Puyo Puyo 2 review

DEVELOPER: M2

PUBLISHER: SEGA

RELEASE DATE: 20 February 2020

PLATFORMS: Nintendo Switch

Price: $7.99

Okay we need some setup here. Puyo Puyo 2 is going to be a new experience. It’s a re-release of a Japanese arcade title from 1994 and is credited (in Japan anyway) with establishing the series as a franchise. A version was released on a variety of consoles and even re-released in 2016 as an arcade game but this is a straight port of the original arcade game and it’s now available on your Nintendo Switch.

I don’t care if you win I’m not helping you fight Kakarot.

Sometimes seen as a Japanese take on Tetris blocks called Puyo move down the screen in pairs. They can be moved left and right, and rotated 90°. Blocks (ahem Puyo) are cleared as like pairs as in Tetris. And if the third column from the left fills the game is over. This happens quickly and often as the game really shows its arcade roots and plays like it’s trying to steal quarters (IT IS!) To add a bit of a wrinkle it is somewhat character-driven and different opponents supposedly have different play styles, although for me this seemed more a matter of speed than anything else. There are two main modes. Arcade, where you play one opponent after another and Endurance, where you guessed it, you face a never-ending cascade of blocks and are scored based on how long it takes to bury you in Puyo. There is also a local vs mode where you fight to clear your screen and to slow your opponent. I speculate M2 just put this in so your children can destroy you and an Online mode which functioned well but also ended in my destruction.

This looks uncomfortably like a dating profile.

There were no control issues in the port and it made for a generally enjoyable experience. I have to admit, I asked to review this title because of an affinity for Tetris style game but due to its cutesy animated nature didn’t expect to enjoy it. That said, while I’m not giving up writing and running off to Japan to try and play professionally, Puyo Puyo 2 has become something of a guilty pleasure, particularly when I have reviews I’m supposed to be writing.

The Good:

Another well-executed port for the Switch
Fast-paced

The Bad:

Shows its Arcade roots by killing you quickly.
Carpal tunnel is inevitable.