Teki Paki

Did You Know?

• A sequel, Teki Paki 2, was planned and under development but never released for arcades.
• The rights to the game are now owned by Tatsujin, which became part of Embracer Group in 2022.

Gameplay

Teki Paki is a falling block puzzle game reminiscent of Puyo Puyo and Tetris. The objective is to achieve the highest possible score by stacking incoming block pieces that fall from the top of the playfield in groups of three, while avoiding filling the screen completely. If the screen fills and blocks cannot enter, the game ends unless the player inserts more credits. Three square blocks of random colors—red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, silver, and gold—are dropped and can be arranged vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. When five or more blocks are connected, they disappear; additional blocks can be added before the disappearance. Dropping blocks onto an existing group unlocks one piece, which the player can maneuver to fill spaces and aim for a chain erase. Connecting five blocks advances the level, increasing the falling speed, up to a maximum level of 999. Two special blocks appear randomly: a Smiley block that connects with all on-screen blocks, and a Bakudan dynamite block that erases all blocks and grants a 100,000-point bonus if five are connected. The game contains hidden bonus secrets crucial for high scores.

Development and release

The story of how Teki Paki came to be was told by former Toaplan composers Masahiro Yuge and Tatsuya Uemura in Japanese magazines like Shooting Gameside. Uemura described the project as a puzzle game built with the same intensity as a shooting game. Yuge explained that Tomoaki Takanohashi was originally hired for sound design but was first told to learn programming. Although Takanohashi did not like this task, he became one of the game's programmers. He also wrote the soundtrack, and after Yuge heard his work, he realized Takanohashi's talent would suffer if he kept programming, so the company later let him focus on sound instead. Teki Paki hit arcades worldwide in April 1991, released by Tecmo, Honest Trading Co., and Spacy Co. Ltd. A location test in Japan before launch showed several differences from the final game, including the Smiley block piece appearing as a sphere. Yuge said this early version was just a placeholder and the team had already decided to change it before release. Uemura noted the game was popular within the company, with one employee playing it constantly. In September 1991, an album featuring music from Teki Paki and Vimana was released exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon, including an arranged song from Vimana by Toshiaki Tomizawa. A Sega Mega Drive version was announced and shown in late 1992 through screenshots in magazines like Beep! MegaDrive, but it was never released. The only evidence left is a promotional flyer and a recording of gameplay footage. In 2021, the game appeared in the Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli compilation for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 under M2's Toaplan Arcade Garage label, and was a free download for physical copies. It was also included in the Toaplan Arcade 1 compilation for Evercade.