Puyo Puyo Tetris

Puyo Puyo Tetris is an unusual crossbreed of two completely different puzzle classics, released on Switch in the console's very first year and becoming one of its best titles for a train ride. On one side stands Tetris with its four-piece blocks and line clears, on the other Puyo Puyo, where colorful blobby drops fall and the player must link them in groups of four or more. The two games run on completely different logic: Tetris is about space and speed, Puyo is about setting up chain reactions, where one well-placed piece triggers a cascade.

The game finds its true purpose in versus play. Every successful move sends obstacles to the opponent, so the match becomes a question of who can keep up the pace longer. The mode selection is broad: there's a classic duel within the same game, but also one where one player plays Tetris and the other Puyo simultaneously on a single screen, plus Swap, which regularly switches between the two games, and Fusion, where blocks and drops fall onto one shared field together. The story mode, with voiced anime cutscenes, mainly serves as a tutorial that gradually teaches players advanced techniques. On Switch there's the option to play two players on one console with detached Joy-Cons, plus a snappy online mode, which keeps the game a reliable pick for a group.

The visuals are loud and colorful, full of animated characters commenting on the match as it unfolds, and the music adapts to how close a player is to losing. Reception was very positive, with reviewers especially praising the sheer number of modes and the quality of both base games, while frequent criticism was aimed at the price and having to sit through a repeated story thread. Today Puyo Puyo Tetris ranks among the best things you can play on a handheld console in short bursts, and at the same time among the toughest competitive puzzle games out there. Anyone who gets used to both rulesets at once ends up with a game that can be played for years while there's still room to improve. For newcomers, it's also nice that either half can be played entirely on its own.