Columns - Flash Mode (3DS Virtual Console)

This is a capture of me playing the Flash mode of Columns for the Sega Game Gear. This is not an emulator. This is being played on the 3DS Virtual Console and recorded directly from my New 3DS XL using the aftermarket capture kit manufactured by Katsukity and installed/sold by Merki.

I felt like uploading some more Game Gear footage, so here’s Sega’s classic competitor to Tetris – Columns. Sega initially bundled this game with the Game Gear in 1991 to help compete with the Game Boy, but I don’t think it achieved the sales numbers they were looking for since it was quickly replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog (and then Sonic 2, which is possibly the best-selling pack-in game for the system).

Shortly before Nintendo shut down new eShop purchases on the 3DS, I decided to buy some remaining Game Gear games for the Virtual Console that I hadn’t gotten around to (excluding RPGs, of course). I generally like puzzle games due to my childhood experience with Tetris, Tetris 2, Dr. Mario, Yoshi, Yoshi’s Cookie, and Tetris Attack, and I have a fascination with the Game Gear, so I picked up Columns before the opportunity escaped me.

This is actually a pretty good puzzle game. The Flash mode requires you to wipe out a single flashing block buried at the bottom of the pile before time runs out, so it’s similar to Tetris 2. But unlike Tetris 2, the speed starts to increase as you wipe out blocks, so you don’t want to waste much time clearing unnecessary blocks if you can help it.

While excellent, the Flash mode is too limited since the game ends as soon as you complete a level (no matter which level you pick) instead of simply starting the next level afterward. Since the game would have ended anyway as soon as I completed a level, I just went with the highest (level 9) and managed to beat it. There was a bit of slop (unintended chains) on my part, but that’s the nature of the game.

One neat thing about Columns is that you can change the look of the blocks, so I went with the fruit pattern, which is I think is neat.

Recorded with OBS Studio at 60 frames per second. I'm using a New 3DS XL.