Play Neo No Panepon Online

Neo No Panepon is a 1996 arcade puzzle game developed by Compile, the same team behind the Puyo Puyo series. It arrived during a crowded era for arcade cabinets, competing for attention with fighting games and shooters, but it carved out its own space with a distinct visual style and a more aggressive approach to block matching. The game runs on the Sega ST-V hardware, which also powered titles like Radiant Silvergun, giving it a crisp, colorful look that stands out even among other mid-90s arcade releases.

You control a cursor at the bottom of the screen, swapping pairs of colored blocks as they descend from above. The main objective is to clear the screen by matching three or more blocks of the same color, but the real strategy comes from setting up large chain reactions that dump garbage blocks onto your opponent's side. Two key mechanics define the experience: the ability to hold a block in reserve for later use, adding a layer of tactical planning, and a fever mode that triggers after large chains, temporarily speeding up your block drops for maximum pressure. The pacing is relentless; later stages demand quick decisions and a willingness to risk a towering pile of blocks for a potential game-saving combo. It feels like walking a tightrope between controlled chaos and utter collapse.