kay, so Puyo is a little weird. For what it’s worth, you could conceivably adore figuring out the intricacies of the magic Puyo and translating those secrets into huge combos and devastating spells. The initial concept is simple to implement. However, the difficulty quickly ramps up and can push advancement to a virtual standstill.

Ultimately, it is this challenge level that both strengthens and weakens the game. Puzzle players are, by and large, a hardy lot. They’re willing to put up with a great deal of frustration and challenge in order to see past the surface layers of a game and perceive the intricacies within. It really is no exaggeration to conclude that Puyo takes that nearly religious level of concentration before you can truly excel at it. For most players, the game will feel like a shallow Tetris copy, with a quirky concept and some pretty colors. And then they’ll go play something else.

And that’s actually too bad, since Puyo, for all its idiosyncrasies, is a deep and engaging play. That’s why it’s so disappointing that the game gives you so little worthwhile direction as to how to really begin to succeed at it. If you haven’t been privy to the earlier versions of the game, you’ll spend a long time just trying to figure out why things happen when they do. And that’s just doesn’t make a good first impression. Pop in Puyo at your own risk.  

ANDREW REINER   7.5 Puyo Pop’s frantic, combo-heavy gameplay remains just as addictive now as it was back in the day. While Puyo purists may scoff at the mere thought of Sonic Team implementing new puzzle pieces and mechanics, the series was due for a facelift. The new Fever mechanic may seem a bit too powerful at first, but if you can offset the bombardment that it can bring, the strategies that emerge are amazing. It may not be overflowing with new content, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying puzzle game.