Chew Man Fu (TurboGrafx-16)

Chew Man Fu

Chew Man Fu has set a curse to rob the world of fried rice, egg rolls and all its other favourite foods. To stop him you must work through 550 rounds, clearing them by placing four different coloured balls into the appropriately-coloured hole.

The gameplay is something of a Pengo variant, as the single-screen levels are inhabited by enemies, who can be killed by firing one of the balls at them at speed. When it hits one it will continue moving in the same direction, rebounding off walls if neccessary, and pushing you backwards slightly if it comes back to you - but it can be instantaneously brought back under control.

Blocks can also be moved at a more casual speed, including round corners. Once a block is placed onto its spot, it can be used again as a weapon. The levels are in a maze style, and parts of this can be opened up. The game also includes a small bonus Kick-Ball game for 2 players, which doubles as practice with the control system.

Chew Man Fu Review

By Dazza

This is no doubt a game that not many will be familiar with. I think an award should go for best named game 'Chew Man Fu'. The Japanese release was called 'Be Ball' so for once the western name is much more fun!

Basically this is a puzzle game where you have to push large coloured balls around the screen; the goal being to move them over a corresponding square of the same colour. When all the balls are on the right squares you progress to the next stage after a old man jibbers some random nonsense at you!

There is a time limit to add to the pressure and you'll have to move various obstacles that you will find in your way. A nice touch is you can also pull the balls as well as push. So you can retreat around a corner and still keep your ball ready to launch against a baddie if needed to take them out.

The graphics and big, bright and colourful and the gameplay is smooth and quite presents quite a challenge as you progress. When you clear some of the later stages you can get a real sense of accomplishment!

There is a 2 player mode, 'kick ball' mode and a editor to let you create your own puzzles. There aren't so many of this sort of puzzle game made these days but at the time these games were a dime a dozen. That being said this is one of the better examples of the top-down puzzler genre. If you like puzzlers or crazy Japanese games this game was made for you!

We've given this game a high mark as it is one of the best in it's genre. However if puzzle games aren't your cup of tea then give this one a miss, not everyone will like it!

4/5

Average reader rating: 3.86 (7 ratings)

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Chew Man Fu (Video Clip)

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1. TBoneTony Australia 07 Mar 2007, 11:59 GMT

This game looks so cool, plus 4 stars is not bad either.

Anyway, if you are from Europe, America or Japan, get this awsome game, you might love it too.

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2. Jazzem United Kingdom 17 Mar 2007, 21:56 GMT

Not a bad game this :) If you have at least a little interest in puzzlers, I'd definitely reccomend it. It's certainly unique! Has that addictive factor about it too.

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3. nephew77 United States 09 May 2007, 03:13 GMT

I find myself agreeing with this reviewer. If you like puzzlers like Lolo, Kickle Cubickle, and Splash Lake, you will probably like this. Recommended for all ages. Chew Man Fu earns a 4/5 from me for the hours of meaningful gameplay that it offers the player.

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4. Jazzem United Kingdom 24 Jun 2007, 01:31 GMT

Good grief, I thought the '550 rounds' thing was a typo, but this does appear to be the case!

That's brilliant value for money though, I'll be able to pop onto this game and always have a fresh level to play for a long time!

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5. Ross United Kingdom 03 Jul 2007, 18:38 GMT

In the first clip, the person pushed the ball into a white hole instead of a green hole. Can anyone explain?

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6. Corbie United States 03 Jul 2007, 20:48 GMT

I was shooting video with one hand and trying to control the game with the other. Just made a mistake. You are supposed to get the balls on the matching colored squares. The clip I wanted to use obviously wasn't the one that I ended up putting in the video. So there's now a blooper. Yay! : )

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7. TBoneTony Australia 07 Jul 2007, 06:20 GMT

YAY, now with Aussies like me now getting a taste of the TurboGraphx-16, I might now have a chance to play this great puzzle game.

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8. KickballFan Canada 08 Nov 2007, 18:24 GMT

As single player game, this game is a good challenge, almost too much so at times. Requires thinking and planning on-the-spot. 3/5

The game makes much more sense as a coop two-player game. It is much easier, and a lot of fun coordinating with your friend. Level design seems to require two people at times, making the single player game that much more challenging. 4/5

The best part, surprisingly, is kickball. If you've already downloaded this game, you owe it to yourself to invite over a friend of comparable skill and play kickball until you develop carpal tunnel. Easily worth the price itself
for this game. 5/5

Review for Kickball:
The graphics, sound, and controls are bad. It is a add-on mini game. The game is as simple as it gets, only slightly more complecated than pong. It should be terrible. Instead, it is pure stupid fun. The graphics and sound get out of the way when you're playing the game, and the bad controls actually help the gameplay in that the better moves are harder to pull off. Cheap goals and skilled shots are both plentiful and great to pull off against your friends. There is also a surprising amount of strategy that can be applied
to this game due to the ball physics.

I'm considering getting Wii Play now. If it has at least two games as good as
kickball, the price is worth it.

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