ArcadeSharp X68000LinuxWiiSega Mega Drive/GenesisPC (Microsoft Windows)1990

Columns

Go back in time to a bygone civilization: the ancient world of Phoenicia. There you will play a simple and captivating game where sparkling, rainbow-coloured jewels drop one after another. According to the ancient merchants, by arranging three or more of the same jewels horizontally, vertically or diagonally, you shall perform miracles.

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13 total

≥h

Steam User 9185STEAMRecommended

Primo distante do tetris

Apr 4, 2025·Verified

Steam User 4830STEAMNot recommended

NOTA: 7 de 10

Lanzado en el año 1989 para recreativas Arcade, consolas y ordenadores domésticos con un estilo que recuerda al [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180240/Tetris_Forever/]Tetris[/url][/u] aunque centrándose en una mecánica distinta. Básicamente el objetivo consiste en alinear al menos 3 o 4 joyas del mismo tipo-color en cualquier dirección (incluso diagonal) para que desaparezcan y así evitar que la caja se llene de piezas en el tiempo determinado.

Un año después Sega lo llevó a su consola [u][url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/gequi_/recommended/34270/]Sega Genesis / Mega Drive[/url][/u]

Se puede jugar modo individual, multijugador local o en red, incluso mediante Remote Play Together.

Gráficos y audio de aceptable calidad.

Banda sonora de "Tokuhiko Uwabo" que derrocha una fantástica maestría, pero se echa en falta más variedad, ya que siempre suena [u][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPC0pCt9Zhw&list=PLryS3385ZWcTTGlbI3WrpUi8Gs_q3Or3F&index=3]la misma canción[/url][/u]

Tutoriales internos sí tiene, aunque no en español. Interfaz simple y funcional. Manual externo en español disponible en la carpeta "manuals".

Dificultad dividida en 3 niveles que modifica el tiempo / velocidad de las piezas al bajar.

Secuelas hay alguna más aunque no he llegado a probar.

Conclusión: No es un género que me atraiga demasiado y me cansa enseguida, pero tiene lo mínimo para convertirlo en un juego recomendable, aunque no en Steam ya que [u][url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/34270/announcements/detail/4450213135292301382]Sega lo va a eliminar[/url][/u] junto con su [u][url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/gequi_/recommended/34270/]emulador[/url][/u]

Nov 21, 2024·Verified

Steam User 5631STEAMRecommended

Really amazing to see such piece of history.
A game that works as a DLC for this bundle:
The SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics.
Which is basically a legal emulation bundle.
This game is originally from 1989. Very old.
And: I'm happy to see it included on Steam.
I have two main positives to say about that:
The first cool positive: The ROM is included.
Which is fantastic for the fans of emulation.
We can boot it up for example in RetroArch.
Or pretty much any other software for emu.
I can't stress enough: How awesome that is.
An actual ROM legally obtainable on Steam.
It's perfect, but let's get to the 2nd positive:
Steam Workshop is supported and It's dope.
Who would've guessed we'll get retro mods.
It's a lovely addition to the retro experience.
A really cheap way to obtain ROM's legally.
I gotta give this release my positive review.

Jul 3, 2022·1·Verified

Steam User 4834STEAMNot recommended

И ты тоже Sega!?! :-(

[h1][b]Скажем "НЕТ" дискриминации игроков по национальным признакам или по признакам этнического происхождения!

Скажем "НЕТ" использованию Steam в политических целях![/b][/h1]

Mar 11, 2022·2h·11·Verified

Steam User 5135STEAMRecommended

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Mar 1, 2022·2·Verified

Steam User 5536STEAMRecommended

Jun 1, 2020·26·Verified

Steam User 2587STEAMRecommended

Columns is a falling blocks type of puzzle where you have to match lines made of 3 same-colored jewels to destroy them. Up to 2 players, but not competetive, it's solo style one. It was originally made by Jay Geertsen in 1989 for some obscure computer and then sold rights to Columns mechanics to Sega in 1990, where they put it to use onto their arcades. And in same year Sega of Japan ported it over to Sega Mega Drive, 1 Megabit cartridge, all yay very cheap game to manufracture, having such small ROM size that it got included into pretty much every compilation too. It was the first port of many and thus may lack some options. Puzzle games tend to get onto many platforms after all.
Also came out for other platforms, such as Sega Game Gear and Master System.
Heck, it not only managed to reach Turbographx-16 (PC-Engine), but even somehow got onto SNES. Wat, Sega.

The game that you have here is nothing more than emulation of Sega Genesis version.

Now, technical part about Sega's emulation here:
The Sega Classic games that you purchase on Steam count as DLCs for "Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics" game that should appear in your library.
It has Bedroom HUB which is the one with many features yet lags for many and Simply Launcher which lacks Workshop and Online but at least it works just fine for everybody.
However, Simple Launcher has it's fair share of glitches as well. It can crash. And it does the second time you go to main menu, so always quit after saving there so it doesn't crash when you want to save next time!
Emulation itself, mostly sound, isn't that good but it does it's job. Also, yes, emulator supports quick saves.
As alternative, you can use external emulator to run games that you purchased. Sega kindly placed in all games that you purchased in "uncompressed ROMs" folder that program itself doesn't use, just change file extension to ".bin" or so. The file for this one being "COLUMNS_W.68K".
I also demand you to read digital manual of this game first. You can find it here on store page or go to "manuals" folder of game root and open "COLUMNS_PC_MG_EFIGS_US_150ppi.pdf".

Has online (in Bedroom HUB only) and local multiplayer.

The plot of this game is that phoenician merchants play their favourite games: destroying their own hard-earned jewels with a glee.
And yep, it's a falling-blocks puzzle game, alright. An early one. Solo play, meaning that your main objective is to stay alive as long as possible as the blocks fill more and more of a jar.

Sega (or rather Jay Geertsen's) take on this overdone-by-now-but-not-then genre is that 3-block tall columns are falling down. They can't be turned around and made up of 3 jewels of random colors (each with it's own shape). You can however cycle jewels in column before it lands. You have to make lines of at least 3 jewels of same color for them to dissapear. Vertical, horizontal and, most importantly, diagonal lines work. Gravity is still a thing, so upper jewels will fall down into freed up space.

That means that it has some chaining going on, albeit it's not something you would do on purpose as I think they only increase score. Or level. Another thing I can say is that it's harder to pay attention to all the potential diagonal lines. And somehow, it's also more exciting, as you can save yourself or chain greatly if you do pay attention to them. For example, when the jar is near full, you may manage to destroy such line only to find out that you just set of a great chain of reactions, whether intential or not. What a miracle! Fight until end!
Yea, I do think that Tetris is lacking, at least for me. Too plain, no surprises. Columns is the part where falling blocks puzzle genre got more exciting, IMO. That, or did Dr. Mario come out before Columns? That one was rad too.

It does have a big problem however in a sense that it can get too easy. The default amount of jewel types is the maximum one that you can set. If you set any less then you aren't likely to ever lose the game. The game seems to lack a harder mode or effective way to screw player out and thus if you figure out the gameplay you can stay for really long time, maybe even until you get bored.
Protip: There is nothing stopping you from pausing the game in order to think over your next move.

Setting is quite fancy, but nothing much exciting. It aims for "forgotten ancient Greek" appeal. Tries to be more on relaxing side, possibly hypnotizing. Music tries to be a strange kind of prettyness, you sure aren't going to find any drums in them. It sure is fancy, somewhat memoriable, but eh.

I am not exactly fond of Mega Drive conversion however. It's a confused mess between trying to be a direct arcade port and giving player all the custom options. For example, you can either go for Arcade mode or Original mode which are supposedly same. But Arcade has magical jewel appear sometimes and you can change "difficulty" in Options which means maximum speed. While original mode, selectable from Menu, can change amount of different types of jewels, music, starting level and even set up 3-minute time limit. But no magical jewels. Why is it not combined into same customizable thing?

Oh yea, there is also Flash mode. A single jewel must be destroyed, placed under the cutsomizable level of rows. Good fun.

And yep, there is sorta multiplayer. You can choose to play any mode in two player, in which case it will behave in interesting way, not unlike arcade game: screen is divided into two halfs and everyone is playing their own Columns in each. But same mode. Can even restart independently. No way to interact. Flash mode has a "match" setting, but it just means that whole game ends as soon as somebody wins. So yea, it's like two separate solo gaming.
Well, there is also a Double two-player mode. In this case two players play on one field and they take turns on each column of jewel. Cooperative, it says. Though you can always decide between each other that whoever's turn brings "game over" loses.

But yea. Not my favourite, but pretty nice puzzle.

Aug 30, 2016·26·Verified

Steam User 3005STEAMRecommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHSs7iKy-Eo
[H1]Great Tetris Alternative[/h1]
Until i bought a bundle recently i didn't even know or ever heard what Columns™ was, when i first opened it i realized it was Tetris like a game made by Sega - on the opening title i already was impressed by the very cool retro soundtrack that was definitely quality stuff (Some would deem better than tetris soundtrack). Greek theme gives you some cool vibes

Columns does work bit differently than Tetris the main concept is the same, except all the blocks that will be falling from the sky are actual columns, each of them have their element/color and getting 3 in row horizontally, vertically or diagonically will make them go BOOM and they are gone, pretty simple right?

The game itself doesn't have millions of features, but it does have 2 player support if you want to play it on LAN with let say controller and keyboard or even both. One of the strongest points why i recommend it, is the price - its crazy cheap and its rather good alternative if you like tetris type of games.

Jul 5, 2016·2h·8·Verified

Steam User 7286STEAMRecommended

Haha, Columns. Oh, Columns. I think everyone who's had a Mega Drive has played a Columns game before. It's basically Sega's Tetris.

Jul 6, 2013·92·Verified

Steam User 1901STEAMRecommended

tipo un tetris

Dec 4, 2012·3·Verified

Steam User 2414STEAMNot recommended

This was the first game I played in the match 3 things the same genre I played and that is pretty much all there is to the game. There is nothing to really give this game longevity and there are so many better alternatives out there now that I wouldn't bother with this one.

Jul 29, 2012·7·Verified

Steam User 0965STEAMRecommended

Казуалка на все 100%. На долго точно не хватит.

Feb 1, 2012·10·Verified

Steam User 2379STEAMRecommended

当時ゲーセンに通う女性は何故かコレがうまかった

Sep 24, 2011·7·Verified