Puyo Pop

About

Puyo Pop brings the classic match-three action of Puyo Puyo to the Neo Geo Pocket Color. You control Arle Nadja as she climbs a tower by defeating opponents in quick puzzle battles. Each floor has an experience goal you must hit before moving up. The game uses a roulette system to let you pick your next challenger, adding a layer of strategy to the chaos. Unlike earlier English releases, this version keeps the original character names and artwork intact, with the exception of Satan becoming the Dark Prince. The tower structure creates a distinct pacing compared to linear story modes found elsewhere. You face a final boss on each level if you clear the enemies without hitting the point target. Missing that mark means Arle gets kicked out of the tower right away. The community rates this handheld port highly for its tight controls and faithful presentation of the source material. It stands out as one of the better portable entries in the series, offering solid replay value for puzzle fans who want a quick session on the go.

Storyline

As opposed to the first game's linear Scenario mode, Tsu's main mode is a tower where Arle Nadja selects opponents to battle via roulette. Each "floor" of the tower has an EXP total that the player must reach in order to advance. If the player defeats all of a floor's opponents without meeting the goal, one final opponent will appear. If, after defeating this extra opponent, the player still fails to meet the goal, Arle is booted from the tower and the game ends. The EXP goals vary from version to version; for example, Super Puyo Puyo Tsu requires twice as many points to clear the first floor as the arcade or Mega Drive versions.