What is there to say about Puyo Puyo that hasn’t been said? We’ve reviewed Puyo Puyo Champions here at Real Otaku Gamer, as well as the console release of the original game, Sega Ages Puyo Puyo, and now we’re back again with yet more Puyo action in Puyo Puyo 2, the latest Sega Ages release from M2!
It’s hard to get enough Puyo Puyo. Easily one of the best puzzle games ever devised, it rivals Tetris in popularity and number of versions released, and it’s just as addictive and challenging. M2 has seen fit to release Puyo Puyo 2 in an Ages edition, which is fantastic as this was another entry in the series that never saw a Western release. Puyo Puyo 2 is an important title because it added a significant number of mechanics to the franchise that makes it the seminal entry in the series. Notably, damage cancellation is the major change, but there are also new types of Puyos with score modifiers attached and steel Puyos that are harder to clear.
Unbelievably, Puyo Puyo 2 was released for the arcade in 1994 and a whopping 13 different consoles in the past, but never ported to English in its entirety. While console versions have some modifications and even 4 player modes for the Super Famicom, the Sega Ages release for the Switch is a pure port of the arcade version and does not contain any previously released extras. That’s not to say some additions and changes haven’t been made though. Puyo Puyo 2 has a plethora of quality of life changes that really make the original arcade version approachable.
First off is that the game has been modified for colorblind players. Unfortunately, there was no way to test that as of the writing of this review, but limited color mode is much more approachable for those that suffer from colorblindness, a rarity in gaming. Additionally, you can add scanlines, a variety of backgrounds, and modify the aspect ratio to your liking. The biggest change, however, is the addition of a rewind mode, which allows you to back up gameplay, fix your mistakes and streamline the arcade experience. This is a life-saver, especially if you just happened to make that one mistake that soured your whole battle. Just back it up, place the Puyos where you need to, and watch Carbuncle do his happy dance!
There’s a multiplayer mode for Puyo Puyo 2 as well, but it went untested for the purposes of this review due to a lack of competitors. There’s no way that it won’t be awesome however, as Puyo Puyo 2 is by and large a multi-player game and as long as the matching is decent and there are players, it’s a given that it will be a solid draw for online play.
Now, in case you might be worried that there isn’t a lot of depth to Puyo Puyo 2, have no fear. This is a puzzler that will challenge you for years. Single player mode doesn’t initially look that robust but it has a massive character slate as you climb the tower level by level, defeating enemies left and right and in true oddball Puyo Puyo fashion, work your way up to the top of the tower to confront none other than Satan himself. Sure, Satan is pretty darn cute in his mask, but if you manage to make it that far, you have significantly better puzzling skills and reflexes than most people. Puyo Puyo 2 is absolutely gruelling in the higher levels of difficulty and you’d better be in the zone if you want to survive.
On top of that, there are hidden characters in Single mode as well, depending on if you reach each level’s score caps. It’s a complex system for such a vintage game and it plays well at every point. On top of that there’s also the rather different Double mode and the Endless mode, which should be fairly self-explanatory. Endless mode simply allows you to keep playing matches indefinitely with an increasing difficulty. Double mode is a bit more complex and allows for a variety of preset rules that alter gameplay, allowing you to replace garbage Puyos with hard Puyos or point Puyos, or changing the number of Puyos required for a match. You can also manually adjust the rules to your liking, which is pretty darn cool.
With the changes from the original Puyo Puyo game and the functionality of the Sega Ages upgrades, Puyo Puyo 2 is pretty much the best vintage Puyo Puyo game out there. For only $8, this is yet another release that M2 has knocked right out of the ballpark for value and playability. If you’re any kind of puzzle game fan, whether serious or casual, Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2 is simply not to be missed!
This review is based on a digital copy of Sega Ages Puyo Puyo 2 provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was simply awesome in both. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go try a Puyo Puyo game if you never have. They’re all simply awesome and Puyo Puyo 2 is one of the best of the lot!
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In addition, we would like to add that there is an active Sega retrogaming Facebook community group you can join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/segaretrogamers/
For more, visit Retro Gamers Hub (www.retrogamershub.com) for their extensive collection of retrogaming interest groups to choose from.