The matchup god never intended is finally here! (And by finally, I mean a few months ago)
============================================================================
Year: 2017
Played on: PS4
Also on: Nintendo Switch, In Japan- pretty much everything
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Who thought this was a good idea? I would love to shake his/her hand!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Date posted: November 10, 2017
PREMISE
“Now wait a minute!” A voice cries out from a nonexistent source. “You did a Puyo Puyo game two days ago!” “I have no time to argue with myself!” It was me the whole time!
Now that my mental breakdown is finally over, lets talk about what is, in my opinion, not only one of the most underrated gems of this year, but one of the best puzzle games I have played in a while as well. For what ever reason, Puzzle games that aren’t Tetris don’t do very well in the states, well, sales wise that is.
The setup is simple. Puyo Puyo are locked in Battle Royale with Tertimonmosoes, or what ever the Tetris pieces are called. The rules are simple- kill or be killed. Damn it, I’m confusing this with something else, again? Haven’t I played this joke to death now?
So, you have Puyo Puyo’s and Tetris. Like a typical Puyo Puyo game, you will always, mostly, have an opponent of some kind. The cool thing here is that each player can choose whatever they want-Tetris or Puyo Puyo- each with their own rule set. This means you don’t have to learn both if you don’t want to- unless you play single player, which pretty much throws every mode at you, which is kind of cool.
Puyo’s play like they usual do. You drop little blobs of jelly and connect them- 4 of each color will make them disappear, possibly to a nearby smucker’s factory. Of course, what you want to do is learn how to execute combos, which sends junk to the other player’s side. Puyo’s take more skill, but is more rewarding of the two playstyles, I think.
Tetris is much easier, in my opinion. You play like you normally would- stacking blocks and clearing lines. However, their are some new features. Tetris combos are different- you can send junk to the other player side by performing doubles, triples, and of course, Tetris. Consecutively clearing lines also sends over junk. However, the best move players will want to do is the back-2-back Tetris, which sends a avalanche of junk over to the opponent.
There is also a lengthy story mode that has at least 80 different trials that go over most of the different modes in the game. Be warned, though, as the game will make you play both playstyles throughout. Thankfully, their are some built-in tutorials that show off most of the advanced moves, as well as many practice modes, making this game ideal for anyone who wants to get better at both Puyo Puyo and Tetris!
PROS
There are a lot of modes here, too many to go over, I think! You have Marathon modes for both Tetris and Puyo Puyo, as well as some Time Attack options. You also have Swap, a mode where you switch from Puyo Puyo to Tetris, testing your skills in both games. You also have Fever mode, where you try to quickly figure out what puyo or Tetris block would cause a long chain reaction that damages your opponent. There is Party mode, which add a bunch of crazy powerups- a word of warning- this mode can be total BS at times! One of the biggest highlights of the game is Fusion Mode, where Tetris and Puyo Puyo are played on a single board- insanity that has to be seen to believe!
As mentioned above, the game actually has a story mode. Its quite silly- it involves a bunch of characters from various Puyo Puyo games trying to find out why giant tetraminos have fallen from the sky. Turns out a bunch of new characters made specifically for this game, have opened a rift that needs to be closed. The story doesn’t take itself to seriously, and you’d be surprise at the humor of it all. The biggest draw, however, is that Story mode pretty much takes you though all the modes in the game- and yes, they do get harder and harder as you go along. Surprisingly, it was the Tetris vs. Tetris battles that I had the most difficulty with- this is the game that made me realize how much I suck at Tetris!
Another cool feature- there are a bunch of unlockable skins for your Puyo Puyo and Tetris pieces! Every win gets you points you can use to buy these, along with alternate voices for the many selectable characters.
I think its needless to say, but both playstyles play great- in fact, this Tetris is one of the best ones I played in quite a while!
Also, it has one hell of a soundtrack, having remixes of tunes from various Puyo Puyo games, as well as some from Tetris. Add to this some really good new tracks, and like I said, you have one hell of a soundtrack!
CONS
The biggest, problem, I accounted on the PS4 version of this game is, well, its dead! Online that is- there is plenty of content here offline, and you can even have four player splitscreen! I mean, you can attempt to play online, but you are going to be waiting a while my friend! It is incredibly disheartening to buy a game the year it comes out to find out no one’s playing it.
What I heard is that the Nintendo Switch version has a better online scene, and you can also take that version anywhere. In other words, I should of probably should of waited to get a switch instead of buying the PS4 version.
There is nothing wrong with anything else in the PS4 version. Its only its online features that got screwed. I guess not a lot of people bought this game, sadly. In other words, you’re probably off getting the switch version.
Other then that, I can’t really think of anything that could kill it. There may be people who don’t care for the pop-art esque style of the characters, or the bright and cheery atmosphere that entire game gives off. I’d say something about turning in your man card, but I don’t believe in that kind of s@#t.
FINAL VERDICT
Like peanut butter and chocolate, or Me and despair, Puyo Puyos and Tetris go very well together, and make one hell of a dynamic duo. Don’t get me wrong, however- this is a game for puzzle game enthusiasts. However, if your new, you’ll find that this is a good way to get better at both games. Do your self a favor, and pick this up! If you care about playing online, get the switch version, though.
I was a bit conflicted on what to give this game. Don’t get me wrong- its good! But how good? I thought about it, and since not a lot of puzzle games come out anymore, and how much content is here, I just decided to give this game a 6.
Agree? Disagree? Good! Leave a comment about how terrible my taste is in the comments below
Gamer's Edge 