Magical Drop 2 - Bunka Housou Special Version

Magical Drop II (sometimes known as Magical Drop 2) is a 1996 puzzle video game developed and published by Data East for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It was later ported to Neo Geo CD, Super Famicom, and Sega Saturn. It is the second entry in the Magical Drop series. In the game, the player takes control of one of several characters, battling against computer-controlled opponents before facing the villainous Empress in a final encounter. Gameplay is similar to its predecessor Magical Drop (1995), albeit with improvements; the objective is to clear the screen of constantly advancing colored 'drops' via a character placed at the bottom of the playfield, which can grab drops and make them disappear by putting them as a column of three or more drops of the same color. Two players can also participate in a competitive versus mode.

Prior to Magical Drop II, Data East had previously developed a number of Neo Geo titles such as titles such as Spinmaster, Windjammers, Street Slam, and Karnov's Revenge. Iwao Horita and Naomi Susa acted as co-supervisors, with Shungo Katagiri serving as the game's sole planner, while the soundtrack was scored by Gamadelic. The game proved popular among players but both the original arcade release and console versions garnered average reception from critics, some of which reviewed it as an import title. The title has since been re-released on compilations and through download services for various consoles. It was followed by Magical Drop III (1997).