Overview
Columns 97 is a falling-block tile-matching puzzle game developed and released by Sega for arcades (using Saturn-based Sega ST-V hardware) in Japan on January 1997.
The fifth game in the Columns series, Columns 97 reverts the gameplay style back to the original 1990 game Columns, with players attempting to clear as many jewels as they can in an "endless" gameplay mode. It also uses a new simplistic art style utilizing pre-rendered 3D graphics, reminiscent of casual games released years later (most notably the Bejeweled series).
The gameplay is identical to the original game with some minor differences: players are now scored solely on how many jewels they clear and have a meter showing their progression towards the next Magic Jewel. Players are also graded at the end of each playthrough, showing a graph of their performance in five factors (知恵/"wisdom", 努力/"effort", 勇気/"courage", 技量/"skill", and 運/"luck"). Like the original, two players can play simultaneously in dual single-player games (although, when only one person is playing, the unused playfield is now used as an attract screen, showing both the high-score table and instant replays).
It was also included in the Japan-exclusive Sega Saturn compilation Columns Arcade Collection, released later that year, and was later re-made as part of the 2003 Japan-exclusive PS2 compilation SEGA AGES 2500 Series Vol. 7: Columns.
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