Bubble popping games have been the face of “casual” gaming for decades, but the more hardcore among us may have mistaken them  nothing more than the playthings of those that aren’t “true” gamers. I’ll openly admit that I once dwelt in that camp, but it was the Neo Geo’s Magical Drop III that swayed me to the side of those that seek light merriment in making colorful orbs burst.

Magical Drop Touch represents G-mode’s first foray in reintroducing Data East’s properties since it acquired the catalog, and it’s a very good first step. Those unfamiliar to the series should get a hang of the gameplay rather quickly: the mission is guide a clown as he attempts to pop balls (or “drops”) by matching three of the same color as they descend from the top of the screen.  That’s it. There are, however, also a number of special drops that can improve your gameplay (and add depth), which you can see in the image below.

Naturally, given the puzzler’s title,  Magical Drop Touch utilizes the iPhone/iPod touch’s swipe gestures to allow gamers to interact with the balls. Swiping down picks up balls, swiping up launches them into the descending orbs, and swiping left/right moves the jester in that direction. Here lies the one game’s one flaw: the swipe controls aren’t quite as responsive as a joystick. There’s a tiny hint of lag between your swipe and the clown’s movements, which can prove frustrating when the action picks up. [Editor's Note: Magical Drop Touch was reviewed on a first generation iPod touch, so performance may be improved with a more recent model or iPhone].

Icons in the upper left and right let you pause the game and release another line of drops, respectively. Just south of the “drop” button is a small window that shows your opponent’s gameboard, which isa great tool for monitoring a foe’s progress.

Magical Drop Touch retains the series’ devotion to simple, but insanely cute anime-style characters. You can select from six characters (Fool, Justice, Star, Chariot, World, Devil), all of which sport large bright eyes, round heads, and ooze hugability. Babies, kittens, and puppies are downright hideous in comparison.

The character that you select serves as the “wallpaper” behind the action; the character winces when your opponents drops a load of balls upon you, and cheers when you do the same to them. The music has a certain loopy appeal that gets into the gray matter and won’t let go long after you’ve powered down your Apple handheld.

Magical Drop Touch is a near-perfect mobile version of the long-running series that’s unfortunately hindered by stiff horizontal movement control that can hopefully be repaired with a patch. Fans of the franchise will most likely be more forgiving than novices, but anyone that values easily accessible gameplay and absolutely charming audio and visual should give Magical Drop Touch a download.