Review: Puyo Puyo Tetris

Posted by Curtis H on April 25th, 2017 | 0 Comments | Tags: Puyo Puyo Tetris

Where Tetris is a game about meticulously stacking blocks in a straight line, Puyo Puyo (or Puyo Pop as it’s known in the West) puts the focus on sorting colored blobs (i.e. puyos) into groups of four in order to ‘pop’ them. So what happens when Puyo Puyo and Tetris are grouped together? We get Puyo Puyo Tetris, a pretty healthy collection of game types representing both as well as a fusion of sorts that’s sure to challenge even advanced Puyo and Tetris players alike.

For starters, Puyo Puyo Tetris offers Lessons that range from Beginner to Advanced that set out to explain the intricacies of both Puyo Puyo and Tetris. While I’m familiar enough with Tetris, it was nice to refresh my memory of Puyo Puyo while gaining some tips as well. There’s also a third set of lessons that focus on the Fusion mode, where both puyos and tetrominoes fill the same board, that are a tremendous help – especially considering just how complex that specific mode can get. All in all these lessons are well made and are great introductions to each play type.

In local play, Puyo Puyo Tetris offers a number of Solo and Multiplayer options in the arcade. Versus mode allows for a quick round of Puyo Puyo or Tetris as well as an Endurance contest to see how many opponents you can beat in a single game. There’s also Fusion, which combines both game types, while also introducing its own set of mechanics. For instance, puyos can’t hold tetrominoes, so the blocks always fall to the bottom while the blobs rise to the top. Fusion mode requires a totally different approach from other modes, and while that does prove difficult, it’s also a really interesting change of pace. Additionally there’s Swap mode, which switches between Puyo Puyo and Tetris boards every 30 seconds, a Party mode that adds item ‘power-ups’ to the equation, and Big Bang which presents preset formations that players must clear as quickly as possible. From Versus to Big Bang, each mode is different enough to stand on its own and goes a long way in filling out the entire package.

There’s also a Challenge mode, which offers three additional single-player challenges for each game type. Puyo Puyo has a standard Endless mode, Endless Fever (similar to Big Bang), and a Tiny Puyo mode which allows for up to 10 columns of puyos. On the Tetris side, Sprint tasks you with clearing 40 lines as fast as possible, Marathon sets a goal of 150 lines cleared, and Ultra is all about getting the highest score possible in 3 minutes. Once again, like all other modes listed thus far, each challenge brings something new to the table and fits in really nicely with everything else on offer.

Puyo Puyo Tetris isn’t just great for local play though, there’s also a feature complete online mode where you can join the Puzzle League for ranked matches, battle against random players or friends in Free Play, and even watch uploaded Replays. Puyo Puyo Tetris shines when there’s multiple players competing against each other and that’s easy to do both locally or online.

All of this doesn’t even begin to touch upon the game’s Adventure mode. In Adventure mode Ringo, Arle, and Amitie are whisked away into outer space just moments before engaging in a Puyo Puyo battle. The story essentially sees the Puyo Puyo and Tetris worlds colliding with appearances from the Puyo Puyo cast of characters as well as the Tetris-centric crew of the SS Tetra. Adventure’s 70 stage campaign is a pretty good way to ease into the many different modes available, though I can’t say that I ever found myself all that invested in the actual story.

For as much content that’s on offer here, there’s bound to be something for everybody. If you just want to stick to Tetris, you can do that! If you’re a Puyo Purist, that’s fine too! Both are excellent in their own right and the wealth of play options only helps to sweeten the deal. Puyo Puyo Tetris is packed to the brim with game modes and alternate play styles that’s perfect for parties or solo challenge runs.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here.

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