Puyo Puyo is both a 1991 computer puzzle game by Compile and the generic name of that specific video game concept. There are many different games with the same concept under a variety of different names, though most have the word Puyo at least once in the title.
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2 Brief History 3 External Links |
Two Puyos fall from the top of the screen in a pair. The pair can be moved left and right and rotated into one of four configurations. The Puyo pair drops until one Puyo falls onto another Puyo or the bottom of the screen. The pair then breaks, so the other Puyo is free to fall until it falls onto another Puyo or the bottom of the screen.
Four Puyos of the same color form a group when they are connected horizontally and/or vertically, but not diagonally. For example, the A's form groups in grids 1 and 2, but not 3:
When four or more Puyos are connected in a group, they disappear. All Puyos above those Puyos then fall until they land onto other Puyos or the bottom of the screen.
A combo is made when either more than four Puyos form a group or more than one group is formed at one time. All the Puyos in a combo are cleared at one time. For example, grid 4 has a 5 combo, grid 5 has two groups of 4 for an 8 combo, and grid 6 has 3 groups of 5 for a 15 combo:
A chain is made when a group is formed after Puyos fall into a space where a group was cleared; i.e., gravity forms a group. After that group clears, gravity kicks in again, making chains of length 3, 4, 5, and so on possible. For example, grid 7 will form a 2 chain, grid 8 will form a 3 chain, and grid 9 will form a 5 chain:
The real Puyo Puyo playing field is 6 Puyos wide and 12 Puyos high (not the 5x8 in the example grids). If a Puyo reaches the top in one of the two center columns of a player's grid, that player loses. Puyos can reach the top of the two end columns on either side, though.
The main game of Puyo Puyo is played against at least one opponent, computer or human. Whenever a player completes a chain or combo, garbage Puyos are dropped onto all the other players; the larger the chain or combo, the more Puyos are dropped. These garbage Puyos cannot be formed into groups. The only way these Puyos can only be cleared is by clearing normal Puyos next to them. A player wins when all the other players have lost.
Puyo Puyo was originally released by Compile in 1991 for the MSX2 under the name Puyo Puyo. It was soon followed by a version for the Famicom Disk Drive called Puyo Puyo Disk Drive. Puyo Puyo featured characters from the 1989 RPG Madou Monogatari, also made by Compile.
Puyo Puyo only really became popular when it was released as an arcade game in 1992. This was the first version that included a one player story mode, in which the human player plays against computer opponents of increasing difficulty. This feature was an immediate success because it allowed players to play by themselves. Future versions of Puyo Puyo for console systems also included this feature.
Many versions of Puyo Puyo have been released for many different systems, including MSX2, SNES, Game Gear, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Windows, Macintosh, et al. However, most of these ports were only released in Japan.
Of the ports actually released in the United States, most have non-Puyo names: Kirby's Avalanche, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and Candy Crisis to name a few. There are exceptions, however, such as Puyo Pop for the Game Boy Advance.
Game play
Groups
1 2 3
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..A.. ..... .....
..A.. ..... .....
..A.. ..... ...A.
..A.. AA... .A.BA
..B.. AC.AA AC.BA
AAAA. AC.AA AA.BA
(.'s are blank spaces, B's and C's are Puyos of different colors)Combos
4 5 6
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .A...
..... ..... AACC.
..... BBBB. ABBCC
AAAAA AAAA. ABBBC
Chains
7 8 9
..... ..... .....
..... ..... .....
..... ..C.. ...B.
..... ..B.. CC.B.
..... ..B.. BB.A.
..... ..B.. AA.AB
.BBB. AAAA. AA.AB
AAAAB CCBC. BBCCA
Losing
Opponents
Brief History
External Links