Puyo Puyo~n

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Puyo Puyo~n
Puyo Puyo~n Box Art Dreamcast.jpg
Puyo Puyo~n Box Art (Dreamcast)
DeveloperCompile
PublishersSega (DC/PSN)
Compile (N64/PS/GBC)
PlatformsDreamcast, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, PlayStation Network
Players1-4 players
Release dateDreamcast
Japan March 4, 1999

Nintendo 64

Japan December 3, 1999

PlayStation

Japan December 16, 1999

Game Boy Color

Japan September 22, 2000

PSOne Classics (PSN)

Japan October 25, 2017

Puyo Puyo~n (ぷよぷよ〜ん, also known as Puyo Puyo 4, and for the Nintendo 64 version, Puyo Puyo~n Party) is the fourth "main series" Puyo Puyo game, and the last to be released by Compile. The title is a play on the Japanese word for the number four, yon.

General

See also: Yon (rule), Super attack

The major addition to Puyo Puyo~n is the "Super attack." Super attacks are powerful abilities that allow players to easily clear Puyo, or in some instances hinder the opponent. These abilities are gained by receiving SP, which is accrued during normal play. Unlike previous "main" Puyo Puyo games, there is no one single implementation of "Yon rule." Specifically, the Game Boy Color port (Pocket Puyo Puyo~n) uses Super attacks to supplement Sun rule, unlike its console counterparts that are based on Tsu rule.

Puyo Puyo~n also utilizes a different art style that its predecessors. Characters are drawn in a more traditional anime style, unlike previous games which heavily utilize "super deformed" art.

Playable Characters

Console versions

Gameplay

Super attacks in the console versions of Puyo Puyo~n are tied to specific characters. For example, only Rulue can use "Shin Jo-oh Ranbu." The game has a notably slower automatic drop speed than its predecessors.

In addition to the traditional Story, Endless, 2-player versus modes, the game features 4-player battles and an Endless Nazo Puyo mode. The story mode, detailed in the following section, features 16 opponents for Arle to battle. Endless Puyo Puyo now allows players to select from three differently-sized fields, with an additional Dreamcast exclusive fourth. Endless Nazo Puyo is a "time attack" mode where players attempt to complete several objectives as quickly as possible, notably featuring the above mentioned GBC exclusive characters (sans Pierrot and Momomo). The game also, for the first time in the series (at least on main consoles), allows players to freely fight the playable roster single-player, rather than only being able to do so in Story mode.

Each version of the game has its own exclusive features.

  • On Dreamcast, the aforementioned fourth board is an incredibly small sized board, small enough to support the largest chain in the series, a 108 chain, and Carbuncle appears on the VMU instead of on the field. After completing the story, Doppelganger Arle can be found next to Satan offscreen, and Carbuncle can be found next to Schezo offscreen. This is the original release.
  • The PlayStation version has a mode known as Curry Story, where you gather ingredients for curry by battling Draco, Serilly, Witch, Chico, and Schezo as Arle, in addition to a Survival mode reminiscent of the Endless Battle feature of later games (in which the player fights an endless amount of enemies for seemingly no end, aside from Satan, Doppelganger Arle, and Carbuncle, but can only use their super three times total), but does not feature four player. Doppleganger Arle is unlocked by completing the Story, while Carbuncle is unlocked by completing Curry Story. Unlike the other versions, it also omits unique character-based Puyo popping animations, all of them sharing Arle's.
  • The Nintendo 64 version has the Bomb Puyo rule, an entirely new game mode, and connectivity to Pocket Puyo Puyo SUN for a gallery of objects, while retaining four player. Instead of streamed music, it has sequenced music, and is the only version to play a warning song when you approach the top. Holding L while selecting a character makes them Carbuncle, and holding R makes them Doppelganger Arle. Also, in this version, super attacks also buff attack power in addition to their standard effects, slightly speeding up matches.

Story

With the advent of the Puyo Puyo Circus, Arle and Carbuncle have come to visit and take part in festivities. Arle makes her way to one of the tents to watch a show, led by Satan as the ringmaster. As part of one of the acts, Satan requests a volunteer to come down to the stage. With Carbuncle as said volunteer, he performed a disappearing act, making him vanish before the crowd. After Arle leaves the tent after the show has concluded, she realizes Carbuncle is nowhere to be found. Thus, Arle begins to explore the circus grounds in search of her friend.

Puyo Puyo~n features a Beginner and Normal course. The Beginner course features the first three stages and does not play cutscenes. Arle cannot use her personal Super attack in story mode, but can call upon the powers of Draco Centauros, Serilly, Witch, and Chico as the player advances. Unlike previous Puyo Puyo story modes, the gameplay rules drastically change between stages.

Due to the length of the Story Mode compared to other Puyo Puyo games, the game saves after every stage. This allows the player to quit and then start back on their current stage without losing progress.

The story mode progresses as follows:

Circus Stage - Standard Rules

  • Stage 1: Skeleton T - Played with 3 colors.
  • Stage 2: Archan - Played with 3 colors.
  • Stage 3: Kikimora - Played with 4 colors.

Volcano Stage - Up to one row of Nuisance Puyo may fall at a time (compared to 5 normally.)

  • Stage 4: Panotty - Played with 3 colors.
  • Stage 5: Draco - Played with 4 colors. Draco joins your party when you beat her.

Water Stage - Puyo fall much slower than normal.

  • Stage 6: Nohoho - Played with 3 colors. 50-Point Puyo fall instead of regular Nuisance Puyo.
  • Stage 7: Serilly - Played with 4 colors. Serilly joins your party when you beat her.

Floating Stage - A multiplier is added to your score, depending on which row the Puyo is.

  • Stage 8: Suketoudara - Played with 4 colors.
  • Stage 9: Harpy - Played with 3 colors.
  • Stage 10: Witch - Played with 4 colors. Witch joins your party when you beat her.

Ruin Stage - You start with Nuisance/Hard/Point Puyo already on your field.

  • Stage 11: Dragon - Played with 3 colors.
  • Stage 12: Chico - Played with 4 colors. Hard Puyo fall instead of regular Nuisance Puyo. Chico joins your party when you beat her.
  • Stage 13: Schezo - Played with 4 colors. Hard Puyo fall instead of regular Nuisance Puyo.

Outside Circus Stage - Uses the rules from the Volcano Stage and Floating Stage.

  • Stage 14: Rulue - Played with 4 colors.

Another Dimension #1 - Board wraps around horizontally. A Puyo in the last column will connect to a Puyo in the first column.

  • Stage 15: Satan - Played with 5 colors. You cannot use super attacks.

Another Dimension #2 - Uses the rules from all of the above stages.

  • Stage 16: Doppelganger Arle - Played with 4 colors. You cannot use super attacks. 4-Hard Puyo fall instead of regular Nuisance Puyo. Character powers are very weak. Use the 500K Point Puyo to beat her, however it is possible to do so without them.

Outside of the story, there are two extra arenas for matches against Arle and Carbuncle. The former has normal rules, while the latter has Point Puyo replace regular Nuisance.

Music

The Nintendo 64 version features a Sound Test in the options, but there appears to be no equivalent for the Dreamcast or PlayStation versions. The bottom two songs are not listed in any official sound release, but are included for the sake of a complete collection; as a result, they use conjectural names, as it is unlikely the songs will ever be given official names.

Some songs are exclusive to certain versions. * means this song, or cue, is not in the Nintendo 64 version. ** means that this song is exclusive to the Nintendo 64 version. *** means that this song is exclusive to the PlayStation version. Note: the Nintendo 64 version's sound test does have the unused song, but the original circumstance in which it plays is not in the game.

Song Description
Japanese Name Romanization Translation In-Game Usage
INTRODUCTON First part of intro movie*
ぷよぷよ~んタイトル Puyopuyo~n Taitoru Puyo Puyo 4 Title Second part of intro movie*
Title Screen
何して遊ぶの? Nani shite asobu no? So, what will you play? Main Menu
開演そして…… Kaien soshite... And starting... Story Mode Intro
まんざい SiDE A Manzai Side A Skit (A Side) Cutscene (Minor characters)
サーカスステージ~it'sショータイム! Saakasu Suteeji~ It's shootaimu! Circus Stage: It's Showtime! Skeleton T's Court
Archan's Court
Kikimora's Court
火山ステージ~美少女コンテストへの道 Kazan Suteeji~ Bishoujo kontesuto-e no michi Volcano Stage: The Road to the Beauty Contest Panotty's Court
Draco's Court
水中ステージ~みんななかよくお友達 Suichuu suteeji ~ Minna nakayoku o tomodachi Undersea Stage: Everybody is friends Nohoho's Court
Serilly's Court
まんざい SiDE B Manzai Side B Skit (B Side) Cutscene (Major characters)
空中ステージ~ティータイムは空の上で Kuuchuu suteeji~ Tii Taimu wa sora no ue de Air Stage: Teatime in the Sky Suketoudara's Court
Harpy's Court
Witch's Court
遺跡ステージ~トレジャーハンター? Iseki suteeji~ Torejaa Hantaa? Ruins Stage: Treasure Hunter? Dragon's Court
Chico's Court
Schezo's Court
準備OK!→LaDY 2 FIGHT! Junbi OK! →Lady 2 Fight Okay, Ready! (Lady 2 Fight) Rulue's Court
あやつり人形 Ayatsuriningyō Puppet Finale Part 1 (Pre-Satan)
STRANGE FIELD Satan's Court
ピエロ Piero Clown Finale Part 2 (Pre-Doppel)
最終決戦? Saishu kessen? The Final Battle? Doppelganger Arle's Court
わたしとわたし Watashi to watashi Me and Me Finale Part 3 (Post-Doppel)
エンディング Endingu Ending Credits
名前をいれてね Namae-o irete ne Please enter your name Name Entry Screen
ふたりでぷよぷよ Futari de puyopuyo Duo of Puyo Puyo Arle's Court
Everybody Puyo
とことんなぞぷよ Tokoton nazo puyo Endless Mission Puyo Mission Mode
とことんぷよぷよ Tokoton puyopuyo Endless Puyo Puyo Endless Mode
Carbuncle's Court
ピンチ!! Pinchi!! Pinch!! Near Topping Out**
(ばくだんぷよぷよ) (Bakudan puyopuyo) (Bomb Puyo Puyo) Bomb Puyo Mode**
(さばいばるぷよぷよ) (Sabaibaru puyopuyo) (Survival Puyo Puyo) Survival Mode***

Pocket Puyo Puyo~n (Game Boy Color version)

Gameplay

Pocket Puyo Puyo~n is 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.

In addition to the aforementioned Challenge mode, 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.

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

Challenge

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.

Control Bug

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.

Trivia

  • This game's Ruins theme would go on to appear in Puyo Puyo 7 and Puyo Puyo Champions, albeit in a remixed form.
  • With the debut of Chico, Puyo Puyo~n would be the first (and only one developed by Compile) Puyo game to feature a Compile-created character that was not borrowed from or later used in a Madou Monogatari game.
  • Prior to the game's release, Compile published Chico's Diary in their Disc Station magazine.
  • This game has several unused voice lines, including a vocal recreation of Player 2's chain in Puyo Puyo Tsu.
    • A good majority of them are seemingly counter voices, implying that Yo~n would have featured counter-attack animations similar to 15th and 20th onwards.
  • Pocket Puyo Puyo~n features Zoh Daimaoh, Nasu Grave, Mummy, and (in her first Puyo Puyo appearance) 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, Black 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.

Gallery

Boxart
Screenshots
Illustrations
Character Art
Sprites

References

  1. Blog post translation by Precise Museum