Puyo Puyo review by Emerson Lem

‘Puyo Puyo’ series are hot puzzle games in Japan. It is copyrighted by SEGA, but many different versions have been released in different consoles, such as PS, SS, PC, GB/GBC, Nintendo etc. Now, NGPC version is also released. I am not a puzzle game fans, but this hot from Japanese push me to buy this game.

When I search this title in the retail-shop, I wonder the picture of this box. The graphic is not sharp and bright enough. After opening the box, I can see a orange attached page, a thin manual, as well as the cartage. The orange page is a ‘warning hint sheet’ which mentions the playing time only. Actually, it should be printed in manual.

Graphic: B+
I cannot said it has a great graphic since no movie included in this 8MEG cartage. However, color is quite wonderful in the character designs. Non-colored background makes it lose some marks. The color and pattern of frame is not fix, and it can be changed randomly. 16bits system makes the graphic without chopping and blurring, even the ‘puyo’ is moving randomly. I believe they has learnt something from ‘Bust-a move’, therefore the ‘puyo’ appearance can be chosen from 14 sets patterns. That means you can identify the units by different shapes in B/W NGP. However, green and blue color is too closed this time.

Sound: B-
We cannot expect too much in the handheld’s sound. The original version should have some lovely voice when clear the ‘puyo’. However, NGPC version makes this feature bad. Voice and BGM is an alternative choice, so I am disappointed in sound. I would choose BGM rather that voice in game playing. Overall, the sound is so far so good.

Gameplay: B
Just like ‘Tetris’, drop the ‘puyo’ and clear the thing. When connect 4 same ‘puyo’s together, they will be cleared. Other ‘puyo’s will fall from upper to fulfil the spaces. Therefore, chains are available in the game. Sega’s ‘COLUMN’ and Capcom’s ‘Puzzle Fighter’ are the similar style games. Besides, many options can be set in the game. ‘1P vs. COM’ and ‘Self Dev.’ modes increase the reply value of the game. Of course, 2P mode is available in this game.

Overall: B
NGPC always have the great game. The design of this game is good. Everything goes very smooth. Various patterns of ‘puyo’ increase the compatibility of game. However, since the idea of this game is old, some people will not be interested in it. In addition, the manual does not describe the option setting clearly. I suggest this game for the puzzle lover.