Super Columns

n/a

US/EU JP
Super Columns
System(s): Sega Game Gear, Palm OS
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega CS5
Peripherals supported: Gear-to-Gear Cable
Genre: Puzzle
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code JP 1995-05-26 ¥3,8003,800 G-3226 US 1995 $39.9539.95 2449 EU 1995-04 2449-50 UK 1995-04 £19.9919.99 2449-50 US 2003-04-14 $19.9519.95

Super Columns (スーパーコラムス) is an update to Columns, released exclusively for the Sega Game Gear in 1995.

Story

The evil merchant Surhand wants to harness the power of a mystical amulet in order to conquer all of Phoenicia. His citadel is guarded by four henchmen, who are all masters of Columns. They must be defeated to save Phoenicia.

Gameplay

Endless mode and Story mode

Super Columns is a falling block puzzle game like its predecessor. Columns of three differently colored gems fall one at a time, and the player must arrange three gems of the same color in a row, column, or diagonal line to eliminate them. The game adds new types of blocks and the ability to rotate the columns horizontally. The player moves columns with and and drops them faster with . Their colors are cycled with , and they are rotated with .

The game adds a Story mode, wherein the player must defeat five opponents three times each in order to advance in the game. During Story matches, both the player and the player's opponents can unleash various spells, indicated by a numbered display that ascends as gems are matched. Each spell has a different effect, such as increasing the speed at which opponent columns fall or restricting the opponent's ability to rotate their columns. There is also a Versus mode that follows the same rules as the Story mode where two players can compete over a Gear-to-Gear Cable.

Like in previous Columns games, there are also Endless and Flash modes. In an Endless game, the player matches gems until inevitably reaching a game-over. The player progresses to a new level at certain points thresholds, and the speed of the gameplay increases with each level. Flash mode presents the player with 10 puzzle stages where all flashing gems must be matched and eliminated in order to progress to the next stage.

Spells

In the Story and Versus modes, gaining points increases the gauge. The player can select a spell with + and perform the selected spell with +.

Gauge Number	Points	Spell
1	50	Sends stone blocks to the other player.
2	100	Prevents the other player from rearranging his or her columns.
3	150	Increases the speed at which the other player's columns drop.
4	200	Lowers the player's base level.
5	250	Gives the player a magic gem.

Special Blocks

	Bomb Block
	Eliminates the entire row, column, or diagonal line when three are matched.
	Glitter Column
	Appears in Flash mode. When it makes contact with a gem, it causes all gems of that color to disappear.
	Stone Block Column
	Appears in the Story and Versus modes. Stone blocks can only be removed by Magic Columns and cannot be set horizontal.
	Magic Column
	Appears in the Endless, Story, and Versus modes. The upward arrow causes gems above it to disappear, the center square causes gems the color as those that are touched by it to disappear, and the downward arrow reverses the screen.
	Reversal Column
	Appears in the Endless, Story, and Versus modes. It causes all gems the same color as the one that the column contacts to disappear.
	Vanish Column
	Appears in the Endless, Story, and Versus modes. It causes all gems above the column to disappear.

Stages

Flash Mode

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10

Production credits

• Producers: M.Hokoyama, Dante Anderson
• Directors: K.Hasegawa, M.Morimoto
• Product Manager: C.Huneke Kremer
• Game Design: H.Fujimura
• Programmer: T.Kosuge
• Graphic Artist: N.Honda
• Sound Composer: T.Maeda
• Test Lead: Atom Ellis
• Assistant Test Leads: Michael Wu, Caroline Trujillo
• Special Thanks: James Spahn, Keith Higashida, Eric Rawlins, Vy Nong

Digital manuals

• 

  Palm OS manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Super Columns/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Todo Sega (ES) #26: "Mayo 1995" (1995-0x-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #46: "Julio 1995" (1995-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #51: "Diciembre 1995" (1995-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Hobby Consolas (ES) #52: "Enero 1996" (199x-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score Consoles + (FR) 85 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 91 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 58 Freak (IL) 87 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 83 Joypad (FR) PAL 88 Mega Force (FR) PAL 86 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 83 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 74 Player One (FR) PAL 86 Play Time (DE) 79 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 77 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 75 Todo Sega (ES) 91 Top Consoles (FR) 75 Video Games (DE) PAL 72

	81
Based on 16 reviews

Super Columns

Game Gear, JP
Cover
Cart

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
?	CRC32 2a100717 MD5 3696ab241bbe66846a0ad00a50ca289b SHA-1 a1de915b0f10894bedc6ee8f0fd1f2da65bcfa68	128kB		Cartridge (JP)
?	CRC32 8ba43af3 MD5 8f1de0caa864beed2a61f391795b0a10 SHA-1 ce59845e973b7fb7b3b2121b35a95fba5727df62	128kB		Cartridge (US/EU)
?	CRC32 f28f89d1 MD5 1513e04ab34ff687e6bfcf89199cce5a SHA-1 e5b23a687c9dd285970f4783369e36c7a96d19fa	128kB	1994-11-11	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 56cf1d4f MD5 d829d132768af645ec9770ce7751aeb6 SHA-1 29dac0da809c8a74c6610e4dde300efaddaca29a	128kB	1994-11-30	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 abe92434 MD5 d592e3ac72db3d3829b5c56fd9b6c0e4 SHA-1 3edad6d335d5f6ec3dc403fd642cd6a71e3c053d	128kB	1994-12-15	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 81451fc0 MD5 eef5e19e5314cd512bbf9cfe700c9482 SHA-1 b7cabe08f0e0850b055fd0e694e175e8f1c47e4d	128kB	1994-12-21	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 5c4c633d MD5 9c8597827b2b6632288dcd2e518c5ea1 SHA-1 d3050de383e772bb068d4c722bbe91ff05172d45	128kB	1994-12-26	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 3d931952 MD5 af4aa4dfc874b945fbe61d31d8c20c00 SHA-1 b2bc04e1f7a00ec5431774db0b47da53db57d3a3	128kB	1994-12-28	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 096f4ff5 MD5 0f9eb3b55945f0057e0e1a04424a64fc SHA-1 fed437cf7d22c685fef7b2e55579cd77bb48e232	128kB	1995-01-06	CD-R disc				Page
?	CRC32 8ba43af3 MD5 8f1de0caa864beed2a61f391795b0a10 SHA-1 ce59845e973b7fb7b3b2121b35a95fba5727df62	128kB	1995-01-09	CD-R disc				Page