For clarification, I will be talking specifically about Super Puyo Puyo 2 for the Super Famicom. I will not be discussing any of the other versions of this game.

Puyo Puyo 2 (sometimes written as Puyo Puyo Tsū), is a falling block puzzle game created by Compile, a now semi-defunct studio who worked closely with Sega for many years. While similar to a game like Tetris, its main draw is the fast-paced, competitive nature of its gameplay. After it became a huge hit in Japanese arcades, it was rereleased for many home consoles. The Super Famicom version (titled Super Puyo Puyo 2) was released in 1996, with an updated version (titled Super Puyo Puyo 2 Remix) being released in 1997.

Gameplay

If you're familiar with games like Tetris or Panel de Pon, they're kind of a mish-mash of the two. Falling jellies called "puyo" will descend, and you must match 4 of the same color to clear them. The goal is to make long combos/chains, which can affect your strategy of where/how you wish to place your Puyo. If your screen fills up with Puyo, it's game over.

What makes these games challenging (and fun!) is the competitive nature of the game. You must fight against another character/player to see who can last the longest. You can make it harder for your opponent to win by dumping "garbage Puyo" onto the other's screen. This is done by clearing Puyo from your own board, and you can dump more by creating larger chains.

Puyo Puyo 2 is the first game in the series to have a counter measure; if you make the same amount/more chains than the opponent, you can negate the garbage Puyo, and even send some back to the opponent. This adds a greater need to create suitable situations for chains to happen, as you never know when a group of chains can make or break your chances of winning.

Game Modes

Single-Player

The first mode most will be familiar with is the Story Mode. Satan, in an attempt steal the heart of protagonist Arle Nadja, sets up a battle tower full of characters from the Puyo Puyo series. She must fight against them in order to save herself, as well as her companion, Carbuncle.

The opponent select screen

The Story Mode is pretty simple. You must gain a certain amount of Experience Points in order to advance to the next floors of the tower. This means that if you do well in a round, you do not need to fight every single character on the board. Experience Points also carry over to the next floor, so you'll never start from square one.

As you progress the tower, the opponents naturally get more difficult. The amount of characters per floor decrease as well, meaning there are less chances to wrack up points. If you do not recieve enough points on a floor, you must fight a hidden boss (who is extremely difficult to compete against, might I add). If you still don't get enough points to progress, you get a bad ending and must start over from the beginning.

What a typical match can look like

There is also what the game calls "Training Mode". This mode allows the player to learn different tips and tricks of the game. It plays similarly to the first Puyo Puyo in terms of how it structures its levels. While personally I didn't get much out of it, it may be helpful for others, or a nice structural change of pace from the main gameplay.

Multiplayer (for the most part)

Puyo Puyo is a game well known for its multiplayer, and the SNES version is no exception to this rule.

The multiplayer mode is actually really interesting (as well as confusing if you don't read Japanese). In 2-Player Mode, you can choose different stages. However, each stage has its own gimmick to them that changes up the gameplay. Some examples are needing more (or less) Puyo of the same color to clear them off the screen, different kinds of Garbage Puyo can fall on your screen, and even a stage where you can edit rules yourself! This can be an especially fun challenge, especially if you're playing with a friend who is well-versed in the game and its strategies.

2-Player Mode Screen

There is another mode called Endless Puyo Mode. This is meant for 2 players, but singleplayer is allowed. This mode plays similar to a classic game of Tetris, where you simply keep playing until you can't anymore.

While you play, Garbage Puyo will fall randomly on your screen (after giving you an ample warning). This easily makes the game much tougher. However, you have more tricks up your sleeve. Also randomly, you'll be able to use a "powerup" in the form of a large Puyo that wipes out a column of blocks, or the little yellow guy Carbuncle who changes most of the Puyo to the same color so they can be cleared.

Carbuncle changing the color of the Puyo so they can be cleared

The large Puyo clearing your screen

There is also 4-Player Mode, which is the only home port of this game that allows it! Since the SNES/SFC only have 2 controller ports, you'll need the 4 Controller Adapter to achieve this.

Art/Music

I'll admit that I'm not always a fan of the ultra-cute, chibi aesthetic. However, this game is one of the few exceptions. I think the reason that is is because of the art design as a whole. The Puyo Puyo series has always had a humourous yet whimsical atmosphere, and the "chibitization" of the characters and its world helps to enhance this. The world is also so colorful, and really leans into certain design philosophies of the 90s (everything being shiny, combining the cartoons with realism, etc.)

In regards to the music, here's a hot take; I like the SFC version of the music better than the Mega Drive. I know, throw your tomatoes now. The main reason is simply because of the sample choices they went when reorchestrating the tracks. It was clear that they had a vision for how the music should sound using more sophisticated synths as opposed to the FM chip the composers were usually stuck with. Once they got the chance to see their idea into reality, they went with it and didn't hold back!

I also do admire how with certain tracks, they composed new works just for the SFC. The composers must've realized with some tracks, reorchestrating it wasn't going to sound right, so they just wrote some new songs that played to the strengths of a sampling soundchip. I think having that intuition is really important, and I'd rather they do that then try to shoehorn in a track that was going to sound bad.

Final Thoughts

As I've become more familiar with Super Puyo Puyo 2, it has easily become one of my favorite games for the SNES/SFC. It's such a fun, addicting game, and it doesn't skip out on the character in it's overall presentation. While I have played some other games within the franchise, this one will still have a special place in my heart. If you want to experience the game for yourself, I would recommend the SFC version, as I find it to be the best aesthetically speaking. However, all versions of this game are wonderful in their own right, so you won't be missing out with any version you choose!