Pu-Li-Ru-La on the Sega Saturn released in 1997 by Xing as part of their Arcade Gears series of remakes in Japan.
In a world named Radishland, time is kept flowing correctly because of Keepers who live deep beneath each village and perpetually turn a key. However, one day, a villain appeared and stole a time key to stop the time flow, then started attacking the towns one by one. Two kids named Zac and Mel are asked by an old man to defend their town and given magic wands. They embark on a journey to retrieve the time key.
Gameplay
Zac and Mel
The game is a beat-'em-up known for its surreal art style and bizarre enemy designs. It can be played by one or two players, with player one controlling the boy Zac and player two controlling the girl Mel. Both characters play identically and differ only in appearance. A second player can join the time at any point (at the cost of a credit) by pressing START on the other control pad. Each round consists of fighting through enemies until reaching the boss at the end of the area, which turns out to be a possessed Keeper who tells Zac and Mel where to go next. When enemies are defeated, they turn into animals and run off the screen, which can be collected (by walking over them before they run away) for bonus points.
Zac and Mel move in any direction on the 2D plane using the D-Pad. They can attack by bopping with their wands by pressing , which can be done up to three times in sequence. Though they can move in any direction, they can only attack to their left or right. They can reach forward for a longer-ranged bash by pressing + or + (but this cannot be chained into a sequence like the regular standing strike). They can swing the wand low from a kneeling position by pressing +, which is effective against smaller enemies. Any of these hits can be followed up with a back attack by pressing before the character retracts the wand. The back attack pulls the wand back, allowing the character to hit an enemy in front of them and an enemy behind them in quick succession. Zac and Mel jump by pressing and can attack in midair by pressing for a regular wand bash or + for a swing similar to the kneeling attack.
Zac and Mel can cast a spell by pressing , which is a powerful magic attack that damages multiple enemies at once. There are several magic spells; the spell that is cast depends on the last two digits of the player's score when the button is pressed, plus there is one special team magic spell that is cast when both players press at the same time. Casting a spell consumes a magic stock, which are depicted as magic wands next to the character's health bar. Each player starts with three magic stocks.
Each character has a health bar that goes down as they take damage from enemies. Characters are briefly invulnerable after being knocked down or after casting a magic spell. A character dies if his or her health bar is depleted but revives instantly if the player has extra lives remaining (which are shown as ties for Zac and bows for Mel). If the player runs out of lives, the game can only be continued at the cost of a credit. Both players start the game with three lives, which are separate, and four credits, which are shared, and cannot gain any more over the course of the game. Continuing gives the player another three lives and three magic stocks.
Magic spells
Zac and Mel are invulnerable for the duration of their magic spells.
キラキラ魔法 (Sparkle Magic)
Sparkles rain down onto enemies. This spell is used when the score ends in 00.
ジミー召還 (Summon Fairy)
A fairy swoops in and knocks all the enemies away. This spell is used when the score ends in 10 or 60.
Rapman (ラップマン)
A giant microwave falls from the sky, and Rapman runs out and starts wrapping enemies into balls and throwing them into the microwave. After he clears the screen, all of the enemies in the microwave are turned into animals. This spell is used when the score ends in 20 or 90. Animal Magic substitutes for this spell if used during a boss fight.
ミカタ氏 (Mr. Mikata)
A pink ghost dances around the screen, spinning and kicking enemies away. This spell is used when the score ends in 30 or 50.
動物魔法 (Animal Magic)
A stampede of animals runs across the screen, running into enemies. This spell is used when the score ends in 40 or 70.
竜巻 (Tornado)
A large tornado sweeps the screen, hitting enemies. This spell is used when the score ends in 80.
ショックのパー (Shockwave)
A massive explosion hits the stage from the map screen that normally precedes each round, which destroys all the enemies on the screen when the spell is cast (even bosses). This spell is used when both players cast their magic at the same time. It costs a magic stock from each player.
Items
Flying Pumpkin
Attack the pumpkin to release a fairy.
Red Fairy
Catch the fairy to partially restore lost health to Zac or Mel.
Blue Fairy
Catch the fairy to grant another magic stock to Zac or Mel.
, which can be done up to three times in sequence. Though they can move in any direction, they can only attack to their left or right. They can reach forward for a longer-ranged bash by pressing 
+
+
+
before the character retracts the wand. The back attack pulls the wand back, allowing the character to hit an enemy in front of them and an enemy behind them in quick succession. Zac and Mel jump by pressing 
, which is a powerful magic attack that damages multiple enemies at once. There are several magic spells; the spell that is cast depends on the last two digits of the player's score when the button is pressed, plus there is one special team magic spell that is cast when both players press 
タイトルデモ
