PUYO PUYO TETRIS 2
It’s why you bought a PS5, right?
Ronaldo or Messi? Alien or Predator? Sonic or Knuckles? Tetris or Puyo Puyo? These are the burning questions of our lifetime. This December we can finally put one of them to bed as Puyo players can again take on Tetris fans in this puzzle sequel.
The core gameplay remains the same: match four or more identically coloured Puyos or connect falling blocks to bust out Tetrimino-clearing combos. Doing so throws ‘garbage’ onto your rival’s screen, clogging up their board and reducing their HP.
You can play either unadulterated Puyo Puyo or pure Tetris, but the fun really starts when you mix the two games in one match. The main game is business as usual, with single, multiplayer, and online modes to challenge other puzzlers, but Sega is introducing a new way to play these classics, called Skill Battle, that could add a light RPG layer.
PUYO FEVER
By creating a team of three colourful characters you can build a squad of heroes who bring unique skills to bear on those famous puzzle boards.
Each of your characters in the game begins their ‘career’ with one skill, and over time, by playing through Adventure mode, they can learn new abilities that will enable you to claw back HP, change the colour of Puyos to aid a match, or erase Tetris lines altogether to turn the tables.
Being able develop a group of characters adds a fresh dimension to the traditional puzzling play. A team can grow in depth, with increased HP, MP, attack, defence, and recovery levels. New unlockable item cards can be used to buff your squad too, boosting their stats ahead of a tough challenge.
You’re no longer popping Puyos in a vacuum either, as Adventure mode features a complete story to puzzle through, where we discover the Dimensional Parasite is behind these two worlds colliding. Because we’ve always loved Tetris for its story.
The setup does mean we get a world map to wander, linking events and giving us a choice of which challenges to tackle next, or whether to take on optional puzzle quests. A separate menu also enables you to jump into events, replay previous levels, and check upgrades.
If Skill Battle and Adventure mode feel like overcomplicating these puzzle classics you can still play in more traditional Free Play, Leagues, and Challenge modes.
“OVER TIME YOUR TEAM OF CHARACTERS CAN LEARN NEW ABILITIES.”