It’s hard to believe, but on January 1st, 1999, Nintendo published and released Power Soukoban. The SNES was long “dead” by that point, but that didn’t stop Atelier Double from developing this game. The same firm that developed such great Super Famicom games as Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbu Hen and Umihara Kawase. I guess they wanted to develop one last memorable Super Nintendo effort, because they succeeded in doing that with Power Soukoban.
Taking control of a devil, you go through a series of mazes with the same goal in mind as SUPER SOUKOBAN. Pushing boxes (this time stones) to cover purple dots (this time pits). The modern twist? But of course, STAYING ALIVE.
Staying alive? Yes, for from the excavation comes forth HELL’S ARMY!
OK, in all honesty, more like Hell’s Rejects, no, Purgatory’s Rejects. But you get the idea!
Adding a more action-oriented flare to a classic formula? TAKE MY MONEY. Yes, please!
Baddies are more of a nuisance than legitimate threats, however. Still, it’s pretty cool to see them thrown in there. There are two ways to dispose of them:
- Push a stone over them
or
- Zap ‘em
Another modern twist is the ability to throw fireballs. You can also charge to create a power shot a la Megaman. And there’s a run button as well.
So then, this update is an action-puzzler with sort of a Zelda-esque feel and atmosphere. Very slightly, BUT it’s certainly there, as anyone who has played it would surely attest to…
Whereas SUPER SOUKOBAN was straight-to-the-point, POWER SOUKOBAN features multiple paths, multi-tier puzzles and there are even friends to guide you along with hints (in Japanese, mind, but nothing you can’t do without).
The game opens with this screen. The iron gate’s locked so you must find an alternative route. Hey, what’s that little crack doing there in the wall…
And off you go. There are many rooms and you can run to the next without solving the current one, but it’s advisable you take care of each one as you go along.
YOU CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS
Multi-tier puzzles adds a new dimension to the ole formula.
As you advance, more pits means more enemies. As long as the pits remain open, baddies will keep spawning. But again, they’re really a non-factor… but at least they’re there, eh? Plus, when defeated, some drop a power-up to aid your quest.
I said earlier it’d be wise to finish each puzzle as you confront ‘em. However, for some the solution is not immediately available. Only by advancing do you later arrive at a point where you can then solve a previously impossible puzzle. Confused? You needn’t be.
Observe:
See, here you enter this room on the lower floors. Blasted stones… how can you push them to cover the slots from this vantage point? The answer is you can’t, and remember you can’t pull stones, only push them.
A-ha! Later traversing to higher ground, you’ll find a room leading downstairs where you can now use your power shot to shove the blocks where they belong.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
SS had you going from one warehouse to the next. PS, on the other hand, is different.
[What are you saying about the Sega Saturn and PlayStation eh? -Ed.]
Power Soukoban doesn’t have levels, per se. Rather it’s interconnected like (Super) Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Let’s take a look at some more screenshots.
Can you complete this while avoiding the circulating ring of fire?
BE YOUR OWN BOSS
Another major difference from Super Soukoban: you fight bosses. These include more traditional American-looking fiends such as Medusa and Frankenstein to name a few. These end-of-stage bosses are entirely combat-based and do not involve any puzzle solving whatsoever. It’s a refreshing change of pace that lends well to Power Soukoban‘s more action-oriented slant.
AUTOMATIC, NOT MANUAL
Something to take note of if you buy this game CIB: the game’s manual is a fold-out map, with instructions on the back side. So don’t fret when you don’t find a regular manual inside the box.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Power Soukoban is a fun game that brings an entertaining twist on the old Soukoban formula. Although the graphics are rather unimpressive considering this game was released in 1999, it’s all about the gameplay and that’s where this game delivers. Sure, it may get a tad repetitive here and there, but it’s a fun little game that is a fascinating footnote in SNES history seeing as it was released in 1999, years after the system was long considered “dead.” Highly recommended!
So, Super Soukoban or Power Soukoban? While I think both are well worth owning, if I had to pick one that I like better, I would have to say Super Soukoban. While I enjoy the modern update of Power Soukoban, there is something pure about the original that can’t be denied or dethroned. The two games definitely complement one another and are must-owns for anyone who enjoys this genre.
Power Sōkoban is a really great game and my favorite of the series… though that doesn’t really say much as presently I’ve only played two iterations (the other being the first Sōkoban on the Game Boy)
I remember learning of this game at around the same time I discovered your old website all those years ago and thinking it looked interesting, but it wasn’t until this Christmas that I finally decided to quench my curiosity, and I’m glad I did because I had a lot of fun playing it =D
I think the idea of an action-adventure game mixed with the Sōkoban structure and gameplay is clever and it works very well. It stays true to the Sōkoban gameplay (square-patterned movement, pushing blocks) while simultaneously adding an extra element to make things more interesting (like attacking enemies with projectiles as well as firing a power shot and maneuvering it around so long as you hold down the button which helps a lot for the majority of puzzle solutions).
I really liked the sense of nonlinear exploration throughout and how the game is divided into different areas, I appreciated that you could move on to the subsequent room if you couldn’t figure out the present room’s puzzle right away, I liked the map feature, and the ability to save your progress anywhere you wish is nice
Power Sōkoban is also very endearing with its lighthearted tone and anime charm (especially after the devil procured the present location’s map, cleared the room, and defeated the boss), I liked the diverse locations a lot (after awhile in the dungeon it was nice to be greeted by a snowy realm and later on the green plains, and the waterfall effects were nice), I liked music (the snow theme rocked so much it reminded me of Nihon Falcom’s Ys music and the final boss theme sounded epic in a lighthearted way to name a couple), I liked how each room had a different solution and how there was a good sense of trial and error, and the boss fights were cool in that it was straight-up action based as opposed to action-puzzle like the majority of the game =)
It is a bit on the short side (relatively speaking, particularly compared to Game Boy Sōkoban which is more basic), but considering its pick up and play nature and how fun it was overall I didn’t mind it that much =D
Hope you’re doing okay during this time
To each their own
Hey StarBoy! Always good to hear from ya. I’m doing very well… I just got married two days ago! So yeah, moving on to new chapters in my life so it’s a very exciting time. How have you been during these times? What games are you playing? (I just started Shin Megami Tensei II last night… my first SNES RPG since Bahamut Lagoon in 2018 so it’s definitely been a while. I’m playing Tetris Attack and Mario Kart 8 on the Switch with the wifey almost every night lol)
Ah, Power Sōkoban. Always fond memories whenever I hear someone talking about my original site (it feels like eons ago) or whenever it pops to mind. Power Sōkoban was one of many “obscure” Super Famicom games I hyped and raved about back in the day… and in my opinion it still holds up well. I’ve introduced my wife to Super Sōkoban (which I love even more than Power Sōkoban just for its pure brain busting puzzles), I need to fire up Power Sōkoban for her someday.
Wow, congratulations! =D And I’m glad to hear you’re doing well, Steve
As for me, I’ve been doing well, still surviving. Still playing on the Super Famicom, SNES, and PlayStation One, replaying games I enjoy and catching up with new ones every once in a while (being a collector and all). About a month and a half ago I’ve developed a new interest in the point-and-click graphic adventure genre with Blazing Dragons and Discworld on the PlayStation One, both of which I found endearing in their own right (though the latter was so difficult I had to look up the guide A LOT, which I feel bad for even though many of its solutions were so abstract), and very recently I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try Argonaut Software’s Royal Conquest on the Super Famicom (the Japanese version of King Arthur’s World) as for the longest time I admit to always shying away from Lemmings-style games because of my preconceived notion that they would’ve too convoluted to the point that I would’ve had no inkling on how to play them properly–man, how wrong I was. I understood what to do just fine even though there was a lot of slow-paced strategy involved and some stages took more tries than others to successfully clear, but I was so engrossed in it from beginning to end that it’s actually made me WANT to try Lemmings, I was THAT thoroughly impressed by it (the soundtrack was also flawless, and of the handful of Nintendo 16-bit Argonaut games I’ve played it’s easily become my top choice and has quickly become one of my favorites on the Nintendo 16-bit). I had no idea what I missed out on all these years, I loved it! =)
I apologize for the late reply, and I hope you continue doing well
To each their own