| Pokémon Puzzle League | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer | Nintendo Software Technology |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Director | Yukimi Shimura |
| Producers | Yukimi Shimura Takehiro Izushi |
| Designers |
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| Programmers |
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| Artists |
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| Series | |
| Platform | Nintendo 64 |
| Release | |
| Genre | Puzzle |
| Modes | |
Pokémon Puzzle League is apuzzle video game in thePuzzle League series developed byNintendo Software Technology and published byNintendo for theNintendo 64. Released in North America on September 25, 2000, and in Europe on March 2, 2001, itsPuzzle League-based gameplay has a focus on puzzle-based strategy in the game's grid-based format. To advance to new levels, players are required to combat the game's trainers and gym leaders, similar to the ones featured inPokémon Red,Blue, andYellow. One of several games based on thePokémon anime, it features lead protagonistAsh Ketchum, hisPikachu, his companionsBrock andMisty, theKanto Gym Leaders, and other characters from the series.
Pokémon Puzzle League received mostly positive reviews from critics.Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, a companion puzzle game, was released for theGame Boy Color in 2000. Re-releases of the game followed in 2008 for theWii viaVirtual Console, and in 2022 on theNintendo Classics service.[2]
Pokémon Puzzle League features the same gameplay as inPanel de Pon. The objective is to clear blocks from the playfield by arranging them in horizontal or vertical lines of three or more blocks. A continuous stream of new blocks pushes up from the bottom of the playfield, causing the entire playfield to rise continuously. If the blocks reach the top of the playfield, the player loses. The player can temporarily stop the progression of blocks by scoring combos and chains, and in two-player battles, these actions also cause garbage blocks to stack on top of the opponent's playfield.
Unlike its predecessors,Pokémon Puzzle League features a 3D mode in addition to the traditional 2D mode. In this mode, gameplay takes place on a cylinder with an effective width of 18 blocks, compared to the six-block width of the flat 2D field. It also features the original block design fromPanel de Pon andTetris Attack, as well as a Pokémon-oriented design (selected by default). The game features the ability to battle against AI opponents, though their abilities are limited when using the 3D gameplay style.[3]
The game includes several modes of play. In "1P Stadium", players controlAsh Ketchum as they compete to defeat a series of increasingly difficult opponents and become the Puzzle Master. "2P Stadium" allows two players to choose one of 15 Pokémon trainers to play as, and battle one another using different gameplay rulesets. Other game types include "Marathon", which challenges players to continue playing as long as possible before the blocks fill the screen; "Time Zone", in which players attempt to achieve the highest score possible within a two minute time limit; "Spa Service", a stage-based mode where the player must clear a target number of lines to advance to the next stage; and "Puzzle University", a puzzle mode where players must clear predetermined block configurations within a limited number of moves.[4] The game also includes modes designed to teach newer players, including "Professor Oak's Lab", in whichProfessor Oak provides several tutorials on how to play; and "Mimic Mansion", a training arena hosted byTracey Sketchit that demonstrates techniques and allows players to practice.
The 16 playable characters inPokémon Puzzle League are directly taken from thePokémon anime, including characters that originally debuted in previousPokémon games, such asMisty,Brock, andGiovanni. Ash Ketchum is the only playable character in the 1P Stadium mode, whereas other characters are available in the 2P Stadium mode. Ash's rivalGary Oak's Pokémon, aNidoran♀,Growlithe, andKrabby, appear fully evolved intoNidoqueen,Arcanine, andKingler when playing 1P Stadium on Hard difficulty or higher, although these evolved forms are not available when playing as Gary in 2P Stadium. The game's difficulty setting determines who the player faces as the final opponent: Giovanni in Easy mode,Bruno in Normal mode, Gary in Hard mode, andMewtwo in Very Hard and Super Hard modes, which upon his defeat rewards the player with a different ending scene.
In addition to Ash, characters playable in the 2P Stadium mode include the eightKanto Gym Leaders; Orange Islands companion Tracey Sketchit; perpetual villains Jessie, James, and Meowth ofTeam Rocket; rivals Gary Oak andRitchie; Elite Four trainersLorelei and Bruno; and Mewtwo, who uses cloned Pokémon.[a] Each character has a unique set of three Pokémon to battle with and a specific theme music; these differences are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay. Non-playable characters include Professor Oak, who provides tutorial information to the player;Nurse Joy, who hosts the game's "Pokemon Center" options menu; and less-seen Team Rocket membersButch and Cassidy, who appear as special opponents in the Spa Service mode.
Ash andPikachu are on vacation when they are called on the phone byProfessor Oak, who tells Ash he has been selected as one of the challengers for the official Puzzle League Tournament. Ash races off excitedly with Pikachu to the nearby Pokémon Puzzle League Village.
During the tournament, Ash challengesGary, his first rival, before defeating seven of the eight of the Kanto region gym leaders and earning their badges, learning from them of a legendary undefeated competitor known as the Puzzle Master. After battling Tracey andTeam Rocket, Ash challenges the supposed Puzzle Master, Giovanni, and defeats him to win the last badge. Soon after, he defeats the Elite Four, including the current Puzzle League Champion, Gary.
Upon Gary's defeat, Ash is named the new champion and presented with a trophy, which immediately warps him into a final challenge with the true Puzzle Master,Mewtwo. After defeating Mewtwo, Ash is warped back to his vacation spot. Ash initially believes the experience to be a dream, until he discovers a Pokémon Puzzle Master trophy awarded to him by Mewtwo.
Pokémon Puzzle League originally began development asPanel de Pon 64, a sequel to theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System gamePanel de Pon (1995) featuring the descendants of that game's cast, before being reskinned to feature characters from thePokémon franchise. The originalPanel de Pon 64 version would later be completed and released as part ofNintendo Puzzle Collection (2003) forGameCube.[5]
Thein-game soundtrack is primarily composed of instrumental arrangements of tracks from the 1999 soundtrack albumPokémon 2.B.A. Master.[6] Other featured tracks include an arrangement of "Catch Me If You Can" fromPokémon: The First Movie's short featurePikachu's Vacation, and other instrumental tracks from thePokémon anime. The game also features animatedfull-motion video cutscenes, along with voice acting by the cast of the anime series.[4]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 81/100[7] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   [8] |
| CNET Gamecenter | 8/10[9] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.17/10[10][b] |
| EP Daily | 7/10[11] |
| Eurogamer | (Wii) 8/10[12] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[13] |
| GameRevolution | B[14] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[15] |
| Hyper | 88%[16] |
| IGN | 8.9/10[4] |
| N64 Magazine | 89%[17][18] |
| Next Generation | [19] |
| Nintendo Life | [20] |
| Nintendo Power | 8.1/10[21] |
Pokémon Puzzle League received "generally favourable reviews", according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[7] Fran Mirabella III ofIGN said, "I'm totally addicted and thrilled withPokémon Puzzle League."[4] Blake Fischer ofNextGen called it "a surprisingly fun experience, if a little on the cute side. It may not be up toPuzzle Fighter 2 Turbo [sic] standards, but it's one of the best puzzlers on N64."[19] Miss Spell ofGamePro said the game "is designed for young gamers, encouraging creative puzzle-solving—something parents will love. Older puzzle fans who have a high Jigglypuff tolerance will also enjoy this well-structured offering."[22][c] In anotherGamePro review, Human Tornado said, "Even though it's yet another take onTetris,Pokemon Puzzle League has enough game modes to give it extra depth, and learning the art of advanced chains and combos will take a long time.Pokemon and puzzle game fans will appreciate this fun and challenging N64 game."[23][d]
The game was nominated for the "Best Console Puzzle Game" award atThe Electric Playground's Blister Awards 2000, which went toMr. Driller.[24]
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