Money Idol Exchanger

Money Idol Exchanger (also known as Money Puzzle Exchanger in the USA and マネーアイドルエクスチェンジャー in Japan) is a puzzle game created in 1997 by Japanese video game developer Face for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system. Athena Co. Ltd. ported it to the Game Boy and the PlayStation that same year. The Japanese PlayStation version was made available by MonkeyPaw Games on the PlayStation Network's import store on November 16, 2010.

Gameplay

Money Idol Exchanger is a stacking game similar to the Magical Drop, Astro Pop, and Puzzle Bobble series whereby players race to prevent a perpetually falling array of coins in different values from filling up the screen. Coins are combined (vertically and/or horizontally) to form higher valued coins; for example, five '1' coins will form a '5' coin, and two '5' coins will form a '10' coin, and so on, until two '500' coins are put together, at which point both disappear. Coins are arranged and colored to match denominations of the yen coins. Two bonus tiles allow for changes in gameplay. A green RU tile will rank up all coins of the same denomination; for example, all '10' coins will become '50' coins. A blue ER title will erase all coins of the same value. The game is won when any coin reaches the bottom of the opponent's screen.

In the single player mode, one of two characters can be selected who attempt to beat up to seven idiosyncratically named characters with names like Debtmiser, Mightdealer, Eldylabor, and Cherrybeiter. In the two player mode, both players fight each other until victory. The quicker and more efficiently each player clears out their screen, the quicker the other player's screen will fill up. Since filled screens offer the most opportunity for chaining together large combos, the tide can turn very quickly.

There is also another single player mode called Solo Mode. Any character can be played in this mode. The aim in Solo Mode is to continually clear the screen from coins and try to keep the game going for as long as possible.

Notes

• Most of the characters names are portmanteaus of English words involving money or love. The character names (in game stage order) are: Exchanger, Coquetry, Cherrybeiter, Everyworker, Debtmiser, Eldylabor, Macker, and Mightdealer.
• The game has extensive use of Engrish. Examples of phrases used include "Let's fight to computer!" and "You put the same kind of items. That's OK."
• A soundtrack for the game was released featuring the talents of voice actresses Sakura Tange, Yukana Nogami and Machiko Toyoshima.
• In the American and European arcade versions, the coins are made to look generic. In the Japanese version of the game, the coin is localized and looks much more like a yen coin.

Character Names

• Mitsukoshi Sakura (三越さくら) / Exchanger (エクスチェンジャー)
• Takashima Asahi (高島あさひ)/ Debtmiser (デットマイザー)
• Bill Bank (ビル＝バンク) / Coquetrybouncer (コケティバウンサー)
• Lulula Franc (ルルーラ＝フラン) / Cherrybeiter (チェリーバイター)
• Arashizaki En (嵐崎円) / Everyworker (エヴリワーカー)
• Seshil Pound (セシル=ポンド) / Eldylabor (エルディレイバー)
• Sakata Blibov (坂田ビリィバーヴ) / Mackermocally (マッカーモーカリー)
• Note Bank (ノート=バンク) / Mightdealer (マイトディーラー)

External links

• Review of Money Idol Exchanger on Neo-Geo.com
• Money Idol Exchanger at Allgame
• Money Idol Exchanger screenshots