Pairs Love

Pairs Love is a two-player puzzle game released in 1991 by Athena and Nihon System. Players work together to clear cards from the screen, revealing an image of a girl in the background as they succeed. Cards are removed by creating straight lines between matching pairs—either identical suits or values—and strategic planning is key to maximizing progress. Successfully clearing cards also adds time to a central timer; however, players can use a “reverse” function to return a card to the board at the cost of precious seconds. The challenge lies in identifying and connecting legal matches before the timer expires or when no further moves are possible. A vertical screen displays 240 x 384 pixels with a palette of over two thousand colors, presenting cards for manipulation using an eight-way joystick and two buttons. Cooperative play is essential to navigate increasingly complex card arrangements and achieve success in Pairs Love.