Pocket Puyo Puyo~n
| Pocket Puyo Puyo~n | |
|---|---|
 Pocket Puyo Puyo~n Box Art | |
| Developer | Compile |
| Publisher | Compile |
| Platform | Game Boy Color |
| Players | 1-2 players |
| Release date | Game Boy Color
|
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n (ぽけっと ぷよぷよ〜ん Poketto puyo puyo~n) is a simplified version of the original Puyo Puyo~n on the Game Boy Color. It has a number of different features from the console versions, namely: a different story mode, a new mode called Challenge Mode, and playable characters exclusive to this version.
General
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n was built using the engine of Pocket Puyo Puyo Sun. Thus, the game maintains the speed of its predecessor as well as Sun Puyo. This game features an entirely different set of super attacks; they are no longer restricted to specific characters, but must be unlocked for player use by defeating characters in Challenge mode.
Differences from Puyo Puyo~n Console Versions
Story
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n's Story mode utilizes a slightly modified version of the traditional Puyo Puyo AI gauntlet. For most of the story, the player is asked to choose between three opponents; however, the third and final opponent is the only one that is mandatory. Thus, the mode can be as short as nine battles or as long as seventeen. Defeating an opponent gives the player access to their super attack for the duration of the Story playthrough. As in the console version, there is an abridged Beginner mode that features Skeleton T, Archan, and Kikimora.
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n features a slightly different plot than its console counterparts. At the beginning of the game, Arle goes to the Puyo Circus, as she does in the original. Satan, dressed as a ringmaster takes Carbuncle and uses him as a volunteer in his magic trick. He makes Carbuncle disappear. Arle becomes distressed for her friend and bumps into Pierrot. After battling Pierrot, she then proceeds to fight all of the foes from Puyo Puyo~n. After defeating Doppleganger Arle, Arle appears back at the circus, where the man makes Carbuncle appear again, implying that Arle was having a daydream. The two reunite and go on with their lives.
The story mode progresses as follows:
Level 1
- Stage 1: Pierrot - Played with 4 colors
Level 2
- Stage 2: Skeleton T - Played with 4 colors.
- Stage 3: Panotty - Played with 4 colors.
- Stage 4: Kikimora - Played with 4 colors.
Level 3
- Stage 5: Archan - Played with 4 colors.
- Stage 6: Nohoho - Played with 4 colors.
- Stage 7: Draco - Played with 4 colors.
Level 4
- Stage 8: Suketoudara - Played with 5 colors.
- Stage 9: Harpy - Played with 5 colors.
- Stage 10: Serilly - Played with 5 colors.
Level 5
- Stage 11: Witch - Played with 5 colors.
- Stage 12: Dragon - Played with 5 colors.
- Stage 13: Chico - Played with 5 colors.
Level 6
- Stage 14: Schezo - Played with 5 colors.
Level 7
- Stage 15: Rulue - Played with 5 colors.
Level 8
- Stage 16: Satan - Played with 5 colors.
Level 9
- Stage 17: Doppelganger Arle - Played with 5 colors.
Gameplay
The game features Story, Versus, Training (Free Battle), and Endless modes. The game can also connect to Pocket Puyo Puyo Tsu and Pocket Puyo Puyo Sun cartridges for Tsu and Sun rule battles, respectively.
Challenge Mode
Unique to the Game Boy Color version is Challenge mode. Challenge pits the player against random opponents, and will continue to do so until the player is defeated. Each character has a "defeat rate" which, when raised to 100%, unlocks their super attack for use in all modes. Players can gain a head start by finishing Story mode first; any opponent defeated in Story will begin with a 60% defeat rate, as opposed to starting at 0%.
Carbuncle, Incubus, Minotauros, Ragnus the Brave, and Honey Bee appear in this mode. Arle herself can also be battled, despite the fact that her super attack is unlocked by default.
Characters
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n features all of the characters from the original console release along with several exclusive characters, including Pierrot as a separate character from Doppelganger Arle.
- Exclusive to Pocket Puyo Puyo~n
- Pierrot
- Ragnus Bishasi
- Minotauros
- Incubus
- Honey Bee
Trivia
- Pocket Puyo Puyo~n features Zoh Daimaoh, Nasu Grave, Mummy, and Succubus in the opening cutscene, performing circus acts.
- Pocket Puyo Puyo~n's producer, Ken'ichi Ina shared details on the game's development on his personal blog and how it initially would have tied into Arle no Bouken: Mahou no Jewel and the Madou Monogatari Chronology included within True Madou Monogatari. They specifically note that they did not have a hand in the console versions of Puyo Puyo~n, and that their story details were not officially sanctioned by Compile:[1]
- Carbuncle would have been captured by Satan in order to gather enough magical power to undo the endless time loop that was established in True Madou Monogatari. Satan's change of heart with regards to stopping the world from aging would have stemmed from a line in Arle no Bouken (that does not appear in the final game) where Arle mentions that she can't "play forever."
- Doppelganger Arle would have served as half of the soul of the incarnation of Arle Nadja who appears in Madou Monogatari, separated and trapped away from the other half during Satan's recreation of the universe. Upon discovering Doppelganger Arle, Satan would have arranged for an encounter between the two to resolve the issue of both existing. The clown costume, in addition to concealing Doppelganger Arle's identity, was designed to seal her powers; this would have explained why Pierrot does not have a Super Attack in the first encounter with her.
- Somehow, this backstory is often inaccurately attributed to the Madou Monogatari Chronology itself and treated as official lore in True Madou Monogatari, despite the producer stating otherwise.
- The cutscenes were originally more serious, but they were changed to be in line with Sun's cutscenes due to negative feedback from the rest of the staff.
- The producer had an idea about a hidden scenario where Dark Witch appears as an opponent instead of Witch after the first playthrough, but didn't propose it because they thought it would be too serious.
- The producer wanted to include - and nearly had pixel art created for - every character from Puyo Puyo Tsu, Puyo Puyo Sun, and Puyo Puyo~n, plus Doppelganger Schezo from Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon, Dark Witch, Nega Kikimora, and Arle no Bouken's Veneris and Saturni. Whether by coincidence or in direct response to this idea falling through, Puyo Puyo Box features all of them - excluding the Arle no Bouken characters - in its Scramble Mode.
Bugs
- In the first print of Pocket Puyo Puyo~n there is a bug that locks the rotation settings if the player were to adjust it 128 or 256 times. After this, the A button would be locked to counter-clockwise rotation and the B button would be locked to clockwise rotation. In order to fix this, the player would need to do a factory reset on the game.
- To reset the game, go to Options (オプション) then select Settings (せっていへんこう). While the screen transitions, hold the A and B buttons. From here select game settings (ゲームの せってい) and then CUSTOM. Select the bottom option to reset all data (すべての じょうほうさ けす). Hold the Start button, Select button, and A button and the game will play the All Clear sound, indicating that the game has been reset.
See Also
References