Baku Baku Animal #BestOfSaturnSilver

Released first in arcades on the Titan board, then ported to Saturn, Master System, PC, and Game Gear in 1996, Baku Baku Animal: World Zookeeper Contest is one of the better puzzle games available on the Saturn. The King is looking for a new zookeeper for his daughter’s pets, and the best way to assess your qualifications is to evaluate your puzzle-playing abilities!

Play as the young girl Polly (a boy, Gon, also applies to be Zookeeper) and take on bizarre opponents in one-on-one puzzle action. Twin blocks drop from the top of the screen, consisting of one of four animals (Panda, Doggie, Bunny, and Monkey) or their associated foods (Bamboo, Bone, Carrot, or Banana). Players can rotate the twin blocks to position them for the best matches. The game features combos (one or more of the same animal munching on the highest number of food blocks = points) and chains (blocks cleared set up chains of other animal / food to be cleared = garbage blocks dropped on your opponent).

The gameplay is easy to pick up but takes a bit to master, and it can get quite frenetic. The Western version also features an un-translated League Mode that can be accessed via a cheat code , where players create usernames to keep track of win-loss records — excellent when playing against others over time. In the options, it is also possible to decrease the number of animals / foods to just three, or increase to five (a Mouse and Cheese are added).

Upon release, the game was very well received, being named runner-up puzzle game of the year on both Saturn and Game Gear. Inexpensive, simple, and filled with bizzarro characters (Silver Angela, Nurse Grape, T3), this game is a bucket of fun. Fulfill your destiny and become the Princess’ new Zookeeper in SEGA’s fantastic Baku Baku Animal!

	Peter Malek
		A Saturn fan since the beginning, Peter plays Saturn almost exclusively. For Peter, Saturn represents a moment in time where 2D games were at their best, 3D was just rising, and fascinating gaming 'firsts' were commonplace.  There are very few Saturn games that Peter cannot find some enjoyment in!