Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
North American cover art
Developer(s)Compile
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)
  • Tetsuo Shinyu
  • Takayuki Yanagihori
  • Masanobu Tsukamoto
Producer(s)
  • Yoji Ishii
  • Noriyoshi Oba
  • Masamitsu Niitani
  • Max Taylor
Programmer(s)
  • Manabu Ishihara
  • Tsukasa Aoki
Composer(s)
  • Masanori Hikichi
  • Masayuki Nagao
Series
Platform(s)
Release
  • Sega Genesis
    • NA: November 1993
    • EU: January 21, 1994
  • Game Gear
    • NA: December 1993
    • EU: March 1994
  • Master System
    • EU: March 1994
Genre(s)Falling block puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a falling block puzzle video game developed by Compile and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive and Game Gear in 1993 and ported to the Master System in 1994.

The game is a Westernized version of Compile's Puyo Puyo (1991), replacing almost all of its characters with those from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, specifically the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. The Puyo Puyo character Carbuncle appears under the name "Has Bean" and makes different animations depending on how the player plays the game. The gameplay is similar to puzzle games such as Tetris, in which the player organises coloured shapes as they descend a board. The plot sees Sonic antagonist Doctor Robotnik kidnapping residents from Beanville and turning them into robots. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the gameplay but criticising the difficulty.