Plotting

Plotting

Overview & History

Released by Taito in 1989, Plotting (also known in Japan as *Flipull*) is a cult-classic puzzle-arcade game that brilliantly marries strategic block-clearing with fast-paced physics. The game follows a whimsical, big-headed cartoon protagonist tasked with a peculiar geological demolition job. Unlike traditional falling-block puzzlers, *Plotting* places the player at the bottom of the screen, armed with a limited supply of weighted blocks that must be hurled upward into a dynamic, shifting matrix of differently shaped tiles. The objective on each stage is simple yet maddening: completely clear the playfield by matching your tossed block with identical tiles.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core mechanics revolve around color-matching and spatial physics. The main character can scuttle horizontally along the bottom baseline, picking up fallen blocks and tossing them vertically into the grid. When your block impacts a tile of the same design, it destroys it—and any identical tiles attached to it via a chain reaction. However, miscalculate your angle, and the block bounces harmlessly off the wrong icon, returning to you unless it falls into the abyss. As you progress through increasingly complex stages, Taito introduces obstacles like unbreakable barriers, directional shifters, and enemies that march along the grid, forcing you to time your throws with absolute precision. The game relies on a stage-clear format with a ticking clock, rewarding swift spatial reasoning over prolonged hesitation.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move horizontally along the bottom baseline
• Action Keys: Pick up and throw blocks upward
• Enter: Start / Pause