|
Compile's fabled
puzzle game series hops to a new version changes not seen since the Sun Puyo
was introduced on Saturn many moons ago. The colorful intro screen and game
is no longer headlined by the affable munchkin known as Arle Arja. She's elsewhere
in the game however as a character. An equally
effervescent blonde named Amitie who wears a Puyo hat atop her golden locks makes her
debut in Puyo Puyo Fever. Similar to Ms Arja's escapades, our heroine meets and competes
against oddly appointed characters in games of puzzle matching action to determine winner
and pecking order.
Once the game begins, the familiar Puyos rain down in groups of
two. The graphics are shinier than previous incarnations and each duo of
Puyos bounce like buoyant jelly once they hit the ground. New shapes include
elbow Puyos, teardrop Puyos, yin/yang Puyos and big Puyos which both break
up into 4 separate Puyos once they hit the ground. Sprightly sound
effects and yelping voices also accompany the visual bounces for that immersive experience. On
each player's gaming area, background graphics splash a little bit of color
and substance to the visual simplicity. Puyo Puyo Fever adds an aptly named
Fever Meter to the game which lies to the side of each gamer's window. It's
made up of 7 circles which measure your Fever level and one starts filling up the
Fever by setting up chain combos of at least 2 linked Puyo pops. Set off
combos when the meter is full and shining like a beacon and you'll see a
bunch of 3-D effects on your side of the screen as the Puyo stacks move
around in a cinematic circus show. The camera will zoom in on the Puyos and
show them being popped in 3-D isometric action.
Linking a number of combos
together will throw down a commensurate amount of transparent Puyos on your opponent which
blocks its color matching capabilities. Create a mega-chain of at least 5
linked Puyo pops and you'll potentially squash a big transparent Puyo on your opponent
which takes up the space of four regular Puyos. |
