The Amori prefectural government unveiled a version of the "Puyo Puyo" video game featuring apples in an effort to raise the profile of the prefecture's best-known export.
In the video game "Puyo Ringo (apple)," the title of which is a slight variation of original, up to eight varieties of apples -- including Fuji -- drop down from the top of the screen instead of blocks.
The game has gone viral on social media because it's "tough to tell the difference between the varieties" of apples or the difficulties "make even Aomori locals get rattled."
In "Puyo Ringo," players connect at least four apples of identical color horizontally or vertically to make them disappear.
The game is designed to be more difficult by using only hard-to-distinguish hues of red such as those representing the Sekaiichi and Kogyoku varieties.
The game was created with the help of experts, using programming learning materials offered free of charge by video game giant Sega Corp.
The game features three levels of difficulty, in which four, five or eight varieties of apples are used, respectively. As players move up in levels, the speed at which the apples come down is ratcheted up. The number of connected/eliminated apples is displayed as the "catch," or score.
The tweet the prefectural government's tourism planning division sent out on Nov. 23 about the release of the game had received about 30,000 retweets by Dec. 16.
On Nov. 27, the "green apple version" of the game was also unveiled. Such varieties as toki are used for the new version.
Puyo Ringo has been well-received. Among the responses received about the game were, "The apples come down before I was able to figure out what kind they were" and "Three of us Aomori residents tried the game, but it was a struggle."
According to the prefectural government, the sales of Aomori Prefecture apples produced in 2020 was 108.19 billion yen, exceeding 100 billion yen for seven consecutive years.
Ninety percent of apples exported overseas come from Aomori, and the region's apples are highly popular, especially in Southeast Asia.
Said Sakiko Mikami, chief of the prefecture's tourism planning division: "We were surprised by the response. Aomori apples are delicious and come in a wide variety. Through this game, I hope people learn more about Aomori apples."
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