Introduction to Puyo Puyo
Hey... do any of these pictures look familiar?
Puyo Puyo (Arcade, 1992)
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Genesis, 1993)
Kirby's Avalanche (SNES, 1994)
Puyo Puyo 2 (Tsuu) (Everything, 1994)
Puyo Pop (GBA, 2001)
Puyo Puyo Fever (Everything, 2004)
Puyo Puyo Tetris (3DS, Wii U, PSVita, PS3, PS4, XB1, Switch, PC, 2014/2017)
Puyo Puyo Champions (2018)
Puyo Puyo is a color-matching puzzle game series that began in 1991. It's beloved among Japanese gamers for its balanced, accessible, and simple-yet-complicated gameplay. People have been playing in Puyo tournaments for a long time, and recently, it became an official esport in Japan.
Now, with the release of Puyo Puyo Tetris and Puyo Puyo Champions overseas, the Puyo series is on track to become an esport all over the world!
... You probably can't believe that, right? It must be surprising to you that people could take a color-matching puzzle game so seriously. Well, if you're interested in learning more, allow me to give you a quick rundown of competitive Puyo Puyo.
Basic Mechanics
The primary goal of Puyo Puyo is simple. If you connect four or more Puyos of the same color, they'll pop! Try clicking on the chainsims below to watch the Puyos pop.
When Puyos disappear, gravity can cause other Puyos to fall down.
If the falling Puyos happen to connect in groups of four too, you'll get a Chain reaction!
Learning how to make big chains is important for succeeding in Puyo Puyo. Bigger chains earn a bigger amount of points, and as I'll show you below, they also cause big damage.
Garbage Puyos and Countering
In a competitive match, popping Chains will send Garbage Puyos to your opponent.
Garbage Puyos don't disappear when four of them are connected. They only disappear if you pop colored Puyos next to them.
In Puyo Puyo, you don't get a bonus for clearing Garbage Puyos. They exist solely to block your chain and waste your space, and that can quickly add up. In the video above, you saw how a 2 Chain sends a row of garbage, right? ⤵️
Take a look at how devastating a 5 Chain can be. With just 12 more Puyos, you can destroy your opponent's entire screen!
Chains form the foundation of Puyo Puyo, and they represent how you fight. If your chain is bigger than your opponent's, you can counter them and win.
I suppose all of these examples I'm showing you should be no-brainers, really. Bigger is better, right? Well...
Real-Time Battle
If you watch some YouTube videos of high-level Puyo matches, you'll discover very quickly that big chains aren't the only way to win.
Here's a 15 Chain that I once made in a Puyo match.
Pretty cool, huh? Now, let me show you how devastating it was once I... oh...
~ video of me getting wrecked by a 1 chain ~
Ouch.
Study Goals and Practice Drills
The chains you saw in the clips above were pretty exciting, right? If you're feeling inspired, I'd like you to try out some of these practice drills I made. They're interactive chaining simulations that you can use to practice chains, right in your web browser or on the go.