Colorful bubble chaining puzzle game, fast and addictive. Easy to learn, hard to master. Fun and accessible versus mode. Less rich than its sequels but the base formula is already excellent.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle2 players3+
Description
Colorful bubble puzzle game featuring Tarot characters with distinct personalities. Published by Data East, released in Japan in 1996. Grab-and-launch bubble system forming column combos to flood the opponent, Tarot characters with distinct speeds and styles, quick versus and solo modes. The first entry in the Magical Drop series on Saturn.
Magical Drop review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Pulling coloured balls downward, stacking them then releasing them to set off cascading drops: this puzzle plays at a frantic speed and rewards lightning reflexes. The frenzy mounts as the screen fills, and versus play quickly turns into a breathless duel. Colourful, snappy and fiercely addictive, an action puzzle that grants no respite.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Firing and stacking colored balls at full speed to trigger cascading drops sets off a frenzy where defeat immediately calls for a rematch. The tempo races and the versus mode turns each round into a breathless duel. The premise is simple, but its quickness of execution and good-natured mood keep an immediate, nervy hook.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Is Magical Drop still worth playing in 2026?
A hyped up puzzle from Data East, Magical Drop has you pull up and line up coloured bubbles at a frantic pace, in snappy duels pitting strong personality characters inspired by the Tarot. The pulling and chain shooting mechanic, simple to grasp but explosive to master, generates spectacular reversals in versus. The lively art direction and the frenzy of the action appeal immediately. For a fan of retro competitive puzzling or someone curious about the Data East catalogue, the title keeps a preserved snappiness and addictive fun.
