Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a modified version of the Japanese puzzle game Puyo Puyo, set in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog universe.

Gameplay
The game is played with two opponents trying to connect as many chains of four or more similarly colored beans as possible in a large grid. As higher chains are achieved, Refugee Beans are sent to the other side. This can only be removed when a neighboring group of beans is matched. The winner is the one whose beans do not reach the top of the grid. There are various modes that allow players to battle each other in various difficulty settings. These determine speed, the initial number of Refugee Beans, and other various things. Dr. Robotnik's level is the fastest of them all. Up to 2 players can play either in VS Mode or in Exercise Mode. In VS Mode, each player can choose between 5 difficulty settings, labeled 1-5 (Easiest to Hardest, where 1 is the lowest drop speed, and 5 is the fastest). In VS Mode, one player must defeat the other in the same way as in Scenario mode. If a player selects Level 1, they play with 4 colors of beans, however, the other levels include 5 colors. Furthermore, in Levels 4 or 5, the game begins with the play area already containing garbage: for Level 4, 18 beans (3 rows); for Level 5, 30 beans (5 rows). Exercise Mode, is a form of practice play where 1 or 2 players can battle out. This mode has three difficulty levels: easiest, normal, and hardest (Level 1, 3 or 5). On easiest, players start with only 4 colors. To level up, the player has to keep erasing beans. Helpers (Big Puyo or Has Bean) will appear when the player gets stuck on Level 1 the first time, but they can only appear once. For Level 3, at random times, Has Bean will drop from the screen to help out. When Carbuncle is placed on a color, it travels in a random direction, following downwards, changing all beans to that color. For Level 5, at random times, a Big Puyo will drop from the screen. When Big Puyo falls, it occupies 2 columns of the grid, and when placed, squashes all beans and removes them from the grid.

Plot
Dr. Ivo Robotnik has hatched a plan to ensure that no music or fun remains on Mobius. To do this, he kidnaps the jolly citizens of Beanville and stuffs them into a giant Roboticizing machine called the "Mean Bean-Steaming Machine" (hence the name, Mean Bean Machine), so that they become devious little robot slaves, as well as getting rid of them. The player must free the beans by defeating each of Robotnik's henchbots one-by-one, and eventually, coming face-to-face with the deranged doctor himself to foil his evil plan.

Bosses
Every stage has a boss. If the player wins the stage, a password will be unlocked (to start the next stage whenever he/she like).

Boss List

 * Stage 1: Arms - a UFO shaped android with elastic arms.
 * Stage 2: Frankly - a scary-looking Macho-Bot who likes to smile.
 * Stage 3: Humpty - an egg-shaped robot who has difficulty balancing.
 * Stage 4: Coconuts - a robotic monkey who claims to be the Doc's favorite - and "goes bananas".
 * Stage 5: Davy Sprocket - a Western-style pioneer who is always searching for trouble.
 * Stage 6: Skweel - a literal road hog with wheels for feet and a "sizzling" attitude.
 * Stage 7: Dynamight - a small, dynamic robot who likes to blow things up.
 * Stage 8: Grounder - a drilling machine who works as the Doc's "tool of the trade".
 * Stage 9: Spike - a rebellious, pot-bellied machine who seems to have an obsession for spikes.
 * Stage 10: Sir F-Fuzzy Logik - a knight from the Middle Ages who carries a trident.
 * Stage 11: Dragon Breath - an armor-clad dragon who seems to have a bad case of fiery breath.
 * Stage 12: Scratch - a mechanical rooster who serves as the Doc's right-hand man.
 * Stage 13: Dr. Ivo Robotnik - the deranged doctor himself, who invented the infernal bean-steaming machine.

Releases
The game was released in November of 1993 for North America markets. The game was never released as a standalone game in Japan. Compile declined the opportunity most likely because the game was too similar to the popular Puyo Puyo, whose sequel was, at the time, already in development (Puyo Puyo Tsu). When the game finally reached Japan, thanks to Sonic Mega Collection, it became known in that country as "Dr. Eggman's Mean Bean Machine".

An 8-bit version was also released for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear in 1993, which featured similar game play, but also included a "Puzzle Mode", in which the player must clear a series of flashing beans amidst a large pile.

On December 11, 2006, Sega released the game on the Wii's Virtual Console, at a price of 800 Wii Points.

The game was also included in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

Trivia

 * This is the first Sonic game to be based on a cartoon, that being Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * The beans sprites are also used in the game Kirby's Avalanche, a Super Nintendo Entertainment System refitting of Puyo Puyo by HAL Laboratory.
 * Along with Sonic Spinball, this is the only game on the Master System/Game Gear that is faithful to the Sega Genesis version.
 * This is one of the few games in the franchise that Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't appear in.
 * It is also one of the few games where it doesn't include Sonic's name in the title.