While not as big as Tetris in the West, the Puyo Puyo series has long been Japanese gamers’ puzzle game of choice for the past 27 years. Puyo Puyo first came into existence as a spin-off to a RPG called Mado Monogatari or Sorcery Saga. Tf the gameplay seems kind of familiar, that’s because it was first released in the US under the name Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine in 1993 for the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis and in 1995 on the SNES as Kirby’s Avalanche. There was also an arcade release and two handheld releases (one for the GameBoy Advance and one for the Neo Geo Pocket. It wasn’t until SEGA took over developing the game from Complie in the early 2000’s that more games started making their way to the West, with some of those games updated versions of Puyo Puyo 2. This leads us to the most current game in the series Puyo Puyo Champions for the Nintendo Switch.
Puyo Puyo
Three different “versions” in one- With most puzzle games, you don’t really see they compiled into one game as, for for the most part, they all play the same with slight tweaks. Puyo Puyo Champions has three “versions” of the game in one: Puyo Puyo 2, Puyo Fever and the base game Puyo Puyo Champions. You’ll notice this when booting up the game. Even though all three look and play the same way, they each have their differences. For example, Puyo 2 and Puyo Fever both use rule sets from their original games (Puyo 2 from the SEGA Master System/Genesis and Puyo Fever from the Nintendo Gamecube). As for the base game, Puyo Puyo Champions, its takes you to the menu screen that offers various modes such as Vs., online multiplayer, challenges, tutorial and of course single player. It also allows you choose which rule set to play with, making for a customized experience. So no matter which version of Puyo you might to play, there are plenty of options for you to pick from.
eSports ready- With the rise of eSports, it seems that any game can become an eSport. Sometimes developers even add in modes and features just in case its fan base/community want to play competitively. Well Puyo Puoy Champions has these. In fact the Japanese version of the game is known as Puyo eSports.
Extensive tutorial- As I mentioned, Puyo Puyo Champions has a tutoral mode for those who are new to Puyo Puyo. Called Lessons, the game will teach you not only the basics of Puyo Pop but will also teach you advance trick and tactics that will make you into a Puyo Champion. There’s even a section in the Lessons that gives you practice problems to solve using the techniques you just learned.
Pop
AI has no chill- I know that most puzzle games that have AI opponents usually start off easy and then their difficulty rises with each passing match. With Puyo Puyo Champions, the AI is out to get you right from the start. After a while and a few loses, you’ll be able to keep pace with the AI. But still, I think think I’ve played a puzzle game where the AI is gun ho right out of the gate.
Puyo Puyo Champions is a really great starting point for those who never played Puyo Puyo before. It has various of modes to play in, a very extensive tutorial that not only teaches how to play the game but also let’s players put those lessons to the test with practice puzzles. For those who yearn for a more classic style of Puyo Puyo, rule sets for Puyo 2 and Puyo Fever are added in. And for those who want a more competitive edge, the game has eSports rules built into the online multiplayer. My one complaint is that the AI can be a little bit gun-ho when starting out. Regardless if your new or a veteran to the series, Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle game that can stand with the likes of Tetris and should not be missed.
