Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle/Walkthrough

Once you have inserted a coin into the cabinet of and pressed either start button of Namco's 1992 puzzle arcade game, Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle, you will proceed to the mode selection screen shown above; you will then have ten seconds to select either "1 Player Mode" or "Interactive 2 Player Mode", by pushing the joystick left and right and pressing the Rotating Button to confirm your choice. If you chose the former, you will then have ten seconds to choose between four difficulty levels - "Easy" (Level 0), "Normal" (Level 10, starts with 50000 points), "Hard" (Level 40, starts with 1000000 points), and "Expert" (Level 100, starts out with 2000000 points) by moving the joystick up and down, and again pressing the Rotating Button to confirm your choice.

1 Player Mode
Once you have pressed the Rotating Button for a second time to confirm your chosen difficulty level, a Bakuto (from Cosmo Gang: The Video) will fly off the top of the screen in his ship as the first game background appears behind the 78-square grid and he starts dropping game pieces (which could be comprised of up to three Containers, up to three Jammers, and one Ball) out of it; use the joystick to move the pieces left, right, and down (for up to 24 extra points in the case of that last one), and your Rotating Button to rotate them (in an anticlockwise direction). When you fill a line of Containers they will disappear - and when a Ball appears, note which direction that arrow is facing, for it will move in that direction when it drops (and eliminate any Jammers it hits on the way down to the bottom of the screen). If you have chosen to start the game on "Normal", "Hard" or "Expert" level, the "Star Meter" will fill up every time a Ball eliminates a Jammer; once it is completely filled, a Star will fall down out of the Bakuto's ship up at the top of the screen and eliminate seven rows of Jammers when it lands.

This was also the first game from Namco since Dig Dug II to not have an ending; the four closest ways you can get to winning is if you reach 10000000 points, eliminate 10000 Jammers, fill 1000 lines or reach speed level 1000. Once your pieces reach the top of the screen, the Bakuto will fly back down into view as all the Jammers on the screen start laughing and the text "GAME OVER" appears - and if your score was high enough, you will have thirty seconds to enter your name (up to eight characters) upon the high-score table. However, one thing many people do not know about this game is that it forbids the name "AAAAAAAA" on its high-score table; if you try to enter it, it will be changed to one of the following references to older Namco games:

8 HOURS (Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours, Arcade, 1992) ADV OF W (Valkyrie no Bōken, NES, 1986) ASLTPLUS (Assault Plus, Arcade, 1988) ASSAULT, ASSALT (Assault, Arcade, 1988) BABEL (Babel no Tō, NES, 1986) BAKUTOTS (Bakutotsu Kijūtei, Arcade, 1988) BARADUKE (Baraduke, Arcade, 1985) BERABOW (Chōzetsurinjin Berabōman, Arcade, 1988) B.FORCE (Burning Force, Arcade, 1989) BLASTOFF (Blast Off, Arcade, 1989) BLAZER (Blazer, Arcade, 1987) BOMB BEE, BOMBEE (Bomb Bee, Arcade, 1979) BSCNIAN (Bosconian, Arcade, 1981) BTL.CITY (Battle City, NES, 1985) BTROUBLE (Bubble Trouble: Golly! Ghost! 2, Arcade, 1992) CGPUZZLE (Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle, Arcade, 1992) CG.VIDEO (Cosmo Gang: The Video, Arcade, 1991) CUTIE Q (Cutie Q, Arcade, 1979) D.BUSTER, D.BUST (Dragon Buster, Arcade, 1984) D.E.LINK, D.EYES (Driver's Eyes, Arcade, 1991) DIGDUG (Dig Dug, Arcade, 1982) DIGDUG 2 (Dig Dug II, Arcade, 1985) DIRTFOX (Dirt Fox, Arcade, 1989) DNGRSEED (Dangerous Seed, Arcade, 1989) D.SABER (Dragon Saber, Arcade, 1990) D.SPIRIT, D.SPRT (Dragon Spirit, Arcade, 1987) F/A (F/A, Arcade, 1992) FACE OFF (Face Off, Arcade, 1988) FINALLAP (Final Lap, Arcade, 1987) FNL.LAP2 (Final Lap 2, Arcade, 1990) FNL.LAP3 (Final Lap 3, Arcade, 1992) FOURTRAX (Four Trax, Arcade, 1989) FSTADIUM (Pro Yakyū Family Stadium, NES, 1986) FST.HOUR (Finest Hour, Arcade, 1989) F.TENNIS (Family Tennis, NES, 1987) GAL.3 (Galaxian³, Arcade, 1990) GALAGA (Galaga, Arcade, 1981) GALAGA88, GAL.88 (Galaga '88, Arcade, 1987) GALAXIAN, GALXAN (Galaxian, Arcade, 1979) GAPLUS (Gaplus, Arcade, 1984) GEE BEE, GEEBEE (Gee Bee, Arcade, 1978) GEKITOU (Super World Stadium '92 Gekitōban, Arcade, 1992) GENPEI.T, GENPEI (Genpei Tōma Den, Arcade, 1986) GROBDA (Grobda, Arcade, 1984) GY!GHOST (Golly! Ghost!, Arcade, 1990) HP.MAPPY (Hopping Mappy, Arcade, 1986) KAITEI.T (Kaitei Takara Sagashi, Arcade, 1980) KING&BAL, K&BALN (King & Balloon, Arcade, 1980) KYUKAI.D (Kyūkai Dōchūki, Arcade, 1990) LGD OF W (Valkyrie no Densetsu, Arcade, 1989) LIBBLE.R, LIBBLE (Libble Rabble, Arcade, 1983) MAPPY, MAPPY! (Mappy, Arcade, 1983) MARVEL.L, MARVEL (Marvel Land, Arcade, 1989) MCN.MAZE (Märchen Maze, Arcade, 1988) MOTOS (Motos, Arcade, 1985) MR.NINJA (Keigumo Kinin Gaiden Mirai Ninja, Arcade, 1988) MTL.HAWK (Metal Hawk, Arcade, 1988) MTR.CROSS, M.CROS (Metro-Cross, Arcade, 1985) NAVALON (Navalone, Arcade, 1980) NEW RLYX, N.RLYX (New Rally-X, Arcade, 1981) ORDYNE (Ordyne, Arcade, 1988) PACLAND, PACLND (Pac-Land, Arcade, 1984) PACMAN, PUCKMAN (Pac-Man, Arcade, 1980) PACMANIA, PMANIA (Pac-Mania, Arcade, 1987) PAC&PAL (Pac & Pal, Arcade, 1983) P.DAIMYO, PISTOL (Pistol Daimyo no Bōken, Arcade, 1990) PHANTOMS (Phantomars, Arcade, 1992) PHELIOS, PHLIOS (Phelios, Arcade, 1988) PHOZON (Phozon, Arcade, 1983) POLE P.2 (Pole Position II, Arcade, 1983) POLE POS (Pole Position, Arcade, 1982) QSTR S.E, QUESTER (Quester, Arcade, 1987) QUEST KI (Ki no Bōken, NES, 1988) QUIZ MAQ (Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai-Bōken, Arcade, 1992) RALLY-X, RALLYX (Rally-X, Arcade, 1980) R.ISHTAR (The Return of Ishtar, Arcade, 1986) ROMPERS (Rompers, Arcade, 1989) R.THNDR2 (Rolling Thunder 2, Arcade, 1990) RTHUNDER (Rolling Thunder, Arcade, 1986) SCHINESE (Super Chinese, NES, 1986) SIMDRIVE (Eunos Roadster Driving Simulator, Arcade, 1990) SKYKID (Sky Kid, Arcade, 1985) SKYKIDDX (Sky Kid Deluxe, Arcade, 1986) S.LUSTER (Star Luster, NES, 1986) SOLVALOU (Solvalou, Arcade, 1991) S.O.S. (SOS, Arcade, 1980) SOUKOBAN (Soukoban Deluxe, Arcade, 1990) SPLATTER (Splatterhouse, Arcade, 1988) ST.BLADE (Starblade, Arcade, 1991) STEELGN2 (Steel Gunner 2, Arcade, 1991) STEELGUN (Steel Gunner, Arcade, 1990) S.W.S.92 (Super World Stadium '92, Arcade, 1992) S.W.STDM (Super World Stadium, Arcade, 1991) SXEVIOUS (Super Xevious, Arcade, 1984) T.CEPTOR (Thunder Ceptor, Arcade, 1986) TCEPTOR2 (3-D Thunder Ceptor II, Arcade, 1986) T.DRUAGA, DRUAGA (The Tower of Druaga, Arcade, 1984) TNK BTLN (Tank Battalion, Arcade, 1980) TNKFORCE (Tank Force, Arcade, 1991) TOYPOP (Toy Pop, Arcade, 1986) WARPWARP (Warp & Warp, Arcade, 1981) WD.COURT (Pro Tennis World Court, Arcade, 1988) WNG.RUN (Winning Run, Arcade, 1989) WONDERMM, W.MOMO (Wonder Momo, Arcade, 1986) W.RUN 91 (Winning Run '91, Arcade, 1991) W.STDM89 (World Stadium '89 Kaimakuban, Arcade, 1989) W.STDM90 (World Stadium '90, Arcade, 1990) W.SUZUKA (Winning Run Suzuka GP, Arcade, 1989) XEVIGAMP (Super Xevious: Ganpu no Nazo, NES, 1986) XEVIOUS, XEVIUS (Xevious, Arcade, 1982) YOUKAI.D (Yōkai Dōchūki, Arcade, 1987)

Interactive 2 Player Mode
Once you have pressed that Rotating Button, a Bakuto and a big Pipopapo-Tai will fly off the top of the screen in their ships, as the first game background appears behind the 78-square grid and they start dropping game pieces (which could again be comprised of: up to three Containers, up to three Jammers or Pipopapo-Tai and one Ball) out of them; use the joysticks to move the pieces left, right and down and the Rotating Buttons to rotate them in an anticlockwise direction. In this mode, when either player eliminates a lot of Jammers or Pipopapo-Tai at once, this will not only result in a large bonus, but it will also cause a group of your side's Cosmo Gangers to fall down on your opponent's side of the screen - and once a player's pieces reach the top of the screen the other player's "WIN" counter will advance by one. You will then have ten seconds to insert another coin if you are willing to continue the game; once either of the players has won 100 games their "WIN" counter will break.