Columns Crown Game Boy Advance

Reworked for its debut on the Game Boy Advance, Columns Crown retains the classic gameplay of the original Columns while adding new elements to the mix. Princess Dazzle is in search of 24 Magic Gems that have been scattered throughout the kingdom. She will need to retrieve every last one of the gems and defeat many forest-dwelling fiends if she is to re-encrust the Columns Crown and take her rightful place as queen. In order to obtain the gems, players will need to participate in three different gameplay modes: Survival, Flash Columns, or Versus.

Survival mode has players trying to stay "alive" as long as they can while accruing as many points as possible in that time. If the playing field fills with gems, the game is over. Flash Columns is a timed bout that requires players to clear a preset configuration of gems in as short a time as possible. The Versus option allows a player to compete in versus matches against one of eight different CPU opponents or human opposition. Multiplayer support is provided regardless of whether each participant owns a copy of the game, but for those who do, gems already collected can be traded with one other.

During Versus matchups, players can attempt to fill a power gauge by successfully removing chains of gems from the playing field. Once the gauge is filled, a special gem will fall into the playing field. By including the special gem within a chain link or combo, an attack specific to that particular gem will be unleashed on your opponent. Players have access to a maximum of five different attacks during play, but there are 24 different attacks in total. Both defensive and offensive attacks are available, with effects that vary from violently shaking your opponent's screen for a limited duration to lasers that remove gems from your playing field. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide