What is Puyo Puyo?

If you are familiar with our site, you necessarily know Medicom Toy, the Japanese company behind UDF, VCDs, but also and above all Bearbrick. In 100 % (7 cm), 400 % (28 cm) or 1,000 % (72 cm), Bearbrick are available in several models that they are inspired by classical artists, films or more recently video games. After, among other things, a Bearbrick Space Invader and a model Sonic The Hedgehog, Medicom Toy now returns to a great video game classic with Puyo Puyo. Worship in Japan, but not very recognized in the West, so we will ask ourselves the following question:

What is Puyo Puyo?

At the beginning, there is Columns ...

In 1985, a game rebatted the cards of the thinking game. Its principle? Stack tetrominos to fill lines and thus make them disappear. His name? Tetris. Judicial imbroglio quite crazy and too complex to be detailed here, the rights of the game return to Nintendo in 1988. His main competitor, Sega does not intend to leave Nintendo the monopoly of the genre and bought the rights of Columns to its creator Jay Geertsen. We keep the principle of stacking forms except that this time, we must reveal lines of three colors and that, important difference, gravity is taken into account.

... and Madou Monogatari.

Japanese role -playing game in the first person, Madou Monogatari is a game today a little forgotten. Except that in 1991 a spin OFF of the game arrived on the stalls under the name of Puyo Puyo. Returning more or less the concepts of columns (assembling colors, management of gravity), the game, initially released on arcade terminal, stands out thanks to its versus mode. The more you make a longer chain, the more you will rot the game of your opponent. Great success, Puyo Puyo will have a good number of suites. Today there are almost 30 games stamped "Puyo Puyo"

Sonic for Sega ...

How to do in 1991 to sell in the West an obscure puzzle game from a license never left Japan? By changing the universe simply. Thus, when the first Puyo Puyo arrives with us, his name is "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine"And takes place in the universe of the Sonic cartoon of the time.

... Kirby for Nintendo.

Puyo Puyo will be worn on Super Nintendo in 1993 by Banpresto (that you know well on our site since responsible, among other things, for "q posket" figurines) under the title of "Super Puyo Puyo". With us, it will be called"Kirby's Ghost Trap"(" Kirby's Avalanche "in North America), and will take up the world of the small pink ball of Hal Laboratory.

Sega, it's stronger than you

From 1998, SEGA bought the Puyo Puyo license and confides, from 2001, the development of games at the Sonic Team, Studio Stoned in the franchise Sonic The Hedgehog, but also at the origin of Nights Into Dreams, Chuchu Rocket!, Samba de Amigo or Phantasy Star Online.

The shock of the titans.

In 2014, Japanese players are fortunate to attend the fantasy of any puzzle game player: The meeting between Tetris and Puyo Puyo. Released in 2017 in 2017, Puyo Puyo Tetris met a great success, including on PC, so that a suite was born in 2020. Tetris and Puyo Puyo Main in hand, the loop is completed and too bad for Columns which will remain the eternal forgotten.