Puzzle & Action, known in Japan as the Tant-R Series (タントアールシリーズ Tantoāru Shirīzu), is a series of minigame compilations developed by Sega. A spin-off to their stealth action game Bonanza Bros., it features characters with minimalist plastic-toy like designs and minigames with wacky and varied art styles. While Bonanza Bros. is not a proper P&A game nor is it officially considered part of the series, it is placed here due its strong connections (such as the aforementioned character design style).
Games[]
The Puzzle & Action franchise consists of the following titles:
- Bonanza Bros. - 1990, Arcade, Genesis, Amiga, Atari ST, Virtual Console
- Puzzle & Action: Tant-R - 1993 - Arcade, Genesis, Virtual Console
- Puzzle & Action: Tant-R GG, 1993 - Game Gear
- Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R, 1994 - Arcade, Genesis, Virtual Console
- Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R GG - 1994, Game Gear
- Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt - 1995, Arcade, Saturn
- Taisen Tanto-R 'Sasissu!' - 1996 - Arcade
It also consists of the following remakes:
- Hardboiled Action: Bonanza Bros. - 2005, PS2
- Puzzle & Action: Tant-R (Sega Classics Collection) - 2005, PS2
The series' titles also appear in these compilations
- Sega Mega Drive Collection - 2005, PSP, PS2
- Sonic Gems Collection (JP) - 2005, Gamecube, PS2
- Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection - 2009, Xbox 360, PS3
- Sega Mega Drive Classics - 2018, Xbox One, PS4, Steam, Nintendo Switch
Major Characters[]
- Robo - The player 1 character from Bonanza Bros. and the smarter and taller brother of Mobo.
- Mobo - The player 2 character from Bonanza Bros. and the brawnier and shorter brother of Robo.
- Boss - The overarching antagonist of the Puzzle & Action games. Initially appearing as a purple-clad crook in Tant-R, subsequent games have him take on new personas to match the theme of those games, appearing as evil knight Boss Adder in Ichidant-R and as the golden-armored bandit leader King Shark in Treasure Hunt. He seems to be based on the purple guards from Bonanza Bros.
- Skull - The bandit group from Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt consisting of Hercules, Fredi and Cat Woman, as well as some other affiliates.
Cameos[]
- Shenmue - Robo & Mobo appear in 3 capsule toys.
- Puzzle & Action: Tant-R (Sega Classics Collection) - An image of Robo & Mobo talking to the tall detective along with a guard dog from Bonanza Bros. appears in the "spot the difference" minigame.
- Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - Robo & Mobo appear as playable racers.
- Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed - Robo & Mobo now only appear as a hologram in the Race of Ages track.