Haunted Junction

	HAUNTED JUNCTION Copyright © MediaWorks SLPS 00668 Sony Playstation Puzzle / 1-2 Player ¥5,800 — by Maria M. Rider		Need some ghosts exorcised from your high school? Well, leave the job to Haruto, Asahina, and Kazumi — the local ghostbusting group of nutty high schoolers who can get the job done. HAUNTED JUNCTION, one of the "after midnight" anime series recently released in Japan, has spawned a 360 degree puzzle game which pits the player against 12 different characters, and not all of them human. The three main human characters, Haruto, Asahina, and Kazumi, represent three major religions: Christianity, Shintoism, and Buddhism. The show centers on the three students getting rid of supernatural spirits at their high school. The other nine characters are spirits, two of which are extras not used regularly in the actual series. There is the old, lecherous ghost who leads the HAUNTED JUNCTION group and acts as their advisor. Nino-kun, a middle school boy from an ancient period of Japan, who has the ability to control small statues of studying students. Hanako's Toilet, a legendary spirit in Japan, is the risque, sexy spirit in the group and uses her perfect body to make men drop to their knees. Red Mask, a devilishly handsome spirit that wears a long red cape and mask, has the power to make girls swoon and immediately fall in love with him. Aoi Hanten and Yamiko-san, a skeleton model and inside-out model, and Kagamiko, a giant pair of feet, are also playable.
			The HAUNTED JUNCTION game has two modes of play: 1 player mode, where the player chooses one of the three human characters and plays against the different spirits; or 2 player mode, where the screen splits in half horizontally and the players can battle each other. There is also an option screen in which to choose different levels and sound. This is one of the most unique puzzle games I've ever played, and the level of difficulty makes it very challenging for the puzzle game fan. The 360ｰ action really makes the player plan his moves carefully. In play you try to get four colored balls to match, each match creating an attack against the enemy. You can rotate your playing board to fit the puzzle pieces into place. The object of the game is to keep the number of balls within the prescribed boundary and free a medallion which is placed in the starting puzzle configuration. In order to free the medallion-and complete the level-the player must get at least three balls that match the color of the medallion to touch it. Of course, this isn't easy to do! The colored balls fall in from all sides, and if the player does not complete a row of four balls or more in certain configurations it could mean trouble. The playing field consists of two circles: an outer boundary inside which the player must keep the colored balls, and an inner boundary where the player can move the characters. The inner boundary gets smaller and smaller if the player fails to match the colored balls and create attacks. The game works much like Tetris but is a lot more challenging. There are certain configurations that will collect more holy power to defeat the spirits' attacks, such as getting four of the same color balls to surround a different color in a cross pattern which in turn causes the different color to change into the four other colors. Sounds confusing, eh? HAUNTED JUNCTION takes some getting used to, but after playing it enough times you get the hang of it. This is a definite challenge for the puzzle game fan, but if you aren't one, don't get it. Fans of the series will probably like this game if they can get used to the style of play. Rating: * (out of 4)**