With Pokemon GO being released this week, it seems like the perfect time to go back and take a look at some of the Pokemon spin-off games from days gone by. Enter Pokemon Puzzle League. A spin-off of the mega franchise developed in 2000 by Nintendo, this game was given good reviews at release, but one complaint always came up: everyone said this game was just a rip off of Tetris Attack with a Pokemon skin. With that being said, is that all there is? Or is there more that this game has to offer? Let’s find out in my mighty review of… Pokemon Puzzle League!

This game’s story is simple. Professor Oak skypes Ash and tells him about the puzzle league championship. Ash then runs into town and faces off against rivals, gym leaders, elite trainers and more to become the Puzzle League champion. What do puzzles have to do with Pokemon? I don’t know, let’s just say this isn’t exactly a game you play for a deep and compelling story. 

The artwork is well done, faithfully adhering to the anime’s style.  The puzzle village is themed like a major city from the anime, with each building offering something new. Different characters from the show with most of their voice actors reprising their roles make for an authentic experience. Not to mention this is one of the very few N64 games with FMV and full voice acting. And the character designs are still unique and well done enough for those who have never seen the anime before to enjoy the game anyway. The blocks are colored and designed clearly enough to prevent frustration while looking through them all. The only real visual issues are the occasional framerate drops during 3D games. 

Musically, the game is solid, using instrumental tracks from the 2.B.A. Master soundtrack and the anime that changes its speed and tone to match the gameplay. Unfortunately, with the N64’s limited space for audio, there’s a lot of repetitive dialogue. Also some of the Pokemon have the most irritating cries I’ve ever heard. Overall, the Pokemon theme does a good job setting things up for the game, but I have to wonder how they came up with this idea.

Pokemon Puzzle League plays sort of like a reverse Tetris and exactly like Tetris Attack. Lines of blocks rise up from the bottom of the screen and the player can switch two blocks that are horizontally adjacent. If this creates a vertical or horizontal line of three or more blocks of the same color, they disappear. By getting larger combos, special blocks, or longer chains, players can drop walls onto their opponent that can only be converted into blocks by making a match next to them. First player to have their blocks hit the top of the screen for a small amount of time loses.

If that seems easy to you, just wait. This game can get insanely hectic, especially when competing against with other players. The game’s speed can be adjusted to your liking and skill level, and when walls are falling from above as blocks rise from below, even the most seasoned of puzzle gamers will start to sweat.

While most of the gameplay is the same as Tetris Attack, Pokemon Puzzle League does have some unique and additional features that make it a great follow-up. First, with the N64’s increased processing power, the cursor, blocks, and AI can move faster, making for much more intense gameplay. It also introduced 3D puzzles which while neat, aren’t my favorite addition to the game. Especially since the AI has bugs when playing in 3D mode and the controls seem to be much more jittery.

But the Puzzle League is the mode most players will likely try out first. In this mode, you go through a slew of characters from the anime, defeating them in one-on-one 2D games. Difficulty here ranges from easy to Super hard and let me tell you, that ain’t no joke. The easier modes do a great job of easing a player into the game while still offering a challenge while the harder modes will make you want to THROW YOUR FUCKING CONTROLLER OUT THE GODDAMN WINDOW… FUCK YOU GARY!! 

Seriously, the gameplay is incredibly unforgiving in the end with computer players raking in massive combos that no one else could even dream about. 26 is the highest I’ve seen them make on me and honestly, I just sat and watched after a while wondering when my impending doom would come upon me. Still, the challenge does ramp up steadily and is fun all the way through. Even after losing for the FIFTH FUCKING TIME GARY! THERE’S ONLY 8 BADGES IN KANTO… HOW’D YOU GET 10? YOU’RE A DIRTY CHEAT AND YOU KNOW IT!!

Sigh… When you’re not going insane trying to beat that mode, you can always check out some of the town’s other attractions. Professor Oak will show new players how to play the game in his lab, while Tracey will teach the player key combos and tricks in the mirror mansion. These skills can be tested in the Puzzle university, which gives players a limited number of block movements to clear the board. Time mode has players attempt to score the most points possible within a time limit at a difficulty they set while marathon just goes on forever. The final mode is Team Rocket’s Spa Service. Here, players will have to clear blocks to below a certain line in both 2D and 3D puzzles. This mode itself could be considered its own secondary single-player campaign, with a final boss at the end and everything. All of these modes offer something new to the table and make for fun in their own way and there’s definitely something here for everyone.

Finally, there’s multiplayer. Not only can two players compete against each other in both 2D and 3D modes, but each player can select from any of the puzzle league characters and set their own difficulty and block speed. This is great as it allows for new players to be on a level in which they can compete with veterans. The competition is excellent and some of the best multiplayer the N64 has to offer. 

My only real complaint with the gameplay is the lack of anything Pokemon-related. The trainer and Pokemon you select to battle with changes nothing but the artwork on the battle screen. It would have been nice to maybe have a mode where certain pokemon have different abilities. Maybe Pikachu could charge up three or so combos to hold and then drop them all at once? Or maybe Alakazam could cause walls to float for a short period of time while Arcanine burns down walls without having to combo them. It’s a real shame when the Pokemon license isn’t used to its fullest despite having so much potential. Kinda like something else I’ve been playing recently...

While Pokemon Puzzle League does a great job of adding to and advancing the gameplay of Tetris attack, it does have a few faults. The Pokemon aesthetic almost feels unnecessary as it doesn’t affect the gameplay at all. It could have just as easily been another Mario spin-off. And while I do wish they tidied up the framerate and repetitive voice acting a bit, these are nit picks compare to the amount of enjoyment this game offers. I can’t forget to mention how fun and addictive this game is, rivaling Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart in terms of multiplayer replay value. That’s why my final rating for Pokemon Puzzle League is… 8.5 weird Pokemon cries out of 10! I hope you all enjoyed the review and be sure to keep an eye out for next week’s nifty recipe based on this game. And as always, have a mighty nifty day today!