Master Stacker

Master Stacker, or Stacker-chan wa Sugoitte! (スタッカーちゃんはすごいって! Roughly translates Stacker-chan is Awesome!), is a puzzle game and the successor to the SNES game Li’l Stacker developed by Compile Heart, which has recently owned the franchise. It will be released for the PlayStation Vita as well as the PC.

Story
Many years after the events of Li’l Stacker, the magic kingdom has begun a life of prosperity. Without any further intrusions, they decided to hold a Stacking Tournament to see who the best Stacker of the kingdom is. Dakota, a girl from the Northeast Kingdom, overhears this and, along with 11 others, went to participate in the new tournament. Little do the contestants know that the man behind this tournament wants to use their skills for something else…

Game Menus
STORY - In this mode, you will experience the different perspectives of characters as you progress your way through it by beating many of the Stacker levels.

VERSUS - Here, you can play against another player online or against the CPU in a puzzle battle.

TOWER - A mode where you progress through each level to level in a hierarchy like path in order to reach the final boss, Mr. Brigg.

GALLERY - Here you can view the artwork and listen to the soundtrack of Master Stacker.

REPLAY - Here, you can watch your saved replays of Versus matches, both in-game and online.

OPTIONS - Here, you can change the settings of Master Stacker, as well as being able to Load and Save your progress.

Gameplay
Master Stacker can very easily be described as a puzzle game that is a fusion of Sega’s Puyo Puyo series and Tetris (because of its game mechanic) and Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (because of its method of play and versus format). Those who are very familiar with the Puyo Puyo games will immediately learn the basics. Different 'special blocks' can be formed by matching a combination of 4, 5, or higher in a certain formation, such as a Flash Block (which clears either an entire row or column), a Bang Block (which acts like a bomb; clearing the 8 surrounding block, falling, and exploding one more time), a Swap Block (which with swapping one side with a block with a different color, turns all blocks of that one crystal's color into the same color as the Swap Attack), a Master Block (which removes all blocks with the same color of the one it is matched with), and finally a Special Block (which, if connected to blocks of the same color, activates the character’s Special Stack). Super Blocks can also be matched together, producing varying effects; for example, matching a Master Block with a Flash Block turns all of the crystals of its color into Flash Blocks, which are immediately detonated. A Flash and Bang Block if mixed, it turns into a big Flash block, clearing three rows horizontally.

There are also types of blocks that serve to add to the challenge as you continue to play and are known as the Blockers group. A grey colored block can only be removed when it has been matched next to it a number of times (each time a group of crystals is matched next to it, the more the blocks begins to break), Sealed Blocks are transparent crystals that cage off crystals locked inside it, an Infected Block multiplies via touching other crystals if not cleared and a Nuisance Block blocks the abilities of the Flash and Bang Blocks.

During gameplay, super deformed versions of the playable characters will act out a comical battle based on how the game is going. Every time one player does a Stacker Combo where a group of 4 or 5 crystals of the same color is set continuously (depending on how many times it is), his or her character will perform an attack or a special move. The bigger the Combo, the bigger the attack that the character will perform and more likely they will perform their signature Legendary Art move. This also includes when using the Flash, Bang, Swap and Master Blocks which increase the attack even further. Each character has a health bar each opposing player is able to decrease the other with matching 4 or more blocks with the same color or performing a Stacker Combo, the match ends when one character's health bar is completely decreased.

Characters
There are 13 playable characters to choose from as you take part in the Stacking Tournament.

Dakota: The main protagonist. A young magic trainee from the Northeast Kingdom who is interested in becoming a Stacker one day. One day, she heard about the Stacking Tournament and went to participate, in spite of not knowing who is truly behind the games. She now wishes to win against her rival Tiff and become the new Master Stacker. Dakota’s element is Light and her Special Stack is Super Celebration.

Tiff: Dakota’s rival from Flameleaf Village. She proves herself to be the better Stacker unlike Dakota. She heard of the Stacking Tournament and, in hopes of overcoming her rival, took part of it. Tiff is more tactical than Dakota when it comes to creating combos. Her element is Fire and her Special Stack is Volcano Break.

Phill: A half-human half-fox from the Graylands. Phill is the descendant of the ancient Black Fox of the Graylands. He recently became interested in Stacking, which is why he partook in the Stacking Tournament. Phill can make some combos quicker than others, but he can easily get stuck sometimes. His element is Ice and his Special Stack is Fox’s Wrath.

Lucille: A cat woman of the Gato Tribe that acts as a travelling spy. She is known for keeping low profile while collecting information of the other parts of the kingdom. She was requested by her advisor to participate in the Stacking Tournament to learn more about its existence. Lucille is not the best at making combos, but one lucky shot could make the player’s grid full of Blockers. Her element is Wind and her Special Stack is Lucky Swirl.

Jazmine: A female musician from Sonata Town. Her goal is to show the world that music is not as useless as people believe when it comes to battling, which is why she is in the Stacking Tournament. She is also a long-time friend of Phill. Jazmine’s element is Air and her Special Stack is called Musical Sensation.

Dexter: A scientist prodigy from Atomtropolis. He wanted to study the science and function of Stacking so that he may use them to create his own device. For that purpose, he entered the Stacking Tournament to study Stacking and its mysteries. Dexter takes a more strategic approach when trying to create combos. Dexter’s element is Lightning and his Special Stack is Atomic Strike.

Granite: A golem from the Obsidian Mountains that has a friendly personality. Unlike his brothers, he holds no grudge towards Stacking, which they saw as an insult. He left to enter the Stacking Tournament because of his newfound passion for Stacking. Granite drops his blocks harder than others, which can make combo creating more complicated. His element is Earth and his Special Stack is Landslide.

Eve: A female vampire who is the heir to the Vampire King Alucard. She was taught the ability of Stacking by her father before his death, as well as using her dark powers for the Stacking Tournament. She was sent to participate in the Stacking Tournament so that she can become the Stacking champion and new queen. She is one of the characters that take her time creating combos. Eve’s element is Dark and her Special Stack is Eternal Night.

Flash: A laughing jester from Circus Town. He is known for many tricks, some which anger the citizens of the magic kingdom. To everyone’s chagrin, he is participating the Stacking Tournament to become the Stacking Champion. Flash may look like he is failing when his grid is almost full, but he can easily trick you with one combo. His element is Smoke and his Special Stack is Funny Aroma.

Alex: A being resembling an aquatic creature wearing an eggshell. He is the minion of Mr. Brigg, the holder of the Stacking Tournament. He is sometimes referred to as an 'Al' by those who lose against him. Alex is basically the most difficult opponent in the game. His element is Water and his Special Stack is Creepy Tsunami.

Mr. Brigg: A man who is the holder of the Stacking Tournament. He was once a good-hearted until an experiment caused a change in his personality, which led to him creating a prototype that will destroy the world through the means of stacking. He used the tournament as a mean to power this prototype. Mr. Brigg is more difficult than Alex, as he can create better combos than any of the characters. His element is Smoke and his Special Stack is Death Fog.

Lizzie: The protagonist of Li’l Stacker. Now a young lady, Lizzie strives to live a normal life. But her life changed once again when her old friends, Kiki and Mimi, requested her to return to the magic kingdom after an incident they both survived from. She accepts this request and enters the magic portal to see the kingdom in ruins thanks to Mr. Brigg’s prototype. Lizzie’s element is a combination of the others’. Her story must be unlocked by completing the other characters’ stories.