Hey Pokemaniacs, remember this game? Because I do! In fact, I bought this along with other mainline games when I had my first GameBoy Color, and I loved it! But back then, I was still very new to video games and never managed to complete all of its content, such as the secret hard modes and the extra Pokemon you can get. But Pokemon Puzzle Challenge is an old game that’s still spoken of fondly. It was readily available on the 3DS Virtual Console for cheap, and I often find myself playing it whenever I need to let off steam. Seriously, this game is such a good outlet for when I’m angry. Basically, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge is a Pokemon game but with the gameplay of the famous Panel de Pon concept, where the main gameplay focuses on blocks falling into a well. You earn points by connecting three or more of the same blocks together, or getting rid of them with creative combos, like swapping them around. In this case, stacking four or more blocks causes damage to your opponent, and if the block piles manage to reach the very top, you lose. You basically go through the various towns and the Pokemon League in the Johto region, but instead of battling trainers traditionally, you fight them with blocks. Yeah.
Don’t let my bad description of the gameplay fool you. Depending on the difficulty level you set for yourself, the game requires you to really use your head and strategize if you want to get anywhere in the game. But don’t think the main story mode is all the game has to offer. There are also various puzzles and side-games within Puzzle Challenge, such as infinitely battling against a computer until you lose, or unlocking the various baby Pokemon in a still image by completing enough levels. If you’re playing the story mode, you start off with the three Johto starters, but if you meet certain requirements, such as defeating an opponent within a certain time frame on a certain difficulty, you can unlock more Pokemon and keep them, but only if you win against said Pokemon. You can also lose said Pokemon if your entire team is defeated in battle.
Like Pokemon TCG for the GameBoy, you can pretty much complete this game’s various story modes in a little over a couple of hours, and even its story is very, very light. Pretty barebones compared to other games, and even compared to other spin-offs. But that’s not the point of this game. Anyway, for GameBoy Color standards, the graphics are great. The backgrounds are colorful, the Pokemon sprites are detailed and are nicely animated, with lively facial expressions showing whether they get hurt, defeated, attacking, or rejoicing in victory. Every Pokemon gets a special attacking, defeat, or victory animation, and while they’re not much to write home about by today’s standards, they’re still nice all around. About the same quality as, say, Pokemon Crystal, which would come later.
There’s also one thing you should know as well: Type advantages don’t do anything in this game. The gameplay is all about stacking as many blocks against your opponent as possible, so you can easily win against an opponent even if you send a Chikorita out against Falkner’s Pidgey, or a Sentret against Chuck’s Primeape. So…other than all those things, there isn’t much else to say about Pokemon Puzzle Challenge. I often play it whenever I feel like it, or when I’m angry, and many people I know still like it today. It’s nothing special, but if you’re in the mood for stacking blocks and something different than your usual Pokemon fare, this game’s a good option.
