The fifth Kirby game ever released and the third spin-off game of the franchise, at this point there are more spin-off than mainline games, but thankfully Kirby's Dream Land 2 would be released the same year this was released. In this case, we have a Puyo Puyo reskin, just like the SEGA Genesis got Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. The reason they decided to shoehorn Kirby characters is that Nintendo of America didn't have enough confidence that a game like Puyo Puyo would sell in the West without a popular mascot in the cover, and Kirby got the honour.

If you don't know, Puyo Puyo is basically a mix between Tetris and Dr. Mario, so instead of filling lines with blocks, you have to pair four blocks (or "blobs", like they are calle in this game) of the same color in order to delete them, and in the process you send garbage blobs to your opponent. The first player that get a full screen to the point that they can't put more blobs lose, just like in Tetris, and in this game you have to defeat 13 Kirby characters in order to win, or 16, if you count the three stages of practice. You can also play with another human or play in a practice mode that is basically an endless version without opponents that ends as soon as your screen gets filled, so there is plenty to do.

Something unique in this version is that before starting the stages, Kirby has a conversation with the enemy, and they made Kirby pretty mean and sassy, which feels so out of place that it's actually pretty funny to read. This is also the only time in a game where Kirby speaks full sentences, and there are a lot of references to Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby Adventure, along voice samples that introduce all the characters, so there is a lot of effort behind the production, something that you wouldn't expect in a reskin of another game.

Now, regarding the difficulty, you'll need a lot of strategy, practice and mental agility to win. The stages become faster and faster to the point where you don't have any time to think, but you need to do a lot of combos in order to defeat the enemy before they fill your screen with garbage. This can be extremely frustrating and mind-numbing, so I wouldn't recommend complete the game in one sit, as you'll get mentally tired after a couple of levels. Fortunately, if you die you can retry the same stage right away, unlike Kirby's Dream Course where you needed to do 8 holes with only two lives, so you don't need to worry about losing your progress.

In conclusion, this game isn't revolutionary at all, and you can just play the original Puyo Puyo if you like the gameplay, but the Kirby theme is implemented very well, the dialogue is hilarious, and completing the main mode is a serious challenge, so I'd definitely recommend it if you like puzzle games à la Tetris and Kirby.