Yosumin!

Overview

Square Enix released Yosumin on the @nifty network in 2006. In response to the game’s popularity on the network, Square-Enix announced plans for a Nintendo DS version at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show. The game was released in Japan on November 8, 2007, but was never published internationally.

In January 2009, an Xbox Live Arcade port (the PC version was not revealed at this time) of the title was announced. The game was released on May 27, 2009, over XBLA, Steam and Big Fish Games distribution platforms.

The original browser game can be played on the @nifty network here.

Gameplay

Yosumin! is played on a 9x9 grid, filled with several different brightly coloured pieces known as Yosumin. Players remove pieces from the board by finding same-coloured Yosumin which form the corners of a rectangle. Each round is time limited, though the time bar may be refilled by clearing large rectangles or certain special pieces. To successfully complete a round, a set number of Yosumin (often specific colours) or Yosumin formations (of various sizes) must be cleared from the board. This requirement increases as the game progresses, with large totals and pieces with specific clear conditions appearing late in the game.

Players are also rewarded for consecutively clearing rectangles of the same colour. A meter is filled with Yosumin after a rectangle is found; a standard rectangle (of any size) increases the meter by one piece, while a square formation increases it by two. The meter is reset after a different coloured rectangle is selected; selecting an orange rectangle after a square blue set will leave the meter with a single orange piece. After the bar is filled with four pieces, all Yosumin of that colour are removed from the board. Early in some game modes only three Yosumin pieces are required to fill the meter.

Yosumin formations

Several different types of Yosumin formations may be required to meet a round’s quota.

• Square set: A square formation of Yosumin, from 2x2 up to 9x9 (the entire board).
• Small set: A rectangle made up of a total of 10 Yosumin or less (smallest 2x2, largest 2x5).
• Standard set: A rectangle made up of more than ten Yosumin but less than 28 (smallest 3x4, largest 3x9).
• Super set: A rectangle made up of at least 28 Yosumin but less than 81 (smallest 4x7, largest 8x9).
• Yosumin!: A square made up of the entire 9x9 game board.

A single group of Yosumin may register as multiple formations (e.g. a 3x3 square will count as both a small set and a square set).

Special pieces

In addition to the six standard Yosumin colours, pieces with different effects will randomly appear on the board throughout the game.

• Bigmin: A giant-sized standard Yosumin. If a Bigmin is used as the corner of a rectangle, the entire shape must be within the edges.
• Wingmin: Standard Yosumin which the player may move once to a different position on the board.
• Plusmin: When selected, all pieces in the same row and column as the Plusmin change to Yosumin of the same colour.
• Goldmin: When this piece is cleared from the board the time bar is significantly refilled.
• Badmin: Black Yosumin which shuffle the board when cleared.
• Bossmin: Giant Badmin, with a moustache, which force an instant shuffle when they appear.

Several other pieces are unique to specific game modes.

PC System Requirements

• Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP/Vista
• Processor: 800 Mhz
• Memory: 512 MB RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 65 MB
• Video Card: On Board Video Card
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0 Compatible
• DirectX® Version: DirectX® 9.0c（2007 Nov or later）