Game Boy Game Recommendations | mariteaux

[#] Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (Nintendo, Game Boy, 2000)

If it ain't broke, put Pokémon in it anyway.

Given that I've officially hit the point where I can play a game of Tetris DX for one million years, I've started looking at what other Game Boy puzzle games I can sink too much time into. Imagine me booting into Pokémon Puzzle Challenge only to discover I already played this a lot as a minigame in Animal Crossing: New Leaf! Both are actually descendents of a SNES block-swapping game called Panel de Pon, or Tetris Attack internationally, because Nintendo is good at having an idea and then just reusing it twenty times.

All Panel games involve swapping blocks horizontally, trying to make a row or column of three or more of the same color of block. My brain doesn't see matches as easily as it does openings in Tetris boards, so I suck at it, but it's still a good time. Puzzle Challenge's Pokémon theming is effectively (absolutely adorable) set dressing, as your party of the Johto starters and Pikachu mostly count as lives in the "story" mode where you "battle" gym leaders and the Elite Four, or as Professor Oak explains the game modes to you.

I feel like Puzzle Challenge is rather easy unless you intentionally crank the speed up (or force more rows on-screen with B) to make it more difficult. Like I said, I'm dog ass at this game, so maybe that's alright. While being a Pokémaniac isn't necessary to enjoy Puzzle Challenge, the visuals and music are lovely and carry that warm, wistful Johto charm on them. With lots of mode variety, score and progress saving, and good vibes all around, maybe it's best Nintendo didn't tamper with a good thing after all.