Today’s launch of Puyo Puyo Champions makes extra sense when you recognize its Japanese title – Puyo Puyo eSports. This is Sega’s try and push the lovable puzzler into the aggressive sphere. Initially much like final yr’s (on PC not less than) Puyo Puyo Tetris, this game gives a smaller vary of modes and options, however at a fittingly diminished value and a laser-focus on on-line multiplayer. There’s detailed blow-by-blow replay breakdowns, some delicate tweaks to the principles and new match choices, however sadly no T-spins. Below, a loud and slime-filled launch trailer.
Puyo Puyo Champions is aesthetically nigh-identical to the sooner Puyo Puyo Tetris, with a lot of the identical characters and voices returning, plus just a few contemporary faces. The greatest addition to the game is the brand new Fever Mode, an alternate rule-set encouraging extra conservative play. By clearing ‘junk’ Puyos out of your display screen (despatched by your opponent’s assaults) you fill a gauge. When it tops out, you’re given a pre-built combo to clear, making for a fast and simple counter-attack. It’s a mode that encourages stacking up large combos for a serious offensive, moderately than whittling down enemies.
Being a budget-priced spinoff aimed toward a extra aggressive crowd, it’s not too shocking that it lacks Puyo Puyo Tetris’s many celebration modes and large single-player story marketing campaign. It’s straight-up matches towards AI for apply right here (as much as four-way, though 1v1 is the aggressive customary) up till you log on. Right now there’s no indication of what number of gamers are on-line and enjoying the PC model, however its predecessor is seldom shy of a pair hundred gamers round at most occasions. Still, I ponder how a lot of a market there’s for professional Puyo Puyo play on PC.
As a curious apart, do you know that Puyo Puyo has a darkish and bloody previous? No, actually, I swear no one’s legs are being pulled right here. The characters that went on to outline the sequence, together with Arle and Schezo, first appeared in a PC98 dungeon crawl RPG known as Madou Monogatari. Here’s candy puzzle-fiend Arle throwing down with the irritating swordsman Schezo and, err, violently decapitating him. Surprisingly, this isn’t even the top of the battle. Clearly, Puyo Puyo Champions is lacking out on the fatalities that the sequence constructed its repute on. Who wants Mortal Kombat?
Puyo Puyo Champions is out now on Steam and Humble for £8/€10/$10. New or extra informal gamers could need to persist with the costlier (and expansive) Puyo Puyo Tetris, £15/€20/$20 on Steam and Humble.
