Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (2000)

Through the Nintendo Switch SNES App, I have recently learned that Panel De Pon (known as Tetris Attack outside of Japan) is actually the best puzzle game ever made, so I wanted to play more entries in the series and downloaded Pokémon Puzzle Challenge on the 3ds eshop. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge is basically the same as Panel De Pon but with Pokémon and enemy health bars. The gameplay is easy to get into, but extremely fast paced and challenging to master on higher difficulties. Hard mode kicked my butt until I learned how to pull off chain combos, which was extremely rewarding. I can't remember the last time a Pokémon game challenged me...

The story mode is fun, you battle Gym Leaders and Elite Four members from Pokémon Gold and Silver, and try to collect more Pokémon on the way. The Pokémon you collect are essentially used as lives, so don't run out of Pokemon. I wish the requirements for getting more Pokémon weren't so specific though, I don't know how somebody would normally collect them all without a guide. One of the Pokémon requires you to survive a certain Gym Leader for 2 minutes then win, and another requires you to beat a different Gym Leader in under 30 seconds, it's a little cryptic.

The game is filled with amazing 8-bit remixes of nostalgic Pokémon tunes, so even if you don't pick up this game, I highly recommend at least listening to the soundtrack.

I am giving this game a bonus star simply for having an unlockable Panel De Pon demo hidden through a button combination. This game was originally going to be a Panel De Pon sequel, but turned into a Pokémon version. The user interface and some animations, like the victory and walking animation, are the exact same as Panel De Pon on the SNES, which was nice to see.

We haven't seen a new version of the Puzzle League/Panel De Pon/Tetris Attack formula since the Animal Crossing New Leaf minigame sadly. I would love to see a Pokémon Puzzle League re-release, or even a new entry. It would be a great low budget game to make. The gameplay is the most fun I have ever had with a puzzle game, so I hope more people get into it. They are hidden gems.

History:

I never played this game specifically, but I did play and greatly enjoy Pokemon Puzzle League for the N64.

Expectations:

Gameboy... not the best console for someone who doesn't much care for puzzle games. Still, like I said I played a lot of Pokemon Puzzle League for the 64 and I do love me some Tetris Attack so I'm hoping to have fun with this one. Not sure how much longevity I'll be getting from it though, but we'll see!

Day 1:

For my first playthrough I went with Totodile, as I don't believe there are any other correct options, and chose to play Marathon. The game's every bit as fun as I remember league being, and even faster. I managed to get my speed level up to 37 or so before I finally couldn't keep up. Don't know if that's good or bad or what, but this mode got pretty boring pretty quickly anyway.

Tomorrow I'll go into Challenge mode, as that seems to be the "beatable" mode in this game.

Day 2:

Grabbed a sandwich and sat down for some lunchtime gaming!

I decided to try Challenge Mode on easy, which apparently pits me against the eight gym leaders from Gold and Silver, and then the Elite Four.

It plays like the versus mode in Tetris Attack except instead of trying to overwhelm the opponent with blocks, you're just chipping away at an HP pool which makes a lot more sense for a portable game! One issue with the Easy mode of this game is that it's way too easy, even the final encounter of the mode.

Also in easy, your game ends after beating the gym leaders so...

...Yay?

I immediately restarted on Medium and began progressing through the game. In Medium, blocks come at you MUCH faster than on easy which, in its own way, actually helps rounds progress more smoothly.

I was only able to get through three or four gyms before it was time to go back to work, but my thumbs were flying almost non-stop. It's still not overwhelmingly difficult and it's easy to see how much harder Hard could be, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Luckily this game has a save system, so tonight I'll be wrapping up Medium Challenge Mode, possibly giving Hard a shot. In spite of this, it's still really just a "once in a while" kind of game, so after I've had my fill of Challenge I'll probably hang it up for a while.

Later...

The difficulty kept on escalating until I was finally face to face with the Elite Four! The game got really interesting at this point with a near constant barrage of blocks incoming from overhead. I was able to take down the first of the Four but after that...

That is one mean looking Golbat...

Conclusion:

This is what I consider to be a perfect portable puzzle game. Quick to get into and out of, fantastic presentation, and simple yet challenging gameplay.

Case in point, I just accidentally got distracted end wound up playing for another 5 minutes right in the middle of this conclusion! Pokemon Puzzle Challenge looks, sounds and plays wonderfully, for me making it the perfect quick time waster game to bring on the bus, or to a wedding.

Liked:

- Great presentation, doing right by its license.
- Fantastic version of Tetris Attack with plenty of play modes.
- Harder difficulties offer a frantic challenge that will give your thumbs a major workout!

Disliked:

- No Generation 1 starters...
- A product of the genre, but the game will quickly overstay its welcome if played outside of short bursts.

Personal Score: