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Puzzle League/Panel De Pon


Klinsy

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Now, here's a oddity in the gaming world, a video game series that has most of it's installments get released  outside of Japan, but never in it's original form.

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This series is pretty much Nintendo's Puyo Puyo, a cast of cute characters with a matching falling puzzle game behind it, but like Puyo Puyo, chances if you had played it, you most likely haven't played with it's original cast, in fact, this series might even has worse luck than Puyo when it comes to this.

The original Panel De Pon was released on the Super Famicom, it was decently successful but it stared a cast of girly girls, so it was brought over as Tetris Attack(The gameplay is almost nothing like Tetris, by the way) and changed it to the cast of Yoshi's Island, possibly due to Yoshi staring in a couple of puzzle games himself.

During the N64 era, a sequel was planned but it got canceled, however, it was salvaged for a localized release that brought over the cast of the Pokemon anime, in the form of Pokemon Puzzle League, it introduced a new 3D form of the game with a cylinder mode and the subtitle stuck for all future localized versions, except one.

That game is Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, this one is a Pokemon game no matter where you play it, but inside the data suggests this was going to be another game with Lip and the fairies.

The canceled N64 version was reworked into the Gamecube title Nintendo Puzzle Collection, coming with a port of Dr. Mario 64 and a new version of Yoshi Cookie, this one came with new characters in the vein of the fairies, this one with the other two games almost made it outside of Japan, but it was canceled at the last second, to the point that ESRB rated it.

Using the Gamecube Gameboy Advance Link Cable, you can play a lesser detailed version from the Puzzle Collection on the Gameboy Advance, this version was later into it's own installment  that came with Dr. Mario, however, the characters were removed completely

The latest installment is currently Planet Puzzle League, it introduced touch screen controls and online play, this game has more a robotic theme and I think it's a bit less charming than the others but that's just me. A DSI version was made called Puzzle League Express, it's the same game but with less content.

So, yeah, that goes over this series odd history of localization well, but what do you actually do?

Well, you have a bunch of blocks and like most puzzle games, you got to match them up and prevent them from getting them from the top, simple but fun, what make things stand out are the garbage blocks, which you must use to your advantage and turn them into regular blocks by matching up blocks beside them, you can also send down garbage blocks on your opponents field in multiplayer by getting combo chains.

As for other appearances, Kirby can turn into a Garbage Block in Super Smash Bros and a item based on the series called the Lip Stick appears, Lip also appears in the game Captain Rainbow.

So, yeah, I like this series for it's fun gameplay and charming characters, what do you think?

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While it doesn't have QUITE the sublime universal appeal of Tetris that I myself appreciate too, Puzzle League is my favourite puzzle game.  I find it incredibly satisfying to play, and while it wasn't the intended experience of the developers, the Yoshi characters fit RIGHT into the localised version of the SNES original and I really enjoyed my time spent in the game, slowly working through the story (though I played that on emulator - Pokémon Puzzle League is what introduced me to the game).

My personal favourite mode has always been Line Clear - I like the pressure to "win" that comes with Versus mode, but dislike how much recieving garbage blocks changes up what I always percieved to be the "normal" gameplay due to mostly playing Endless and Timed mode.  Having said that, Timed Mode sometimes feels too short, and Endless mode too long (being able to suspend in Planet Puzzle League on DS helped with that mind but not ideal), so I like that Line Clear has an end goal for playing in short bursts.

Gotta say though, this series has some great music.  I don't care much for the original version, but Lip's Theme in Smash Bros is one of my favourite remixes from the series overall (gutted that they never put it on a Yoshi stage, it'd fit so well!  Would've been amazing to have as a Smash Run song too, I'd never use anything else lol).  The version from Dr. Mario & Puzzle League on GBA is very sweet and cheerful too:

https://youtu.be/uBv7WHlCQg4 (Not sure why this one won't embed)

And while Planet Puzzle League's overall soundtrack and aesthetic is weaker compared to the character-filled older games, I do adore the default gameplay theme, "Alpha Wave":

Always gets me amped up to concentrate and League me some Puzzles.  It's a shame that literally none of the other themes/songs do much for me in this version of the game.

 

Of course, Tetris Attack/Panel De Pon's soundtrack is pretty well known and has so many classics.  Froggy, Poochy, and Raphael's themes are the stand-outs for me.  Pokémon Puzzle League's weedy little midi versions of music from the show were kind of bizarre but were weirdly calming.  I dig the original theme composed for Mewtwo and the first Team Rocket Line Clear stage too.

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I freaking ADORE Puzzle League. It is not only my most played puzzle game, but most likely my most played game EVER. Me and my mom (who, by the way, generally doesn't even play videogames, so getting her hooked is an achievement by itself) clocked in 1008 Hours on my Pokemon Puzzle Challenge cartridge. Yes, one thousand and eight hours. If that isn't a testament on how fun the game is, I dunno what is. Since this is pretty much the only version I played (I played a little of tetris attack, but that's pretty much it), I will focus mostly on that one, but boy do I have great memories with it.

While my Mom was mostly playing the Marathon Mode, I was all about beating down enemies. And it is so freaking satisfying. For those who don't know, the Challenge Mode is basically beating all the Gymleaders in Johto, and on higher difficulties, the Elite 4 and finally the Champ. And especially on higher difficulties, it is a freaking blast. Getting rid of a garbage block is already satisfying, but finding opportunities for damaging the enemy while the regular blocks in the garbage get revealed and basically throwing back all the supposed damage those blocks should do back in his or her face is just amazing. Or those moments when you got so much garbage on the screen that your blocks are already squashed and you're so close to losing, but then you find that ONE block combo to pull you out, prolongue the game and turn the match on its head... Maaaan, I could gush on forever. Such satisfying gameplay.

I don't have too much experience with the other modes. Line Clear is a fun time waster when I don't want too much action, and I enjoy that mode where you have to clear some preset blocks with a limited amount of moves. Stuff like Marathon Mode can be fun once in a while, but I'm not that big of a fan.

I don't have much experience with the other versions. I don't have a SNES, so I can't play Tetris Attack (I guess the name holds it back from a VC release) and, well... correct me if I'm wrong, but the later versions on GBA and DS, as far as I've seen, don't have any characters? That's a rather big drawback for me - no matter if it's Pokemon, Yoshi and friends or Lip (which I'd love to see return, by the way), I love seeing actual characters with me, no matter if I'm just clearing blocks or trying to crush an opponent. It might seem miniscule to some, but it's just very charming to me, so it's a shame they just dropped the whole character thing. I hope it returns in later games.

That is, if we get another one. Please get on that, Nintendo.

 

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Panel de Pon. The best f***ing puzzle game of all time IMO. I absolutely loved the original Panel de Pon. I mean, yeah I played it under the name Tetris Attack, but I love he look of the original fairy characters a well and want to see them come back.

 

In general, this franchise should come back. It needs to be its own thing and go back to the solid controls of the originals (I heard the newest versions haven't been nearly as good in gameplay). And maybe for a bonus throw online multiplayer in there.

 

Come on, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. You can do it. Bring back Panel de Pon.

Ok, seriously. I'm surprised someone created a Panel de Pon thread.

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perhaps one of the more interesting things is that Panel De Pon has an "arranged soundtrack" that can be found on Intelligent System's website. Kapus has put up videos of the tracks on her YouTube and nicknamed the album as Panel de Pon Harmony.  But here's the best thing I can think of with any version of "Walk on a Rainbow"

skip to 1:20 for the best internal shoutout.

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Pokemon Puzzle League was my shit back in the day. Loved the use of the anime aesthetics- the cutscenes, trainer designs, voices, and music remixes- and the gameplay was just classic Puzzle League fun. Me and my brother used to play super competitively, dropping 10x-plus  garbage blocks on each other, and trying to balance these attacks with having enough tiles on screen to set up matches to defend ourselves by breaking up the garbage on our own screen. At that point, it was basically a matter of whoever fell out of the zone first would be the loser. It got the point where we started breaking the game whereupon it stopped being able to recognize a lose state and would simply keep pushing the blocks beyond the top of the screen and forcing us to reset. It's the only game where I feel like I could've been a contender in a competitive scene. If I ever get around to sprucing up my N64 it's the one game I know I'd get back into.

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53 minutes ago, Nepenthe said:

It's the only game where I feel like I could've been a contender in a competitive scene. If I ever get around to sprucing up my N64 it's the one game I know I'd get back into.

Heh, that's how I felt about it. But what's this about it breaking the game where it stopped being able to recognize a lose state? The original Tetris Attack could basically go unlimited up into ? garbage blocks and still recognize a lose state. Notably, ? garbage blocks started at 14.

Me and my cousin regularly went over the 10 minute time limit and had massive garbage blocks sitting on us, to the point where it just came down to which one of us messed up and used too many blocks to the point where we couldn't clear out the garbage blocks anymore. That's basically the only way either of us would lose.

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20 minutes ago, JaidynReiman said:

Heh, that's how I felt about it. But what's this about it breaking the game where it stopped being able to recognize a lose state? The original Tetris Attack could basically go unlimited up into ? garbage blocks and still recognize a lose state. Notably, ? garbage blocks started at 14.

I'm not entirely sure how the glitch works. But in Pokemon Puzzle League, if you get a garbage block dropped on you that touches or surpasses the top of the screen, or if your normal match blocks reach the top, you've got around a two-second grace period to make a match which will allow play to continue. For large swathes of competitive play, both match and garbage blocks can be past the top of the screen without the game declaring a winner, because you can continually renew the grace period by simply making matches. If you continuously play like this, stacking garbage blocks on top of garbage blocks, eventually the game will break and not be able to recognize a lose state at all even if both players stop making matches. At that point, the blocks will actually resume ascending into infinity and making matches will not work at all. xD This happened multiple times to me and my brother, and we simply declared these games as draws.


EDIT: Here's a video of what happens. It's pretty neat!
 

 

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4 hours ago, Nepenthe said:

I'm not entirely sure how the glitch works. But in Pokemon Puzzle League, if you get a garbage block dropped on you that touches or surpasses the top of the screen, or if your normal match blocks reach the top, you've got around a two-second grace period to make a match which will allow play to continue. For large swathes of competitive play, both match and garbage blocks can be past the top of the screen without the game declaring a winner, because you can continually renew the grace period by simply making matches. If you continuously play like this, stacking garbage blocks on top of garbage blocks, eventually the game will break and not be able to recognize a lose state at all even if both players stop making matches. At that point, the blocks will actually resume ascending into infinity and making matches will not work at all. xD This happened multiple times to me and my brother, and we simply declared these games as draws.


EDIT: Here's a video of what happens. It's pretty neat!
 

 

Yeah, really weird. I think it must be Pokemon Puzzle League exclusive because I've never seen this in Tetris Attack. That being said, I have heard that later Puzzle League games just weren't as well made or refined as the original Tetris Attack/Panel De Pon, with the latest one being kinda sh**.

Really disappointing, especially disappointing they never made more, because tbh, how hard is it to make a match 3 puzzle game? Really want IS to bring this IP back. (Preferably KEEPING the fairies in the localization this time, if they bring them back at all.)

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