Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 review for Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Switch

Two puzzle games that I absolutely love coming together in one game seems like a dream.  I?ve loved Tetris for its simplicity and overall challenge while Puyo Puyo has always been a favorite since the days of the Sega Genesis. How does mixing these two puzzlers together pan out? Well the answer is, surprisingly well.

If you’ve played the first Puyo Puyo Tetris, you know what to expect here. I can’t really call this a sequel since the core game play itself really hasn’t changed and they have cleverly rehashed the single player Story Mode with a few character and dialog changes. Basically it’s the same story as the first game, except all of the characters don’t remember anything about the previous crossover. That way if you didn’t play the first game, you aren’t missing any vital information about the story since it’s “new” to the characters as well. While the single player modes all received a few more options, the real meat of this release are all of the new modes and ways to play they’ve packed in here!  Alone, with a friend or online, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 will definitely keep you busy for a long time.

If playing the Story Mode doesn’t grab you, there are a number of single player modes available. Endless Puyo is an endless run for the best score. Endless Fever, where a bunch of Puyos will drop and you have to clear them quickly, and Tiny Puyo, where all the Puyo’s are smaller, making more fill the screen. On the Tetris side you have Sprint where you have to clear 40 lines in a set time limit. Marathon which is a never ending Tetris run for score and Ultra where you don’t have much time to think about any move and the blocks fall faster. Online mode is great too, although I wasn’t able to get a lot of matches going since I am playing in a  pre-release review environment, but the matches I was able to find and connect to were fluid and free of lag. Right now, as of this writing, the online modes are running great, but your experience may vary upon official release.

The controls in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 are an absolute joy. There are no issues with placing blocks or Puyos exactly where you want them, unless you make an error. When the game gets intense, you may think that the controller is failing you, but anything that happens cannot be blamed on the control. Music is cheerful and bright as well as the simple graphics. The Story Mode is played out with static anime Images and text boxes (which are fully voiced), and everything goes together well. You may be finding yourself skipping a few of the cutscenes here and there because, like the first game, these scenes can get a little long winded and boring. Also some of the voice acting is a tad grating on the nerves. Some of the “helper” characters just make noises representative of their names, kind of like Pokemon, and those do get a little irritating the more you hear them. Overall, everything you see and hear is fun and bright, and really won’t take you out of the game.

You definitely need to be a puzzle game fan to enjoy Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 and if these styles of games do not interest you then this one will probably not turn you. Since both franchises are played differently it’s difficult to merge the two into one experience, but how they did it here works great and it’s easy to jump into and play. There is enough offered in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 that even if you are a fan of just one type of puzzler you will probably still find something to like.  If you are a puzzle fan and missed the first one then this is a perfect pick up… and if you have experienced the original there’s enough new content to be found in the sequel to keep you entertained.

SEGA provided us with a Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 PS5/Xbox Series X codes for review purposes.