Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Review – Once You Drop You Can’t Stop (PS5)

Never in a million years did I think Tetris needed a story mode. But somehow, this mash-up with Puyo Puyo has successfully created not one, but two such experiences. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is out now on PlayStation 5 (and PS4), providing match game addicts like myself single player fun and intense multiplayer throwdowns.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Review – Battle for the Grid

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2‘s adventure mode may not have a super compelling story, but it is the best way to become familiar with the multitude of characters this game has to offer and some of the more unique mechanics. The SS Tetra finds itself pulled into “our” world and the veil between dimensions is at risk. Ringo (Puyo Puyo) and Tee (Tetris) must gather their friends and figure out how to save both worlds.

The story is presented as a leveled map with destinations and fierce opponents to battle. Battles are generally based on which of the two match games your focal character is good at, but not always. Thankfully it didn’t take me long to pick up Puyo Puyo as a first time player. As you win these matches, you’ll earn credits that can be used in the shop to buy items like new avatars or Tetrimino and Puyo designs. I just bought Morolian Puyos. Long live Space Channel 5!

I thought things were going to get progressively tougher as I pushed further in, and they do. But then the game introduced skills and item cards. It took me some time to get used to using skills and even now I know there is room for improvement. Each character has a skill that can be called upon during boss battles. My personal favourite is O’s HP Recovery but pretty much every skill is helpful when you have the hang of them. You can only use skills when there’s available MP and praise the blocks MP regenerates as you play.

Item cards are earned in Adventure Mode and equippable on one team at a time. The cards have all sorts of perks, such as strength, defense, recovery speed, etc. The more ornate a border on the card, the more powerful it is.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Review – Throwdown Showdown

Local multiplayer mode is the best part of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. Hands down, I can spend hours battling with my husband for bragging rights. Up to four people can face off in various modes. Versus Mode is your standard head to head face off and lets you choose from Tetriminos or Puyos. Swap Mode features two boards, one Puyo Puyo and the other Tetris, that swap intermittently during play. I’m a huge fan of Party Mode; special blocks drop and when you clear a line or match Puyos along it, those special moves trigger. This includes things attack buffs, increasing fall speed, and searchlights, to name a few.

Big Bang is an interesting mode (and one I am not that great at). Preset Tetriminos/Puyos appear on the board and you must use the next few drops to clear as many as you can. The more you clear, the greater the damage you’ll deal to your opponent. Another mode I’m not too fond of is Fusion Mode. With both Puyos and Tetriminos dropping, it can be extremely annoying when your Puyos are squished out of existence because a changing block decides to stop being all Puyo-ed at the last second. Neither of these are bad. They’re just not my cup of tea.

Sadly, there don’t seem to be many people playing in the online Puzzle League right now. All attempts I’ve made to start a match have led nowhere. For now I’ll stick with local multiplayer which is so much fun that I don’t particularly mind not battling against internet randoms.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is worth the price of admission. Whether you’re in the mood for some battles against the CPU, running an endless match in solo play, or willing to go to bed grumbling about your significant other somehow getting all the speed buffs and ruining your perfect Tetris, it’s a great game to pick up and play.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 review code provided by publisher. Version 1.002 reviewed on a PlayStation 5. For more information on scoring please see our Review Policy.