Topic: Puyo Puyo Tetris

@gcunit
Do you play with others on Switch at all? If you do, Puyo is a great addition. I think it's great even if you don't- the single player campaign, the online, the different modes and unlocks- there's alot to do and alot of skill to hone.

But if you say, bring Switch with to work and want to battle other people in Vs mode, the game is a blast. My newest Switch convert at work bought the Zelda MK8D bundle at Game stop, and his first separate game purchase is Puyo Puyo. Game really seemed to appeal to him, and he says his dad would play with him since he used to play Tetris back on NES. Which, so did my parents.

This is a game you can get almost anyone to play with you. It's definitely quality though.

@TeslaChippie Actually, there isn't much randomness in Tetris so luck isn't really that big of a factor. The blocks are always generated in sets of seven meaning that all seven types of blocks will be back to back. The largest amount of blocks between two of the same pieces is 12 while the smallest is 0. All players get the same pieces in the same order in both games too. It's just something that quickly becomes unnoticeable since each player play differently. I'm not aware of how Puyo Puyo works exactly but I know lot about Tetris since I've programmed a Tetris clone before.

As for why Tetris garbage is at the bottom while Puyo Puyo garbage is on top, it's good game design. Garbage in Puyo Puyo falls on top of the puyo since that's where they're threatening. At the same time, you can use them for combos so it's not that bad. If it appeared from below, it would barely be a hindrance. They disappear as soon as you clear other puyo next to them and it's usually very easy and fast to get rid off normal puyo when there's no garbage on top of them.

In Tetris, the maximum combo you can get is four with the long piece. If the garbage fell on top of the Tetris blocks, the player would need to clear them out first. The problem is that while the player is doing that, they can't make combos since all the garbage rows have only one empty space which can be anywhere. At the same time, the other player is able to send even more garbage. When the garbage rises from the bottom, it's not an immediate threat but it means that the player needs to clear out their rows fast enough in order to get rid of the garbage before it starts to pile up which can happen very fast when playing against Puyo player since they can do bigger combos.

Not to mention that in Puyo Puyo, the garbage falls independently on each column. So if you have a column that's really high, you have easier time clearing out the garbage since you still have access to some of your puyo since they're not all buried. In Tetris it's impossible to work the same way because each garbage row have to stick together. If you had a single tetrimino really high, all the garbage would fall on top of that leaving a lot of empty space underneath.

I get so carried away when I get to talk about game design. I'm not sure if the talk about Tetris garbage made any sense so here's a picture of what would happen if it fell from the top: Tetris Garbage Picture

I'm still loving this game. I'm still sucking at this game. I do ok in the campaign in some spots but had to "help mode" out of several levels that no matter how well I seemed to do, I'd still end up with a stack of blocks/puyos and my opponent had like 2 rows. Yet other levels I'm great with.

I tried online for the first time yesterday....ranked...I figured it would start me easy....ended up with Fusion mode against someone that seemed really good at building long chains for being merely in starting ranks.....I must REALLY suck. Badly

Haha, I have teh same dilemma. Physical first, always, and yet some games I just want always available. It gets complicated. And double dipping on every game just won't work. Unfortunately Switch is throwing so many "pick up and play" type games at us that really want to live on the system, all at once (Puyo, Kart, Arms, Splatoon, USFII...) It makes the double dipping on all of them too tempting and too impossible for all of them at once!

@JaxonH No, I don't have any local players. I've kept my Switch a secret at home cos my other half is not impressed with the amount of interest I have in games. Tis a shame, cos I know we'd have great fun on it if she'd just lighten up a bit.

I've never been able to enjoy Tetris before, but I've never really made a concerted effort to get into it either, so we'll see how I get on with the demo.

@gcunit
Hmm... you could also play when you're not at home, and she'll never know. What happens in portable mode, stays in portable mode 😁

@Late When comparing the two in a competitive setting, I kind of think of Tetris as the more consistent, defensive option whereas Puyo is volatile and aggressive. In Tetris your opponent cannot have an immediate impact on your operations, giving you more leeway to set up... but even a tiny mistake on your part will cause major problems down the line, and conversely it's harder for you to make a large attack without back-to-back Tetrises, which can take a while. In Puyo, attack-generating chains are much quicker to set up, but even a minor attack can set you back badly if the garbage lands in a critical location. That said, it's also a lot easier to bounce back, whether from your own mistakes or from attacks, due to quicker clears.

@NEStalgia The levels that gave me the most trouble were the later pure Tetris battles. Mainly because you can't really hinder CPUs in those, and they otherwise play almost perfectly. All you can do is hope you can Tetris back-to-back faster than they can, and hopefully before you screw up.

Chains in Fusion are actually easier to set up than it looks, since you only need to make clears in quick succession as opposed to actual chain reactions (and getting a large single Puyo is basically a free tick on the counter). Also remember that you can hold ANY piece, not just Tetrimonoes.

@meleebrawler I've been hitting trouble in world 3 and 5 at various points. Matches I just can't win.

My big problem in Puyo is setting up long chains. I just don't have an instict for setting up plays at all, at MOST a 2-chain. I seem to to best when I fill about half the board with random Puyo drops as fast as I can and then try to see possible patterns and clear them with almost accidental chaining, like a self-made Big-Bang mode. But I'm not great at seeing patterns in Big-Bang either.

What shocked me though is in Tetris when I was losing in one or two story battles. I'm not good at racking up consecutive Tetrises.....and the AI is. Holding everything back to wait for the straight piece to fall numerous consecutive times is something I'm definitely not good at. I suppose spending decades racking high scores in Tetris ruined my ability to play vs Tetris

Although I really thought the demo was so generous I was happy with that I have splurged on getting the full game. Not that I've had much time to play it yet with MK8 out, but it seems to be one of the best puzzle games in years so I couldn't resist.

@NEStalgia Hey, that pile-up strategy is legit. I've seen bots in other Puyo games employ it, and it also helps block garbage. Generally, though, the only setups I focus on are two-chains, and otherwise concentrate mainly on keeping colors close to make happy accidents more likely.

@meleebrawler hey you mean i accidentally stumbled on a real strategy? Uhh i mean yeah, sure i knew that....ive totally got this.....

I try and use strategy with Puyo Puyo but it's honestly just stack stack stack and hope a lot of the time lol.

Well I just beat an opponent ranked much higher than by playing Puyo versus his Tetris. Considering Puyo players seem vastly less common than Tetris experts, I consider this a big underdog victory. (Also it isn't smart to try beating Tetris players at their own game unless you know you can outskill them).

Interestingly, the replay I saved of this match marked it as both an upset (two stars silver) and surprise victory (bronze one-star). Nice little touch.

My copy just arrived today, to now go and sit with Mario Kart 8 and Super Bomberman R..........and the console, and a Pro Controller lol.....................I still haven't found the time to even open the console up yet let alone set it up and actually play on it I've had it since the 27th of April too lol. Got Street Fighter on pre-order too so wouldn't surprise me if I didn't get round top setting it all up until I get that too lol. Looking forward to Puyo Puyo Tetris a bit too much though as I'm a tad concerned as to how addictive it will get lol

So there's a video with all the cutscenes and it's 2 and a half hours long.

This fact amuses me to no end.

@kkslider5552000 Holy what... ? xD

yep. I don't care enough to look up why, but the fact that it does is amazing.

I would bet there are games that were sold on its cutscenes that have less time spent on cutscenes.

Whew, trying to 3 star some story mode bits is pretty tough.

@kkslider5552000 It's hilariously ridiculous for a number of reasons. At least it's mostly worth it for the same reasons. This story has had me cracking up more than I probably should be.

@JaxonH although I loved the demo I don't regret buying this game one bit. Although you can jump straight in to the quick play modes. You are right that there are so many modes that spin the 2 games into a ton of content.

I haven't dared to dip my toe into online yet, as like most people commenting I seem to suck at it.

I'm hoping my wife might play against me one day though, as she is confused by the appeal of video games - but has been known to play just 2 games: Dr's Mario & Robotnik

Just tried this tonight. Is there a way to play the Tetris/PuyoPuyo mash alone? In other words, not against a CPU but just to try to beat your own high score? Thanks.

~~ Spear

Right after posting, I tried the alternating PP/Tetris game. Great stuff. I've been having a blast with this.