| Platform Reviewed | Sega Saturn |
| Genre | Arcade Puzzle |
| Number of Players | One or Two |
| Multiplayer Value | High |
| Length | Short in Story Mode, Indefinite in Other Modes |
| Difficulty | Variable |
| Skills Required | Quick and Unusual Thinking |
| Interface Devices | Joypad |
| Interface Design | Excellent |
| Programming | Excellent |
| Game Design and Playability | Excellent and Addictive. |
| Type Of Fun | Tetris / Columns / Puyo Puyo style puzzle fun |
| Replay Value | High |
| Overall Value | High |
| Quality | High |
| The Best | Very unique drop-block arcade puzzler |
| The Worst | Should come with a FDA warning about addiction |
| How much I'd Pay for This | 40 bucks |
Description:
Baku Baku Animal (Baku roughly translates as 'to acquire', but in this context refers more to 'devouring rapidly') is a columns-style dropping block arcade puzzle game. It has the requisite two player battle mode, and interesting rendered graphics and surprising special effects. The game involves matching specific hungry animal heads to the types of food they prefer, which if done cleverly, unleashes incredible chain reactions that send animals ferociously munching all over the screen! In two player mode, the better the complex reaction, the more an opposing player is humiliated, providing for the puzzle game equivalent of Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat.
Story:
In a faraway fantasy kingdom (isn't it always?) the local princess has pets. LOTS of pets. Exotic ones, like monkeys, pandas, rabbits, and even a lion. The problem is, the princess is utterly spoiled and doesn't feed them regularly, leading to some nasty complications. Enter the player, acting as either of two would-be palace zookeepers, who must prove their worth to the princess before she will consent to them messing with her darlings. If the zookeeper succeeds, a cushy job is to be had, if not, well that lion is REAL hungry.
Review:
Baku Baku Animal manages something few games these days manage: fun. Remember that? Fun used to be the prime requisite of a game, now it is flash and marketing savvy. But I digress. Baku Baku takes a truly unique approach to the puzzle game genre. And permits some really clever compound reaction building to occur in the model of the 'drop-block' arcade puzzle game. If arcade puzzle games are your particular favorite genre, games such as 'Bust A Move', 'Tetris', or 'Columns', you will find a fresh and addictive new joy in Baku Baku. The two player mode is simply brutal beyond belief, so be sure to play with someone you hate, or else a very good sport. Quick to learn, configurable to the last detail, and original as hell, Baku Baku is one of the best arcade puzzlers I have played. I do Recommend it Highly to lovers of the genre.
Jennifer Diane Reitz is a Game Designer and Computer Artist, and one of the founders of Happy Puppy. She is the creator of numerous games and software products, including Boppin' , Shark Chums, Elsewhere, and many others. She has worked for such companies as Activision, Sculptured Software, Epyx, SRI, and Electronic Arts, and founded Accursed Toys. She has been active in the computer gaming industry since it's earliest days. She considers games to be works of artistic merit and achievement, and views computer entertainment as the most important media of our era.