Puyo Puyo~n
| Puyo Puyo~n | |
|---|---|
 Puyo Puyo~n Box Art (Dreamcast) | |
| Developer | Compile |
| Publishers | Sega (DC/PSN) Compile (N64/PS/GBC) |
| Platforms | Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, PlayStation Network |
| Players | 1-4 players |
| Release date | Dreamcast
Nintendo 64
PlayStation
Game Boy Color
PSOne Classics (PSN)
|
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 numbered entry 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 chibi or super deformed art.
Playable Characters
- Exclusive to Pocket Puyo Puyo~n
- Pierrot
- Ragnus Bishasi
- Minotauros
- Incubus
- Honey Bee
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)
Main article: Pocket Puyo Puyo~n
A simplified version of Puyo Puyo~n titled Pocket Puyo Puyo~n was released for the Game Boy Color and 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.
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.
Gallery
- Boxart
-
PlayStation version -
N64 version -
- Screenshots
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Title screen (Dreamcast)
- Illustrations
-
Puyo Puyo~n (Dreamcast) cover art -
Puyo Puyo~n Party (N64) cover art -
Puyo Puyo~n: Kā-kun to Issho (PlayStation) cover art -
Compile Club #84 cover art -
COMPILE GALLERY 2+
- Character Art
-
Every playable character and Endless Nazo Puyo opponent, excluding Doppelganger Arle. -
Arle, Carbuncle, and the Endless Nazo Puyo opponents. -
Arle Nadja -
Arle Nadja -
Arle Nadja -
Arle & Carbuncle -
Rulue -
Schezo Wegey -
Schezo Wegey -
Satan -
Chico -
Chico -
Witch -
Witch -
Draco Centauros -
Draco Centauros -
Kikimora -
Skeleton T -
Serilly -
Serilly -
Serilly -
Harpy -
Archan -
Nohoho -
Nohoho -
Suketoudara -
Dragon -
Ragnus The Brave -
Ragnus The Brave
- Sprites
-
Arle Nadja -
Incubus -
Incubus
References