We’re making this a pattern now, huh? It’s by no means lengthy earlier than Puyo Puyo Tetris makes its method onto the scene. Such was the case again in 2017 with the launch of the unique Change, when a worldwide launch of 2014’s Puyo Puyo Tetris (which launched on Wii U and 3DS in Japan) served as one of many very first video games accessible for Nintendo’s then-fledgling hybrid.
It was arguably a ‘proper place, proper time’ second for the crossover franchise, interesting to informal Tetris followers, puzzle sport die-hards, and the huge inflow of gamers simply in search of extra issues to play on their shiny new system. Crucially, it helped reintroduce Puyo Puyo to the broader international market after a prolonged hiatus from localising the franchise.
Now, it appears Sega is aiming to recapture that lightning-in-a-bottle success with Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S — an enhanced port of 2020’s Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 — as one of many very first video games accessible for Change 2. Sadly, some weird decisions inside and surrounding this launch forestall it from shining as vivid as earlier entries.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S takes the sequel that when extra mashed the worlds of Puyo Puyo and Tetris and tosses in a handful of latest options, lots of that are designed to make the most of Change 2’s new performance. That feels like a fairly stable seize on paper, however a deeper dive into what’s truly new this time round leaves this re-release feeling unjustified.
In our Change assessment of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, Scully discovered it to be a worthy sequel filled with methods to expertise the titular two giants of the falling-block puzzle style. That’s all nonetheless true on this model, which retains the unique’s wealth of modes, unlockables, customisability choices, and extra. Whether or not it’s a easy alternating battle between Puyo Puyo and Tetris, a mode the place miniscule Puyos drop from the sky, a fast-paced race to clear 40 rows in Tetris, or Ability Battles that utterly change the sport by introducing gentle RPG parts and talents, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S does a wonderful job retaining that simplistic core gameplay loop contemporary and different.
Its replayability is bolstered by the Journey Mode, which gives up a light-hearted story that includes the Puyo Puyo forged and a bunch of ranges to chew by way of, in addition to its multiplayer modes, which flip it into fairly the entertaining celebration sport for the proper crowd.
In distinction to all of that juicy returning content material, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S provides only a single new mode: Puyo Tetris Doubles. This introduces 2v2 battles to the combo, wherein every staff should management and drop two Puyos or Tetriminos concurrently on the identical board. Critically, your items have collision physics with each other, that means it’s essential to fastidiously coordinate together with your associate to remain out of one another’s method and drop the items in the proper locations.
It’s a stable addition that may result in some enjoyable multiplayer chaos, as you desperately beg your pal to please, please, get their annoying sq. block out of the way in which so you’ll be able to nail a T-spin in simply the proper place.
All of that mentioned, Puyo Tetris Doubles mode looks like a small addition to the higher scheme of the sport. This sentiment solely grows stronger when contemplating that the mode is restricted to a choose variety of sport kinds (Versus, Occasion, and Fusion) and that you just completely want different gamers for it to be any enjoyable in any respect. Whereas Puyo Tetris Doubles may be performed with CPU companions and opponents, you’ll be banging your head in opposition to a wall making an attempt to wordlessly coordinate with the AI. As such, single-player avid gamers are successfully disregarded within the chilly in terms of nearly any substantial new content material in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S.
Outdoors of the one new multiplayer-centric mode, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is fairly gentle on enhancements. The sport actually seems higher on the brand new {hardware}, with a decision bump to maintain issues wanting good and crisp, and it runs buttery easy. This model additionally provides native GameShare and GameChat help, letting you share your copy of the sport wirelessly and on-line with buddies.
Then, there’s the incorporation of the Change 2’s new digicam and mouse mode skills. Gamers can use a related digicam to superimpose their face on numerous components of the board throughout gameplay — a enjoyable, if finally superfluous, little addition.
I don’t have something as type to say in regards to the new mouse controls, which really feel genuinely terrible and imprecise for Puyo Puyo and Tetris gameplay in comparison with conventional gamepad enter. Your mileage could range, however it feels distressingly harking back to the shoehorned contact and waggle gimmicks that plagued the DS and Wii days. The one saving grace in my eyes is that it’s purely an non-obligatory enter technique and may be considered as a bizarre little novelty.
And, nicely…that’s it. Except for a couple of different minute changes to the expertise, the options outlined above are actually the one new issues accessible in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S. The sport feels prefer it was simply barely up to date and tweaked for launch on Change 2 in comparison with its Change incarnation, which makes Sega’s launch and pricing technique for this title all of the extra baffling.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S continues Sega’s irritating pattern of not providing any kind of improve path for its Change 2 video games. Simply as with titles like Sonic x Shadow Generations and Raidou Remastered: The Thriller of the Soulless Military, you’ll must buy the Change 2 model of the sport at full value, even if you happen to personal a replica on Change 1. There could also be some motive to try this for the opposite aforementioned titles, which see substantial efficiency bumps on Change 2, however that’s not the case for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S. This new model is barely any totally different from the unique launch and gives very little to anybody who performed Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 the primary time round.
Even past the egregious pricing technique, dividing Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S from its non-enhanced counterpart looks like a misstep that would severely have an effect on the longevity of this sport from a multiplayer perspective. There’s no crossplay between the titles, which implies that the net expertise and participant base are even additional segmented than earlier than. Within the days instantly after launch, I attempted a number of instances to seek out any on-line matches and failed to seek out an opponent each single time. That might probably enhance as extra individuals dive into the Change 2 ecosystem within the days forward, however it looks like a darkish omen for this model’s neighborhood and future.
Conclusion
Greater than most, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is a troublesome launch to place a rating on. In no way is it a nasty sport — the truth is, it’s a fairly darn respectable sport that’s stuffed to the brim with modes and options to tide puzzle lovers over for the lengthy haul. Nevertheless, that has every part to do with the stable skeleton of the unique Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 and barely something to do with the minimal additions made to this Change 2 re-release.
For newcomers to the sequence or those that missed its unique launch, there’s loads of enjoyable available right here. For followers who have already got the unique model on Change, I wrestle to think about a higher waste of Change 2 gaming funds than this.
