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VS. Puzzle |OT| Breaking News: Columns of Puyos have just Tetris Attacked Dr. Mario

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Welcome to the Vs Puzzle OT! Please post favorite games, ask questions, schedule match-ups, link to new announcements and ports, show off tournament footage, share tricks, and so forth.


What is this 'Vs. Puzzle' to which your title refers?

Vs. Puzzle games are a subset of Action Puzzle or Arcade Puzzle videogames. The aim is to beat your opponent(s) during live-action play. Most Vs. Puzzle games incorporate a "garbage" mechanic or some other method of interfering with your opponent(s) field of play. A recent popular example of Vs. Puzzle is Puyo Puyo Tetris, pictured in the banner.

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One key characteristic of Vs Puzzle games is that speed and long-term strategy are both rewarded (to some degree), but there is no need to master complex maneuvers or memorize a bunch ofe information. Nearly all Vs Puzzle games have nuances that aren't immediately apparent, but on the whole a new player will have all the same tools at their disposal as an experienced player.

While this does level the playing field, go ahead and pit a newbie against an experienced player and the skill gap becomes obvious.

If you want a quick and easy recommendation: Puyo Puyo Tetris is available across several modern platforms and is a competent modern version of both Tetris and Puyo (which can be mixed or played separately, your choice).

Why bother with Vs. Puzzle?

This subgenre is built on the same competitive arcade spirit that gave birth to fighting games. Unlike fighting games -- which require a basic knowledge of footsies, combos, blocking, and so forth -- the barrier to entry is much lower for new players who wish to play against friends in the Vs Puzzle genre. Yet, the competitive ceiling remains high for those players who wish to "git gud" and improve their skills.

I love fighting games, shmups, and other sorts of demanding arcade genres. What I love about Vs Puzzle is that I still get that nail-biting arcade experience but I can also include a broader range of friends. Pretty much anyone is willing to throw down in some Columns or some Tetris. Not everyone is quite as willing to play Battle Garegga or Darkstalkers 3.

Puzzle games reward speed, it's true, but learning good setups and using good timing both take you a long way. Unlike shmup skills or fighting game skills -- whose edge grows dull without regular practice -- puzzle game skills seem to "stick" with you for much longer. If you don't expect to invest all your time into one game, go ahead and try out a bunch of different games to see what you enjoy.

Preferably, play against someone locally sitting on the couch right next to you. Trash talk. Encourage. Point out strategies. It's a less confrontational genre than competitive fighting games but it checks many of the same boxes. Vs Puzzle games are pretty "casual friendly" as a result.

If you take nothing else away from this thread, I encourage you to watch high-level play for your puzzle game of choice. Or, maybe branch into a new one! Whatever you pick, watching high-level play can reveal some tricks you didn't realize were possible and will also clue you in to how crazy matches between two skilled players can get. Vs Puzzle games are super fun when played against a human opponent. See if your friends IRL or online are willing to spar with you. Fighting games are great, but dumping a 12-chain Puyo combo on my opponent makes me cackle like an old witch every time I pull it off.


Some examples of high-level play:

Tetris Attack


Puyo Puyo Tetris


Magical Drop 3


Puzzle Fighter


Puzzle Bobble



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Noteworthy Vs Puzzle games

Tetris series (The Game Master / Tetris Butou Gaiden / Tetris Party)

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Tetris (1984) popularized both action puzzle games and launched the VS Puzzle subgenre. Tetris for Game Boy was one of the first times players could fight against one another in a puzzle game. The more recent titles add extra ways to harm your opponents: consecutive line-clears and 'spins' (like T-spins, S-spins, etc) add more to your combo than a regular clear. This encourages players to try unconventional layouts geared towards exploiting these mechanics.

Tetris: The Game Master (1998) introduced 'wallkicks' to the series, the ability to rotate tetriminos into areas they shouldn't normally be able to reach. Wallkicks opened the path for strange setups and are the foundation of 'spins'.

Tetris Butou Gaiden -- also known as Tetris Battle -- introduces a small but potent twist: players both draw from the same Next Block. Good timing and sharp observation can be used to "steal" a much-needed piece from your opponent.

Tetris Party further expands the set of Tetris modes and is a great point of entry for the series.

Columns series

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VS Columns (called Stack Columns in later titles) has sadly been lost to time. The Match-3 mechanic was later picked up and absorbed by Candy Crush, Bejeweled, Triple Town, Puzzle Quest, and countless other clones. However, Columns was an early innovator in the VS Puzzle subgenre, too.

Columns II (1990) was one of the very first VS Puzzle games outside of Tetris. It released the same year as Dr. Mario. Columns II: The Voyage Through Time included a 2-player VS mode where high combos resulted in the opponent's board being raised toward the ceiling (just like in Tetris for Game Boy).

Columns III (1993) is the pinnacle of the franchise, in my opinion. It offered a 5-player (!!) multiplayer mode using the Team Player multitap. Columns III adds to the garbage mechanic from Columns II: raising the opponent's board is manually triggered by players at the press of a button. Furthermore, you can "save up" garbage, so you can either send it in smaller bits or in one big chunk. These mechanics allow for malicious players to destroy other players at just the wrong moment. It's like hitting someone with a Blue Shell when they're about to cross the finish line.

Columns declined with SEGA's console legacy, but there were even more titles on the Saturn and Dreamcast including a Sakura Taisen re-theme.

Puzzle League series (Panel de Pon / Tetris Attack / Pokemon Puzzle League)

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Puzzle League (aka Panel de Pon) is a first-party puzzle game developed by Intelligent Systems at Nintendo. It included a nifty feature: Counter Stop. When a match is made, players can scramble to move other blocks before gravity takes over and blocks fall down. Clever players can use Counter Stop to extend their combos to a 10-chain or higher. During 2-player mode, achieving a high combo drops large stone blocks onto the opponent's field. They can be cleared by clearing adjacent blocks. Easier said than done, though, because you have to be quick.

You're restricted to moving blocks left and right (no up and down), so you have to manipulate holes on the field to drop blocks down and match them up. This restriction is pretty hard to get used to, but once it clicks you'll be 10-chaining in no time!

Tetris Attack for Super Nintendo is the entry point for most players in the West. Nintendo decided to reskin Panel de Pon with familiar Super Mario World 2 characters like Yoshi, Lakitu, and Poochy. When you align three (or more) blocks, it starts your Counter Stop. Gravity is suspended for a moment but you can still shuffle blocks. You'd better start scrambling! You can even insert blocks beneath a column of falling blocks. Puzzle League is one of the few puzzle franchises that lets you extend your chain when it is still in-progress.

Planet Puzzle League is the most feature-packed version of the game. However, the lack of 2-player Versus on the same TV and the generic theme (compared to Tetris Attack) may be a bit of a letdown for some players.


Puyo Puyo series (Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine / Kirby's Avalanche / Puyo Puyo Sun)

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Puyo Puyo (briefly known as Puyo Pop outside of Japan) is much more popular there than it is in the West, and that has a lot to do with its presence in Japanese arcades. SEGA kept the franchise alive in Japan but it has been mostly forgotten over here... at least until Puyo Puyo Tetris started to hit modern consoles. The concept is unique: as long as blocks are touching, they'll trigger a chain. Setting up bigger chains sends "garbage" over to your opponent's playing field.

The game is forgiving to new players and pleasant on the eyes. Even though high-level play requires speed and accuracy, playing against casual players can be a relaxing experience as you slowly build the Death Star of Puyo garbage.

Puyo Puyo (1991) was one of the first puzzle games to introduce "garbage". When you perform well, you send over annoying blocks that your opponent must work around. These blocks are typically called "garbage" because they must be eliminated by popping blocks around them, but they themselves cannot form chains. It may have been the first game to officially use the term "garbage" but I'm not sure about the etymology.

Puyo Puyo 2 (1994) introduced the "Offset" a.k.a Counter mechanic: players who completed their own combo could offset an incoming garbage attack, potentially eliminating or even reversing it and sending garbage to the opponent. This back-and-forth mechanic became extremely popular and is at the heart of many VS. Puzzle games.

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine / Kirby's Avalanche are spinoffs but are essentially a reskin of Super Puyo (Super Famicom).

Puyo Puyo Sun adds a new type of block -- the sun -- to the standard set of Puyos. The Sun acts both as garbage and as a wildcard. Later Puyo Puyo games added more modes (like Fever and Black Hole) but the core gameplay remains the same.

For those hoping to improve their Puyo skills, the Puyo Nexus wiki and chain simulator is an indispensable resource.


Puzzle Bobble series (Bust-A-Move)

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This series perhaps best encapsulates the spirit of Vs Puzzle: you must shoot (or bounce) bubbles into the upper playing-area of your field, matching bubbles and knocking down any clusters that become detached from the top. Bonus points (and extra garbage) are awarded when you pop 4 or more and when you knock down additional bubbles. Later games incorporate special items, but I think the game is at its best when it is simple.

Personally, this game is very frustrating to me: you can't always reach the bubbles you want to pop, and even if you have a clear shot sometimes you still miss. This is really frustrating. Puzzle games are all about precision and I hate messing... up... my... combos!

But that's the whole thrill of Puzzle Bobble. Aiming your bubbles and bouncing them off the walls is additional layer of difficulty, so while it's frustrating to play, it's still fun. And when you thread the needle with a bubble, it feels great.

This series is known as "Bust A Move" in the West. You may remember the PS2 port with the baby in sunglasses on the front.

My favorite version is Puzzle Bobble 3 on the Saturn. The story mode is a tour of a fake arcade, a long row of candy cabs with parody Taito titles running on them. If you're a fan of Taito's rich history of arcade games (and/or you enjoy self-parody games like Parodius and Game Tengoku), Puzzle Bobble 3 is the one to get.

That's my biased opinion! I wrote the OT so I get to say it.

Puzzle Fighter

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Humorously calling itself 'Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo', this game hit arcades and home consoles in 1996. CAPCOM only made one game in the series (until their smartphone app) yet it still made a lasting impression on the VS Puzzle subgenre. Players combine like-colored gems into larger gems, two blocks at a time. After an interval, players will receive a Crash Gem that bursts when it touches a like-colored cluster of gems. Carefully stacking Crash Gems allows you to set up combos. The arrangement of garbage sent to your opponent varies by character. Each block of garbage has a timer on it and will eventually turn back into a regular gem.

This is a game that is really fun for new players. The characters are recognizable and the attacks are flashy. However, the mechanics are a unconventional. My advice to new players is to build the biggest gems you can. Try to keep blocks matched up, but start building one big gem right from the start. Don't pop it. Just make it as big as possible. Accustoming yourself with this simple mechanic (of building progressively larger blocks) is how the game is meant to be played, but since it's a challenge to do, a lot of player resign themselves to just building small 2x2 gems and popping them.

Like Puzzle Bobble 3 above it, Puzzle Fighter is also an endearing homage to CAPCOM's arcade history. Packed with cute references. This one is available on several digital stores, so you have no excuse!

Other noteworthy VS Puzzle games

****WORK IN PROGRESS****
****Please, if you have titles to suggest, suggest them and I can add them below****

Landmaker -- unique concept with bright, detailed sprites. Filling in tiles with like-colored blocks builds larger and larger buildings. Hitting a building on the corner with a like-colored block "pops" it, often dropping a bonus tile that pushes back garbage or turns all the blocks to one color.

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(Landmaker)

Zoo Keeper -- simple match-3 game that rewards speed. There's a really fun 2-player cooperative mode on the PS2 version.

Magical Drop -- breakneck speed. You grab colored orbs and throw them back up to be popped if you match 3 or more. Whenever a group of orbs pops, you get a brief Counter Stop (similar to Tetris Attack) where you can quickly throw up more orbs and keep the chain going. Probably my favorite puzzle game and one of my all-time favorite games, no joke.

Money Puzzle Exchanger -- similar to Magical Drop but slower. Players must convert denominations of Japanese Yen coins up: five 1s turns into a 5, two 5s turns into a 10, five 10s turns into a 50, two 50s turn into 100s, five 100s turn into a 500, and two 500s is worth 1000 points. But to send garbage, you need to build combos.

Baku Baku Animal -- inspired the gameplay for Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. Four animals and four food types. I wrote a post about it in our Saturn thread.

Octomania -- a.k.a Noukone Puzzle Takorun, a puzzle game where you rotate your cursor. Was later copied by Bejeweled Twist. The chaining system is very lenient, allowing you to fill most of your screen with Tako and then clear them all in a single chain. You have to pop your chains by getting enough Tako on the fryer (indicated by a number in the center of a 3x3 grid.

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(Octomania / Puzzle Takorun)

Pochinya -- similar gameplay to Puzzle Fighter and Baku Baku Animal.

Critter Crunch -- a modern take on the Magical Drop formula. Critter crunch adds in items, varying field types, and various bugs to 'crunch'. PS3 has the multiplayer modes. Plus puking a rainbow is a thing:

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(Critter Crunch)

Cleopatra's Fortune -- players must grapple with pieces of varying sizes and shapes. Lines can be cleared but the only way to clear a sarcophagi is to fully "entomb" them in surrounding blocks. Popping sarcophagi with gems in the "tomb" is worth extra points.

Bombliss -- similar to Tetris. Clearing a line can trigger "bombs" which can then blow up other bombs. The goal is to clear the whole field before your opponent, or until their screen fills up. Out of the many Tetris clones, this one is still fun.

Nyoki Nyoki Tabidachi Hen -- Puyo Puyo creator Masamitsu Niitani developed this Vs Puzzle game for the Japanese eShop. (thanks Pot Meet Kettle Pot Meet Kettle for their post below)

Wrecking Crew '98 -- players control a construction worker who must navigate the field and match up blocks. Hazards (including moving enemies) add to the challenge (thanks Pot Meet Kettle Pot Meet Kettle for their post below)

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(Wrecking Crew '98)

Calcolo! -- combines shmup gameplay with block-matching. Players have to avoid enemies while "shooting" blocks into place.

Lumines -- thanks Deft Beck Deft Beck "two players fight for space on the same board. If one player clears more units than the other, then they gain a line's worth of horizontal space on the board. The goal is to crowd out the other player and make their stack reach the top before yours does."

Dr. Mario -- pill-poppin' gameplay that has endured for nearly 30 years. If you want more Dr. Mario get Dr. Mario 64 (pictured) because it seems like no one has played that. If you want more Dr Mario but with a twist, try Popoitto's Hebereke.

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(Dr. Mario 64)

Kururin Pa! -- players must form a long wick leading to their bombs. Like the Crush Gem in Puzzle Fighter, you must drop a flame block on the end of a wick to light it.

Plus Plum 2 Again -- you raise and lower... the opponent's floor... while trying not to let your gauge... I don't really understand this game too well. If you've figured it out, tell the class.

Meteos -- thanks Sp3eD Sp3eD and Bakkus Bakkus for the mention. Matching blocks in Meteos ignines a "rocket thruster", which pushes the mass of connected blocks toward the ceiling. Pushing blocks above the ceiling eliminates them, but stacking blocks past the ceiling kills you. A wide variety of gravity-options and block types adds depth that is usually absent from puzzle games.

Panic Bomber W -- Normal match-3 rules with bombs and garbage to add some flavor. Owners of the SNES multitap can play up to 4-players!!

Have suggestions or additions? Speak up!
 
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Deft Beck

Member
While not strictly a "versus puzzler" in its main mode, Lumines is a good addition.

In Lumines, you make 4x4 squares of the same color from blocks of two different colors. A line passes over these same-color units, timed to the tempo of the given stage's music track.

The versus mode is all about two players fighting for space on the same board. If one player clears more units than the other, then they gain a line's worth of horizontal space on the board. The goal is to crowd out the other player and make their stack reach the top before yours does.
 
While not strictly a "versus puzzler" in its main mode, Lumines is a good addition.

In Lumines, you make 4x4 squares of the same color from blocks of two different colors. A line passes over these same-color units, timed to the tempo of the given stage's music track.

The versus mode is all about two players fighting for space on the same board. If one player clears more units than the other, then they gain a line's worth of horizontal space on the board. The goal is to crowd out the other player and make their stack reach the top before yours does.
Ah, this is exactly the sort of post that feeds a good OT.

I only spent an hour -- maybe? -- playing it many years ago. It never really clicked and I haven't gone back to try it again. What's a good version to pick up that also includes a 2-player mode? That sounds interesting.
 

Sp3eD

0G M3mbeR
Yeah lumines and meteos deserve spots above several of the ones listed here. However good post overall.
 
I do love Meteos, but I have no experience playing it multiplayer. It has been a strictly single-player game for me. Since it doesn't have a TV-compatible version, it's not an easy game to get together for multiplayer sessions.
 

Duallusion

Member
Whoa, nicely made thread. Was just yesterday checking PSN store if by some miracle Puyo Puyo Tetris was made available as a digital download but nope. I spent quite a lot of hours playing Tetris Attack (and Puzzle Kombat minigame in MK Deception!) in local multiplayer and I wouldn't mind having at least one such game on PS4. But nope, says Ubisoft and/or Tetris Company; you gotta buy it on disk. :/
 

Deft Beck

Member
Ah, this is exactly the sort of post that feeds a good OT.

I only spent an hour -- maybe? -- playing it many years ago. It never really clicked and I haven't gone back to try it again. What's a good version to pick up that also includes a 2-player mode? That sounds interesting.

Lumines Remastered has a local versus mode you can access from the beginning.
 

Nymphae

Banned
Anyone played Blokus?

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I'm not a board game guy AT ALL, but my girlfriend bought this because she does enjoy them, and she knows I like Tetris. Not exactly a Vs. Puzzler game, but had to mention this as I just recently discovered it and it draws on my love of Tetris and block puzzles. I played the 2 player version, and I had a lot of fun with it.

You just have to try to place all of your blocks. There are 2 starting points (in the 2 player) on the grid that you must start from. Then each new block you lay must touch another one of your tiles, but only on the corners. There's a point system, but basically whoever places more of their tiles wins.
 
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Nymphae Nymphae Yeah! Blokus is legit. It reminds me of Go (territory control). You can be incredibly mean to your opponent through aggressive play.

Another boardgame similar to Tetris is FITS.

EDIT:
Lmao my girlfriend literally kept saying "why are you so mean?" when I would cut off her options. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. I will check out the other one you linked, thanks!
Happy to help. Easy strategy is to make a diagonal beeline toward their territory (if they want to stay in their little corner and build neat little shapes). Once your colors clash, make a beeline for both walls 45* from where your initial line met with their territory. If you can touch one or both walls, you've won. The goal isn't to make neat shapes. The goal is to swallow up all the territory and make lazy moves while your opponent runs out of space.
 
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Nymphae

Banned
Nymphae Nymphae Yeah! Blokus is legit. It reminds me of Go (territory control). You can be incredibly mean to your opponent through aggressive play.

Another boardgame similar to Tetris is FITS.

Lmao my girlfriend literally kept saying "why are you so mean?" when I would cut off her options. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. I will check out the other one you linked, thanks!
 
Excellent OT, DunDunDunpachi DunDunDunpachi , really loving it.
Never expected the Hebereke Poppoito mention, and pleasantly surprised. The Popoon one (a hard-mode Puyo clone, that's inexplicably easier on Arcade than on SNES) is a guilty pleasure.

You can also add this:

Nyoki Nyoki: Tabidachi Hen


A 3DS game by the original creator of Puyo Puyo (who also worked on Octomania) with falling blobs. You control whether the fuse on newly dropping blobs are lit, and only when an alignment is in contact with a fuse can it trigger and send garbage to drown your opponent's side. It works similarly to Puyo as far as chains go, but the delayed activation gives it a very different feel. Once the opponent gains the upper hand it's over really quickly. Higher difficulties have better AI and more colors.
Compile-O said they will port it to PC but it's still a Japan-only 3DS release for now. I still recommend it.

Wrecking Crew '98


A Japan exclusive 1998 release for the SNES, though a fan-translation was released recently. It almost has nothing to do with the original (that's included as a direct port), a fact that's usually cited against the game but a positive here for us.
This one is a bit unexpected. It's a falling block game with some platforming elements. As many other games, the goal is to drown the opponent's side as you successfully align blocks of the same color. The catch is that there's some platforming to actually shift the blocks (not unlike Yoshi's Cookie, which I recommend its GameCube remake as Nintendo's Puzzle Collection) or uncover their colors, or destroy individual blocks manually. Some alignments can cause enemies to spawn on the opponent's side to sabotage that platforming. The player can choose, counter-intuitively, to make new blocks on his side fall faster, for a faster completion time (that leads to alternate levels in the main quest).
 
Excellent OT, DunDunDunpachi DunDunDunpachi , really loving it.
Never expected the Hebereke Poppoito mention, and pleasantly surprised. The Popoon one (a hard-mode Puyo clone, that's inexplicably easier on Arcade than on SNES) is a guilty pleasure.

You can also add this:

Nyoki Nyoki: Tabidachi Hen


A 3DS game by the original creator of Puyo Puyo (who also worked on Octomania) with falling blobs. You control whether the fuse on newly dropping blobs are lit, and only when an alignment is in contact with a fuse can it trigger and send garbage to drown your opponent's side. It works similarly to Puyo as far as chains go, but the delayed activation gives it a very different feel. Once the opponent gains the upper hand it's over really quickly. Higher difficulties have better AI and more colors.
Compile-O said they will port it to PC but it's still a Japan-only 3DS release for now. I still recommend it.

Wrecking Crew '98


A Japan exclusive 1998 release for the SNES, though a fan-translation was released recently. It almost has nothing to do with the original (that's included as a direct port), a fact that's usually cited against the game but a positive here for us.
This one is a bit unexpected. It's a falling block game with some platforming elements. As many other games, the goal is to drown the opponent's side as you successfully align blocks of the same color. The catch is that there's some platforming to actually shift the blocks (not unlike Yoshi's Cookie, which I recommend its GameCube remake as Nintendo's Puzzle Collection) or uncover their colors, or destroy individual blocks manually. Some alignments can cause enemies to spawn on the opponent's side to sabotage that platforming. The player can choose, counter-intuitively, to make new blocks on his side fall faster, for a faster completion time (that leads to alternate levels in the main quest).

Ahh, you're taunting me with that Nyoki Nyoki game. I have quite a few imported puzzle games, but alas! No Japanese 3DS for eShop titles. DS and 3DS are crammed full of excellent VS Games. As far as imported DS goes, I loved Yosumin!, Soroeru Puzzle Douwa Oukoku, Colpile. Also, Puchi Puchi Virus was a lot of fun for the DS. So is Meteos. So is Zendoku. Ahhhh, so many good handheld puzzle games.

I thought Popoon was okay, but one big plus in favor of Popoitto is that the graphics and animation are gorgeous. I mean, even if you merely want a nicer-looking Dr. Mario it's not a bad option.

Wrecking Crew '98s looks neat. I haven't played either, but I added both to the OP.

I also added Calcolo! to the OP. Did you ever try that one out?

Another interesting one is Tecmo Stackers. The animations, gameplay, and feel are all quite good, but the music could generously be described as completely intolerable:



These FAQ style OPs are so uncanny it's funny. Really though, great job.
I'm an old salty forumgoer. It's the format I'm accustomed to. Thank you for the praise!
 
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DS and 3DS are crammed full of excellent VS Games. As far as imported DS goes, I loved Yosumin!, Soroeru Puzzle Douwa Oukoku, Colpile. Also, Puchi Puchi Virus was a lot of fun for the DS. So is Meteos. So is Zendoku. Ahhhh, so many good handheld puzzle games.
I also added Calcolo! to the OP. Did you ever try that one out?
Another interesting one is Tecmo Stackers. The animations, gameplay, and feel are all quite good, but the music could generously be described as completely intolerable:

I'm absolutely floored, lol.
Never knew of all of these (besides Meteos which is rad, and a short attempt with Yosumin which I ended dropping because I couldn't figure it out) and that list seems deliciously useful for a healthy backlog. To think I thought myself cultured enough to know about Plum Plum (DreamCast, Xbox, and ultimately the PSP version which I got)... but I clearly have a long way to go. I usually get my puzzle game fix from Hudson's series on the DS with like 12 games and a different puzzle inside (a couple for Sudoku, then other more obscure ones), and Polarium though that one got old.

Also heard about Tetris Battle Gaiden (?) for the Super NES that was very recommended, but I don't see the big deal with it in particular.
Maybe I would derail the thread a bit further with falling block/puzzle platformer hybrids or barely relevant and mention:

Gussun Oyoyo



A series aka YoYo Puzzle Park for some releases. Dumb lemming kids, a higher exit they need to get to, enemies and environment hazards that instakill them, and you control falling blocks they climb on, are scared of, or you could crush enemies (or them) with these blocks. Some score system rates the arrangement of the blocks, but it seems a platformer at heart. The series had a chaotic release schedule, which overshadowed the unique qualities of each single entry released during that weird rush.

Jigsaw Party / Pieces



Competitive 2P (some modes have up to 5P) jigsaw puzzle assembling on the Super NES, that makes use of either the controller or the SNES Mouse (though the latter's emulation seems buggy for this particular game). It's a 3 lap race, each time you're given just 3 random pieces to put in the right position, and if you guess right many pieces in succession while the combo's gauge is still up, you get more and more items with which you can either help your side (a sonar for the correct piece, making the entire field visible, and ultimately an automatic assist mode that automatically places your pieces if you refrain from item use and get your combo high enough) or sabotage the other side in various funny ways. It's surprisingly addictive.
The US version underwent some censorship (a lot of stuff in the story mode, plus a missing gallery mode) and also changed a lot of images to assemble to easier patterns, so it could be worthwhile to play through both versions.
 
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I'm absolutely floored, lol.
Never knew of all of these (besides Meteos which is rad, and a short attempt with Yosumin which I ended dropping because I couldn't figure it out) and that list seems deliciously useful for a healthy backlog.
:messenger_beaming: I'm a bit of a puzzle game fanatic which is maybe not very common among gamers nowadays. And yes, that's part of why I spun up the OT: great place to recommend titles and see what's out there.

To think I thought myself cultured enough to know about Plum Plum (DreamCast, Xbox, and ultimately the PSP version which I got)... but I clearly have a long way to go. I usually get my puzzle game fix from Hudson's series on the DS with like 12 games and a different puzzle inside (a couple for Sudoku, then other more obscure ones), and Polarium though that one got old.
There are so many out there. I'm still discovering new ones especially from the 80s and early 90s.

Also heard about Tetris Battle Gaiden (?) for the Super NES that was very recommended, but I don't see the big deal with it in particular.
It's bog-standard Tetris with much better graphics, but you both share the "Next" block. So if a I-block is next, you'd better drop your piece to grab it or else maybe you'll be saddled with the S-block that comes after. Very simple twist but surprisingly addictive. High-level players might try to grab 2 (or 3) pieces in quick succession when the other player is too slow in placing their blocks.

Maybe I would derail the thread a bit further with falling block/puzzle platformer hybrids or barely relevant and mention:

Gussun Oyoyo



A series aka YoYo Puzzle Park for some releases. Dumb lemming kids, a higher exit they need to get to, enemies and environment hazards that instakill them, and you control falling blocks they climb on, are scared of, or you could crush enemies (or them) with these blocks. Some score system rates the arrangement of the blocks, but it seems a platformer at heart. The series had a chaotic release schedule, which overshadowed the unique qualities of each single entry released during that weird rush.

Jigsaw Party / Pieces



Competitive 2P (some modes have up to 5P) jigsaw puzzle assembling on the Super NES, that makes use of either the controller or the SNES Mouse (though the latter's emulation seems buggy for this particular game). It's a 3 lap race, each time you're given just 3 random pieces to put in the right position, and if you guess right many pieces in succession while the combo's gauge is still up, you get more and more items with which you can either help your side (a sonar for the correct piece, making the entire field visible, and ultimately an automatic assist mode that automatically places your pieces if you refrain from item use and get your combo high enough) or sabotage the other side in various funny ways. It's surprisingly addictive.
The US version underwent some censorship (a lot of stuff in the story mode, plus a missing gallery mode) and also changed a lot of images to assemble to easier patterns, so it could be worthwhile to play through both versions.

Never heard of either. Gussun Oyoyo kinda reminds me of that Mario & Wario SNES game that used the mouse. Pretty cool game if you like Lemmings but I suppose that's getting off-topic.
 
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Never heard of either. Gussun Oyoyo kinda reminds me of that Mario & Wario SNES game that used the mouse. Pretty cool game if you like Lemmings but I suppose that's getting off-topic.
I feared as much, lol.
"Puzzle" as a game genre is too broad, and as such games like these get lumped with it. There's so many nuance between those games and that label doesn't give it nearly enough justice. Old German and French game reviewers would call these "unclassifiable" which is imo a bit more appropriate.

I looked around some more, and I discovered just now that Jigsaw Party was one of the very first Nippon Ichi games, and in fact spawned a series on PS1, though only the last one called Jigsaw Madness made it out of Japan. My guess is it will be more refined, but we'll see.

So one more try:

Taisen Puzzle-Dama

A Konami series that was more often than not used to push cheap licensed anime games without paying the Puyo license (like Quirks on Mac, or Timon and Pumba's Jungle Games did). Seems to be just a Puyo Puyo game with a small twist: some puyos (or "dama" / balls as this series call them) are frozen, which means arrangements they are part of can't trigger, unless a nearby active arrangement explosion melts them, leading to combos. It's mildly enjoyable from what I tried in the Ganbare Goemon 4 (SNES) boss fight minigame, but not that big a departure and instead could have been a game mode in Puyo Puyo.
 
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I feared as much, lol.
"Puzzle" as a game genre is too broad, and as such games like these get lumped with it. There's so many nuance between those games and that label doesn't give it nearly enough justice. Old German and French game reviewers would call these "unclassifiable" which is imo a bit more appropriate.

I looked around some more, and I discovered just now that Jigsaw Party was one of the very first Nippon Ichi games, and in fact spawned a series on PS1, though only the last one called Jigsaw Madness made it out of Japan. My guess is it will be more refined, but we'll see.
The puzzle genre is very broad which is why I narrowed the OT to just 'Vs Puzzle'. I am still a bug fan of puzzle games and boardgames of all types, though. You won't hear me complaining about discussion about other puzzle games.

So one more try:

Taisen Puzzle-Dama

A Konami series that was more often than not used to push cheap licensed anime games without paying the Puyo license (like Quirks on Mac, or Timon and Pumba's Jungle Games did). Seems to be just a Puyo Puyo game with a small twist: some puyos (or "dama" / balls as this series call them) are frozen, which means arrangements they are part of can't trigger, unless a nearby active arrangement explosion melts them, leading to combos. It's mildly enjoyable from what I tried in the Ganbare Goemon 4 (SNES) boss fight minigame, but not that big a departure and instead could have been a game mode in Puyo Puyo.

There were a lot of these themed puzzle games in the 90s on 5th-gen consoles. There's a 'Tokimeki Memorial'-themed sequel to Taisen Puzzle dama on Saturn, as well as a kinda-Puyo game called Tenchi Muyo!



Many puzzle games from that era. I'll post more as time allows. Please post any others you think are cool, or just discuss some of your favorites.
 
Added Panic Bomber W to the OT. Supports up to 4 Players. Bomberman themed puzzle game with match-3 rules combined with BOMBS! Inexpensive to import and can be played on any SNES (as long as you file down your tabs)

 
https://gematsu.com/2018/10/the-nam...hoku-coming-to-switch-on-december-20-in-japan

Detective-Touch-Switch-Box-Art-Init_10-08-18.jpg


It was about $30 after shipping on play-asia so I ended up preordering. Looks like a cute 2p Vs puzzle game. The Asia-region version supports multiple languages.

Best VS puzzle out there is Money Idol Exchanger. Friendships were destroyed at the arcade because of MIE.
I am more of a Magical Drop guy. I wasn't introduced to MIA until about a year ago and instantly fell in love with it. MIA is quite a bit more difficult at higher level play imo.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
Tetris Attack / Puzzle League is so good. And both have entertaining enough AI to make vs mode compelling even in single player.

I need to find my PL DS cart and fire it up again.
 


Pretty cool de-make coming out (news from Retro Gaming Magazine)

Color scheme is a bit off so at first look I thought they used the sixth puyo color (teal blue on genesis/arcade/msx, pink on nes/merchandise), which would have been a nice attention to detail since earlier versions of Puyo Puyo used it, specifically the NES and MSX2 version, and deleted coding in the arcade and Genesis (Puyo Puyo, Dr Robotnik, Tsuu) ports. It would make for a nice exclusive challenge too.

Ah well. It would be a nice romhack idea.

Somehow I read about this and discovered Qwirks had a MS-DOS version, but since wikipedia is shitty it doesn't even have a separate page, just a redirect to the Puyo page, so details are scarce. It's a MacOS conversion of Puyo Puyo, licensed officially by Compile, that somehow got a blurb on the cover "Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, presents: Qwirks" (his only involvement was that he said he liked it, lol)... at first I dismissed it as a poorly developed Puyo clone, but it actually offered an interesting twist: Crystal Puyos.
Basically whenever a chain of 5 or more is triggered, they spawn as one of the 5 other colors, and when included in a chain have a special effect depending on their color that's similar to Puyo Puyo~n's special attacks (removing garbage puyos, etc). That would be neat as an alternate game mode in a better Puyo version too, and scarce enough to not dilute the challenge. It's amazing how rich in ideas all of those "rip-offs" were across the years.
 
Color scheme is a bit off so at first look I thought they used the sixth puyo color (teal blue on genesis/arcade/msx, pink on nes/merchandise), which would have been a nice attention to detail since earlier versions of Puyo Puyo used it, specifically the NES and MSX2 version, and deleted coding in the arcade and Genesis (Puyo Puyo, Dr Robotnik, Tsuu) ports. It would make for a nice exclusive challenge too.

Ah well. It would be a nice romhack idea.

Somehow I read about this and discovered Qwirks had a MS-DOS version, but since wikipedia is shitty it doesn't even have a separate page, just a redirect to the Puyo page, so details are scarce. It's a MacOS conversion of Puyo Puyo, licensed officially by Compile, that somehow got a blurb on the cover "Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, presents: Qwirks" (his only involvement was that he said he liked it, lol)... at first I dismissed it as a poorly developed Puyo clone, but it actually offered an interesting twist: Crystal Puyos.
Basically whenever a chain of 5 or more is triggered, they spawn as one of the 5 other colors, and when included in a chain have a special effect depending on their color that's similar to Puyo Puyo~n's special attacks (removing garbage puyos, etc). That would be neat as an alternate game mode in a better Puyo version too, and scarce enough to not dilute the challenge. It's amazing how rich in ideas all of those "rip-offs" were across the years.
Very true. Sometimes a little twist would make quite a difference in the gameplay.

Never heard of Crystal puyos! That sounds like a better version of the Sun puyo. The 2x2 puyo blob and L-shaped puyo are kind of cool, but I'd prefer alternative scoring methods.

Tetris has added in a lot of entertaining scoring methods like T-spins and successive line-clears ("combos"). I wish Puyo rewarded popping larger blobs of the same color (or something like that) to offer a different avenue of building your garbage-attacks.
 
A few more:

Hatetris


It's Tetris, on solo, without gravity. But the bag randomizer algorithm is rigged so that the CPU is an asshole and gives you always the worst piece possible. It's a scoring game that plays a lot more like a puzzle, with a vertical difficulty curve. A neat curiosity for anyone who thinks Tetris challenge modes that only give S/Z tetrominos are too easy and wants to hone their skills.

Mr. Driller


Another puzzle platformer, that has two simultaneous elements.
A platforming element: Your character must drill his way to the bottom before running out of air. Air is depleted depending on the rules in the current game mode: either as a quick timer, or whenever drilling a block. Some particular blocks (called X-blocks) deplete 1/5th of a full air gauge, and some pickups restore air. The character must avoid getting crushed by falling blocks as well.
The puzzle elements comes into action as the blocks themselves are colored, and adjacent blocks can trigger arrangements and disappear, causing other blocks on top of them to fall as well. This is the best way to get past X-blocks as well. Some game modes offer an item inventory where you have items that can destroy, recolor, or transform all blocks of a given color currently onscreen.

My preferred entries in the series were Drill Land on the GameCube, and the DSiWare version (different from the DS version, a rushed launch period title).
 

petran79

Banned
Puchi Charat is another frantic fun game if you liked Arkanoid. Cleopatra Fortune's Patrako is also included as a secret character



though I would not classify as block puzzle, games like Gals Panic can be played with 2 players either in VS or Combination. Video has in-game notations and tips

 
though I would not classify as block puzzle, games like Gals Panic can be played with 2 players either in VS or Combination.
You mean Qix clones. I like those. I know of these ones:
  • Qix - arcade original
  • Cacoma Knight - SNES (has intense slowdown so play on Retroarch, with Snes9X 2010 and overclocking for the normal game speed)
  • Vivid Dolls - N64 arcade (real-life nudity)
  • Gals Panic series - arcade (anime fanservice)
  • Panic Street series - arcade (safe for work version of Gals Panic)
  • Cubixx HD - PSP, PS3, PC (a Qix clone in 3D, across all 6 faces of a cube)
It's neat how this particular sub-genre evolved, but most of it was used for porn games which sadly lumps it with other lower effort porn games. Kemco's Gals Panic were very innovative in terms of enemies (the titular Qix in the original) and offered interesting game design ideas Western clones of the same genre never came close to.
As a competitive Vs puzzle game though... I don't see how much it is. The 2P mode seems like an afterthought and more a scoring thing.
 

petran79

Banned
Numblast for PSP was unique too, with character designs by Mr Driller designer. Same for Kolumn for same platform





You mean Qix clones. I like those. I know of these ones:
  • Qix - arcade original
  • Cacoma Knight - SNES (has intense slowdown so play on Retroarch, with Snes9X 2010 and overclocking for the normal game speed)
  • Vivid Dolls - N64 arcade (real-life nudity)
  • Gals Panic series - arcade (anime fanservice)
  • Panic Street series - arcade (safe for work version of Gals Panic)
  • Cubixx HD - PSP, PS3, PC (a Qix clone in 3D, across all 6 faces of a cube)
It's neat how this particular sub-genre evolved, but most of it was used for porn games which sadly lumps it with other lower effort porn games. Kemco's Gals Panic were very innovative in terms of enemies (the titular Qix in the original) and offered interesting game design ideas Western clones of the same genre never came close to.
As a competitive Vs puzzle game though... I don't see how much it is. The 2P mode seems like an afterthought and more a scoring thing.


I'd classify Dancing Eyes in that category too, but a HD remake for PS3 was cancelled few years ago. It was very funny in the showtime scenes
 
This subgenre is built on the same competitive arcade spirit that gave birth to fighting games. Unlike fighting games -- which require a basic knowledge of footsies, combos, blocking, and so forth -- the barrier to entry is much lower for new players who wish to play against friends in the Vs Puzzle genre. Yet, the competitive ceiling remains high for those players who wish to "git gud" and improve their skills.

I love fighting games, shmups, and other sorts of demanding arcade genres. What I love about Vs Puzzle is that I still get that nail-biting arcade experience but I can also include a broader range of friends. Pretty much anyone is willing to throw down in some Columns or some Tetris.

Holy Moly, what a nicely put together topic, you certainly put in the work. Thanks!

I agree thatz puzzle games are easy to pick up and for playing with friends that aren't usually that much into video games. When Tetris came out on the GameBoy, my whole family was addicted for months, despite the fact that most of them have never really played many video games before. It was a blast beating each others high scores.

Have suggestions or additions? Speak up!

Not really, your list is pretty amazing. A puzzle game that i enjoyed recently was Mini Metro which comes highly recommended if you like looking at maps and always found metro maps to be especially pretty ;)

 
Not really, your list is pretty amazing. A puzzle game that i enjoyed recently was Mini Metro which comes highly recommended if you like looking at maps and always found metro maps to be especially pretty ;)


Thanks for the compliments and thanks for the suggestion. Never heard of it.

Holy Moly, what a nicely put together topic, you certainly put in the work. Thanks!

I agree thatz puzzle games are easy to pick up and for playing with friends that aren't usually that much into video games. When Tetris came out on the GameBoy, my whole family was addicted for months, despite the fact that most of them have never really played many video games before. It was a blast beating each others high scores.
Puzzle is humbly the best videogame genre in many, many ways. They are fun. They are easy to rope non-gamers into, and they reward any work you put into them. I mean, the only strange thing to me is how they aren't more popular among 'hardcore gamers'. It's not for lack of challenge or depth of mechanics, and they're flashy enough in their own charming way. Maybe it's because 'the casuals' play them on their phones.

I do remember Tetris over link cable was really popular with adults which fascinated me as a young kid.
 
Crystal Crisis has been confirmed for the PS4 (already confirmed for Switch) and will launch on April 23rd. Get hype! I've had this preordered since they first announced the Switch version.

Copypasta from Nicalis:

An all-star cast of heroes has gathered to test their mettle in Crystal Crisis, a cute and chaotic new color-matching combat game for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Crystal Crisis is presented like a one-on-one fighting game, but instead of pressing buttons to kick and punch, players arrange falling gems into matching colors to clear them from the screen and inflict damage on their opponents. It’s the ultimate puzzle battle throw down!

Key Features
  • 19 unique playable characters, including Quote and Curly Brace from Cave Story, Isaac from The Binding of Isaac, Atomand Black Jack from Tezuka Productions, and many more.
    • Quote, Curly Brace and Ballos (from Cave Story)
      • Isaac (from The Binding of Isaac)
      • Atom and Black Jack (from Tezuka Productions)
      • Princess Solange (from Code of Princess EX and Blade Strangers)
      • Aban, Tina and Jim Hawkins (from 1001 Spikes)
      • President Thompson and a Zombie (from The Tempura of the Dead)
      • Akuji (from Akuji the Demon)
      • Knight (from Hydra Castle Labyrinth)
      • Johnny Turbo (notorious TurboDuo spokesman)
    • The line-up also features four newly-created characters from other Nicalis games in development, three of whom are appearing for the first time anywhere in Crystal Crisis:
      • Helen – a noble warrior inspired by Greek mythology (also appearing in Blade Strangers)
        • Hunter – a whip-wielding vampire killer
        • Elise – a bat-winged gothic vampire girl
        • Ninja – a mysterious and acrobatic shinobi
    • Build up your “Burst” Gauge with repeated combos to unleash more powerful attacks.
    • Multiple single-player game modes, including Arcade, Survival Mode, Tag Team and Training Mode.
    • Local and online multiplayer options to play against friends, family members or challengers worldwide.
    • Innovative new “wrap-around” feature allows you to move falling pieces beyond the edge of the wall to reappear on the other side.
    • Each character has his or her own stage, musical theme, unique special attacks and voice-acted exclamations.
    • Optional “Colorblind Mode” makes gems easier to distinguish for players with color blindness.
Source at Gematsu.
 
What a weird way to do a crossover, or to use their doujin licenses (Akuji and Knight, when will Nicalis release them properly now that they bought them off the original author and they're unavailable anywhere right now?)
What sets this apart from other falling block Vs puzzlers? It seems like a straightforward Tetris clone with some buffs and horizontally wrapping screen, but is that how far the novelty gets?
 
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What a weird way to do a crossover, or to use their doujin licenses (Akuji and Knight, when will Nicalis release them properly now that they bought them off the original author and they're unavailable anywhere right now?)
What sets this apart from other falling block Vs puzzlers?
To me it seems like a straight rip of Super Puzzle Fighter, but in the genre that's a pretty uncommon style to clone. You're still matching colors into large blobs and then triggering them with a matching Activation gem.

I have quite a few friends who like local Vs puzzle games so I'll get my mileage from couch multiplayer alone.
 
SegaSonic Bros finally leaked, and anyone can play it if they look around online.
It tried to provide a unique puzzle game concept, though it didn't do really well in location tests so Sega scrapped it and reused most of its assets elsewhere (like Sonic 3's Bonus Stage) It's technically the debut of Silver the Hedgedog, as a possible gem color (weird choice for falling gem graphics, I know)

This game is all about surrounding masses of gems, with belts of gems from the same color that reach until the edges of the screen. That makes them disappear. The bigger the mass, or the more the combos, the more interesting the attacks on the opponent. There are even chaos emeralds that clear single lines.

Overall it seems half-assed, but the concept has some interesting ideas that could be in a better game.

 
A bit old, but Puyo Puyo eSports, the Puyo-only build of Puyo Puyo Tetris, could see a worldwide release. It has all prefecture names, all US states, and every country. Pic related has Washington. However I heard people saying PuyoTetris is better as a Tetris game than as a Puyo game, since the latter is very unbalanced and laggy, it seems... unless changes were made for that?

 
A bit old, but Puyo Puyo eSports, the Puyo-only build of Puyo Puyo Tetris, could see a worldwide release. It has all prefecture names, all US states, and every country. Pic related has Washington. However I heard people saying PuyoTetris is better as a Tetris game than as a Puyo game, since the latter is very unbalanced and laggy, it seems... unless changes were made for that?
Regarding Puyo Puyo eSports, that's great news! I'd love another standalone Puyo title.

As far as "unbalanced and laggy", I've never once heard that complaint leveled against Puyo Puyo Tetris. Maybe... at one time... like, with the PS3 or Vita versions it was considered laggy, but the modern port of PPT on PS4 and Switch is solid.
 

greyshark

Member
I was a big fan of Puzzle Fighter back in the day. Anyone here picking up it’s spiritual successor Crystal Crisis when it comes out this year?
 

PSFan

Member
I've never understood why these falling object games are called 'puzzle games'. They aren't puzzles at all. I'd call them more 'reflex games' or something like that.
 

PSFan

Member
This seems like a puzzle to me


.
Puzzles have a solution. That game is just different shaped blocks falling faster and faster. The Professor Layton series is an example of what I consider a real puzzle game. You are given lots of different puzzles to solve. Tetris and games like it belong in the genre with games like Breakout and Arkanoid. And those aren't puzzle games.
 
I've never understood why these falling object games are called 'puzzle games'. They aren't puzzles at all. I'd call them more 'reflex games' or something like that.
You're probably just good at them, that's all, which is why you don't really see it as a 'puzzle'. Tetris has interlocking pieces and bonuses based on how you arrange those pieces efficiently. Seems like a puzzle to me.

For what it's worth, Tetris was referred to as 'video puzzle' so maybe that term is more suitable.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
Another of my favorites in this genre is Wario's Woods (both versions NES/SNES are worth playing; the CPU / boss battles operate in a completely different manner in each one), although it's more of a one-off game than a franchise. It should have become a franchise, as it's truly a unique take on the puzzle genre.

You operate a Toad character within the playing area and have to think through the challenges of moving pieces manually without getting blocked in. The way Toad picks up the pieces (and his superhuman lifting strength) is also a rare official callback to Mario 2 USA.

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