Columns (Game Gear)
1990 · Puzzle · Game Gear
Overview
Columns for Game Gear is a jewel-matching puzzle game in which vertical columns of three colored gems fall from the top of the screen and must be arranged so that three or more matching gems align horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to clear them. The handheld version brought Sega's arcade puzzle hit to a portable format with minimal compromise.
Deep Dive
Columns was Sega's answer to Tetris — a falling-piece puzzle game with a different spatial logic. Rather than fitting irregular shapes into complete rows, Columns required players to arrange falling columns of three colored gems so that matching colors aligned in any of eight directions. The cycling mechanic — pressing the button rotated the three gems within the column before they landed — was the primary skill expression, as rapid, accurate cycling positioned gems optimally in sequences that created chain reactions. The Game Gear version preserved the arcade original's core mechanics faithfully and added features appropriate for handheld play. The Flash mode — a variant where players had to clear specific highlighted gems before the stack reached the ceiling — gave the game objective variety beyond the standard survival mode. Sega's consistent visual identity for Columns — ancient Egyptian iconography for the gem designs and background art — translated well to the Game Gear's display. Columns was a pack-in game with some Game Gear hardware bundles, making it one of the most widely distributed Game Gear titles and a primary introduction to the platform for many players. The game's simple rule set and unlimited play depth made it ideal for portable sessions, and it served as Sega's competitive counter to the Tetris/Game Boy combination that Nintendo had used to establish the handheld market.
Developer Story
Columns was originally developed by Jay Geertsen, an American programmer who created the game and presented it to Sega in 1989. Sega licensed the concept, developed it into an arcade release, and subsequently published home versions across their entire hardware lineup — Genesis, Game Gear, Master System, and eventually Mega CD. The Game Gear version was handled by Sega's internal handheld software team, who adapted the arcade's mechanics for the portable format with minimal modification. Columns became one of Sega's most consistent game properties, appearing on virtually every platform the company supported through the 1990s.
Did You Know?
- Columns was released as a pack-in game with certain Game Gear hardware bundles in North America, making it one of the most widely owned Game Gear titles despite not being one of the platform's highest-profile releases.
- The game's ancient Egyptian visual theme — featuring pyramids, hieroglyphic-style gem designs, and pharaoh imagery — was designed by Sega's arcade division and carried over unchanged to all home versions.
- Columns uses a diagonal matching rule in addition to horizontal and vertical matching, making chain reactions that exploit diagonal alignments the game's highest-skill scoring technique.
- The original Columns arcade game was developed by Jay Geertsen, an American programmer, and licensed to Sega — one of the few cases in this era where a Sega arcade title originated with a Western developer.
