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TurboGrafx-16

Ryukyu

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16

Ryukyu is an unusual puzzle game produced by Ascii Corporation and published by Face. Decorated in a Hawaiian theme (actually, the game is probably based on the Japanese Ryukyu Islands), the game mixes together elements from various classic features with new ones - the most obvious being traditio...

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Developer
ASCII

Released on
1990

Size
1 Player

Version
TurboGrafx-16

Requirements
NEC TurboGrafx-16

Downloads
Puzzle

Publisher
FACE

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Ryukyu is an unusual puzzle game produced by Ascii Corporation and published by Face. Decorated in a Hawaiian theme (actually, the game is probably based on the Japanese Ryukyu Islands), the game mixes together elements from various classic features with new ones – the most obvious being traditionnal Poker and Tetris. The game field is made of a uniform “five by five” grid. Playing cards are dropped from the top of the field and fill up these empty spaces. When a row, a column or a diagonal of five cards is filled, the game awards the player points for creating poker hands (card combinations) such as pairs, straights or flushes. The goal of the game is to gain the maximum amount of points and maybe achieve a perfect Clear. Ryukyu offers different play modes – solo modes often give the player an opportunity to reveal a picture with a cute girl in bikini made of mosaic tiles (if only they can manage to cleanup the field and unlock them all).

Ryukyu

Overview & History

Released exclusively in Japan in 1990 for the PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) by Nihon Bussan (Hobzon), Ryukyu is a wildly eccentric puzzle-action hybrid steeped in the folklore and tropical aesthetics of the Ryukyu Islands (modern-day Okinawa). Shifting away from standard grid-based block drops, the game plunges players into an ancient, mystical quest where a spirited Okinawan youth must thwart demonic spirits and reclaim sacred relics. Its presentation is bursting with regional flavor, utilizing vibrant color palettes, traditional Ryukyuan musical motifs, and quirky boss character designs inspired by legendary Okinawan mythical beasts and local deities.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Ryukyu blends falling-block puzzle mechanics with frantic platforming action. Instead of passively watching blocks stack, your on-screen avatar moves directly across the playfield, actively catching, carrying, and strategically throwing colored magical tiles to clear the board before the screen overflows. The storyline unfolds across mystical stages representing different sacred domains of the islands, forcing players to master unique character moves like a rapid dash to dodge tumbling debris and a powerful vertical thrust that shatters matching color clusters upward. Special combo clears unleash elemental magic attacks that damage pesky on-screen enemies, adding a layer of combat urgency to every puzzle round.