Puyo Puyo Gaiden: Puyo Wars (ぷよぷよ外伝 ぷよウォーズ), launched 8/27/1999, developed by Compile.
It’s been some time since we’ve seen a Gameboy recreation, 1995’s One other Bible. The massive change within the meantime was the discharge of the Recreation Boy Colour in 1998. Nintendo had apparently experimented with colour handhelds since 1992 however they weren’t capable of make one which was battery environment friendly and price efficient sufficient to make the discharge worthwhile, in order that they shelved the venture. However by 1997, the builders had been starting to tire of the growing older Gameboy, and the discharge of the Wonderswan challenged the Gameboy’s dominance and made Nintendo return to creating the GBC. From what I can inform, the GBC was primarily primarily based on issues that they had already made years earlier than, however might now be finished extra cheaply. In the meantime, they labored on creating the Recreation Boy Advance, which was launched in early 2001.
Nintendo made the smart determination to have backwards compatibility with authentic GB video games, in addition to stopping third social gathering builders from merely re-releasing their outdated video games with some new splashes of colour — when you had been going to rerelease an outdated GB recreation in colour you needed to additionally add some additional content material to it. This prevented the system from dealing with a glut of lazy re-releases of outdated video games.
Some video games (just like the one I’m reviewing right here) had been made to work with each Recreation Boy and Recreation Boy Colour, whereas others required the GBC. I’m unsure whether or not the GBC-only video games typically had superior graphics. I’ve eight GBC video games on my SRPG checklist however a number of of them are remakes and I’m unsure whether or not a few them really qualify as SRPGs or not.
This recreation, in fact, is a part of the Puyo Puyo franchise (itself an offshoot of the Madou Monogatari franchise). By the point this recreation got here out, there have been 4 essential Puyo video games, and a lot of spinoffs, together with the Nazo Puyo franchise, in addition to a Thriller Dungeon-like recreation. In contrast to all (or most?) of these video games, this SRPG recreation doesn’t contain the acquainted characters like Arle, and it takes place in a very totally different world. I’m not acquainted sufficient with the Puyo franchise to know if there are any connections between this recreation and the primary sequence, however there aren’t any apparent ones (the Pixiv article on this recreation suggests there are some).
Within the setting of the sport, the puyos journey in mechs referred to as Tectors. These Tectors will be upgraded, and geared up with weapons and equipment, though most weapons have some sort of stage requirement to make use of them.
As soon as a puyo reaches a sure stage, they will mix with others. Every puyo generally is a Middle, Left, or Proper component. The Middle components are restricted to a couple characters, and most others are L or R. At first you’ll be able to mix a Middle with both a R or L to make a double, and later after they stage up extra you’ll be able to mix L-C-R to make a triple. The interface is a bit annoying as a result of you’ll be able to’t improve the mechs with out undoing the mixture after which recombining them, which implies you must then reequip the gadgets.
There are 620 totally different Tectors you will get, that are entered in a set guide. You get prizes for reaching a sure quantity. I solely collected about 30 throughout the recreation — the variety of particular person models you will get within the recreation is pretty restricted, and so I assume these 620 are all simply from varied combos.
Along with the story characters, there are two different methods to get extra puyos. The primary manner is that the primary character can do a Persuade on sure models — you’ll be able to inform which of them as a result of they are going to be distinctive models on the stage, they usually received’t have the identical “indignant puyo” look that a lot of the enemies have. The second manner is to do varied “Nazo puyo” phases throughout the recreation. These current challenges, equivalent to “defeat all enemies in 2 turns”, and clearing them will get you a singular puyo — I believe most of those can’t be mixed or upgraded, and they’re considerably weird in operation.
Battles are on the participant phase-enemy part system. Every unit has a sure variety of AP — normally 2, however often 3 (or extra within the case of the nazo puyo bonus models). 1 AP can be utilized for a transfer or assault, in any mixture.
Some assaults have components. Every character has 5 components which may vary from 0-5, affecting each their assault and protection. You possibly can elevate your puyo’s components by utilizing Cologne gadgets. You get these for clearing the phases in low turns, which may also offer you a cash bonus. The cash is utilized in the primary character’s house to develop new weapons or improve mechs. You may also improve your entire analysis facility to unlock extra weapons and equipment for buy, to a most of rank 9.
You possibly can replay phases as many instances as you have to — phases have gadgets yow will discover on them, largely in apparent locations. If you happen to replay a stage the boss most likely received’t be there however you’ll nonetheless be capable of decide up any gadgets you missed (and stage your characters if you have to). There’s additionally a battle area that I didn’t use.
I cleared the sport in about 12 hours so it’s not very lengthy when you don’t spend that a lot time increase your workforce — by the tip I used to be mainly counting on 4 mixed models.
The story is surprisingly severe given the sport’s origin. It makes use of a lot of these inset graphics which I all the time recognize and need that they had finished extra of in retro video games. The story takes place on Planet Gaia, the place Puyos and people as soon as lived in concord. However scientists found learn how to use the devastating Puyo Power contained in a single puyo to create weapons, and shortly they created weapons that would destroy the planet. However the gods used their powers to take away Puyos from the planet and erase their existence from folks’s minds.
However generations later, folks found photographs of those Puyo in ruins, and had been capable of recreate the Puyo, which as soon as once more turned a pet. Then at some point a scientists was looking for “wild puyo” (that had been launched by their homeowners who received bored with them) and located the primary character in a capsule as a toddler. He raised the boy as his son, and when the sport begins, he’s a 12 yr outdated who enjoys battling Puyo in arenas. The remainder of the story mainly finally ends up as a “destroy the world to keep away from it from creating puyo weapons once more” with some hidden backstory of the primary character and such. It’s nothing revolutionary but it surely’s not dangerous.
General this can be a completely serviceable recreation — it has the standard limitations of a handheld system from this era, however there’s sufficient content material to make it worthwhile, particularly when you take pleasure in making an attempt to refill the gathering guide or do the sector battle. The Nazo Puyo dungeons are a pleasant callback to the Nazo Puyo video games.
