Puyo Pop (video game)
| Minna de Puyo Puyo | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) |
Sega THQ (NA) |
| Director(s) | Akinori Nishiyama |
| Producer(s) | Yuji Naka |
| Composer(s) | Hideki Abe |
| Series | Puyo Puyo |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | 1 to 4 players |
Puyo Pop, known as Minna de Puyo Puyo (みんなでぷよぷよ Minna de Puyo Puyo) in Japan, is the first of the Puyo Puyo games made for the Game Boy Advance, and the first made by Sonic Team after Compile went bankrupt and gave the rights to Sega. However, at the same time, it is the last to use the original Madou Monogatari cast. It was not counted in the "official" sequence, nor were the later Anniversary games, as evidenced by the naming of Puyo Puyo 7.
The Japanese title means "Everybody Puyo Puyo", which refers to the game's four player mode and became a staple in future games. The Western title is simply named Puyo Pop, because previously all other releases had been masked by various alterations (except for the Neo-Geo Pocket version of Puyo Puyo Tsu). Some fans(who?) have dubbed it Puyo Pop GBA, to avoid confusion when using its English title.
Out of all the Puyo Puyo games, this one seems to be the most directly influenced by Puyo Puyo Tsu, though some of the elements in game are reminiscent of Puyo Puyo~n, such as Rule Henka.
Plot
Satan, the main "villain" from the previous games, is once again up to no good. He splits up five gold runes, and they are handed off to different individuals across the globe. Satan then sets up a Puyo Puyo contest. Carbuncle runs off for it, and Arle gives chase, thus starting her strange journey to collect the runes and find Carbuncle. At the end, it is revealed that the runes are actually a ticket for Arle and himself to go and bathe at some hot springs, made from the finest curry powder with the faintest scent for Carbuncle to trace. Arle then breaks the curry blocks, foiling Satan once again and leaving him to cry hysterically, whilst Arle uses the blocks to make curry.
In the English versions of the game, Satan's name was changed to Dark Prince, for obvious reasons concerning religion.
Gameplay
Single Puyo Puyo
This mode is essentially the game's story mode. Each course is unlocked as Arle progresses through the story. An interesting feature of this mode, however, is the ability to attain and deliver various items throughout the courses. The item side quest can be played after clearing the game. Each item is received after the player completes the course for the second time. The player navigates through six different areas - Hamaji Forest, Gold Town, Gachinko Dungeon, Magical Tower, Dark Prince Castle and Trial Labyrinth - each with their own special Rule Henka. The first five areas are each unlocked by completing the one before it, but Trial Labyrinth has to be unlocked after completing an item delivery quest following the completion of the first five areas a second time.
Double Puyo Puyo and Everybody Puyo Puyo
These are the game's two player and four player modes respectively. They allow for both single and multi-cart play. The Point and Hard Puyo rules can be used once they are unlocked. Carbuncle and Satan can also be used once they have been unlocked.
Card collection
Unique to Puyo Pop is a series of item delivery quests allowing the player to collect character cards of the cast. These can only be performed after the player has already beaten the normal story mode once. Once collected, the cards act as a gallery system typical of the genre, featuring artwork of the character and allowing the player to hear their voices by pressing the A button. There are 20 cards in all, with cards 19 and 20 playing music not otherwise used in the game.