Shortly
before Nintendo 64’s release and long before PSone became the dominant
console, a groundbreaking puzzle game was released for an aging machine:
Tetris Attack. Released exclusively for the SNES, Tetris Attack changed the
original Tetris’s formula by reversing the direction of block arrivals (they
now came up through the ground) and by adding a two-block cursor that allowed
players to reverse the location of every block. All blocks took the same
square shape. Thus, it was the color that mattered most. Align three blocks of
the same color and they disappear.
To the
millions who did not get the chance to play Tetris Attack, you should realize
that the puzzle genre we have today is much different from what we had before
TA’s release. Coincidence or not, the game’s contribution to our industry will
never be forgotten.
Planet
Puzzle League, the unofficial sequel to Tetris Attack, is the classic SNES
experience all over again. It is not a remake and it is not a clone of its
predecessor, nor is it a step forward in the way that Pokemon Puzzle League
was with its spherical platform design. But if you think back to Kirby or look
ahead to Zelda, the DS gave developers a way to reinvent the series while
staying true to its core values. Based on early demos, Zelda DS should give
players a different way of tackling classic Zelda gameplay.
That’s the
bull’s-eye Planet Puzzle League’s developers were aiming for. Living up to the
series’ high standards, Planet Puzzle League is right on target.
Touchy
Feely
Grab your
stylus gamers – a fingertip might work for some titles, but you need greater
precision to accurately play Planet Puzzle League. Rather than use the D-pad
to swap blocks as before, players can now touch any block on screen and, in a
move that could be a sign of video games getting into politics, drag the block
as far left or as far right as desired. There is not a single stopping point.
No barricades that keep you from seamlessly dragging blocks across the screen.
From the moment you first start playing, Planet Puzzle League is flawless in
its touch screen executions.
Feeling a
bit nostalgic? The old D-pad controls are fully intact. But don’t think about
using them against a player with a stylus in hand. The touch screen gameplay
more than doubled my speed and efficiency. Seven-hit chains – once a great
challenge on the SNES – are not nearly as difficult to pull off in this game.
In fact, until the game picks up speed, the hardest part is getting the blocks
to rise fast enough to stay successful. Chains and combos can’t be continued
if there aren’t any blocks left to use.
Long View
Tetris DS
used both of the handheld’s screens to cram in twice as many blocks. That
worked well for the game, which did not use the touch screen for every play
mode. Planet Puzzle League, however, cannot be without touch access, but it
needs a longer playing field than one individual screen provides. The
solution: you play this game by holding your DS sideways. It might seem a
little awkward at first, but you’ll be surprised by how natural it feels after
just a few minutes of play. The right (touch) screen is where all the action
unfolds, while the left (standard) screen contains your stat and menu
information. When playing against a friend or the computer AI, the left screen
shows your opponent’s game field.
Tetris a
la (New Gameplay) Mode(s)
Planet
Puzzle League offers more styles of play than any other puzzler for the DS.
Granted, many of them are carried over from Tetris Attack. But they’re a blast
to play, especially with the great stylus controls.
Puzzle Mode
– the mind-boggling set of Tetris Attack problems that had to be solved in a
specified number of moves – is back with four iterations: Basic, Mission,
Active, and Advanced. The only question mark in there is Mission, a mode where
10 different challenges (specific chain, combo, and block elimination amounts,
among others) must be completed consecutively to proceed.
In Garbage
Challenge players are required to eliminate an endless collection of garbage
blocks – the same brown and gray rectangles dropped onto players when being
attacked in the multiplayer mode.
Clear is a
mode where you must eliminate blocks until they are no longer raised above the
thin white line. Endless is a mode that’s in every puzzle game, and if you’d
like to get in some competitive practice, Planet Puzzle League also contains a
Vs. Computer mode where you fight to eliminate the most garbage, to score the
most points, or to be the first underneath the Clear line.
Daily Play
is an excellent mode for killing a couple of minutes. Score, Garbage, and Lift
(add as many rows as possible) play types are available, each with the
limitation of just two minutes per day. The goal is to score as many points as
possible within the time limit.
Online play
is supported for two, and players can take on three friends locally with just
one game card. As with other DS titles, you won’t have access to every option
when playing with a single card. But it’s still a fantastic feature that
ensures you will always be able to play Planet Puzzle League with anyone who
owns a DS, regardless of what’s in their game collection.
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Gameplay: 8.7
No more switching
blocks one by one – simply touch the block you wish to move and drag it to a
new location. The controls are some of the best you’ll find on the DS (which
says a lot, considering how many “bests” the system has). It’s possible – and
very easy – to pull the selected block right through others without a single
delay. Anyone who’s played Tetris Attack knows what a major change this is for
the series. And because it makes the game different (good different) but not
better, you can still go back to playing Tetris Attack and have fun. Planet
Puzzle League offers both forms of play – touch screen and TA-style – knowing
that while the new type is exciting, the old gameplay is far from obsolete.
Graphics:
4.0
Simplistic block
designs that could’ve appeared on the SNES 11 years ago. Hey, wait a minute…
Sound: 5.0
Nothing in here
compares to the sounds of other Nintendo puzzle games. The original Tetris,
Tetris Attack, Pokemon Puzzle League, etc., all had great soundtracks. I’m not
even a fan of Dr. Mario but I can – and have – hummed its themes on more than
one occasion. They get in your head and never leave. But when I think of
Planet Puzzle League’s music, my mind draws a blank. It says, “Uhhh… Uhh… Was
there something in there I was supposed to remember?” If there had been, no
second thought would have been necessary – the soundtrack would have stood out
like the rest.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
…And occasionally
hard. Planet Puzzle League is not as challenging as Tetris Attack, primarily
because we’ve had that game and refined our skills for more than 10 years. But
gamers catch on quick. Even if this is the first time you’ve experienced the
Tetris Attack style, it’s unlikely that you’ll have a hard time learning the
basics of Planet Puzzle League. To master the game, however, is a whole other
story.
Concept: 7.4
Planet Puzzle
League is Tetris Attack recycled and refried for a burrito of thumb-watering
flavor. An excellent collaboration, but is it a new idea? Not since 1996.
Multiplayer: 8.9
You can’t beat
Planet Puzzle League multiplayer. There is nothing more frantic, more
satisfying, or more cheer-inducing than a game against another player (or
another three players, as allowed with this edition – single- and multi-card
play offered). The battles are outrageously intense, flooding the screen with
blocks whenever your opponent executes a chain or combo. Brilliant 11 years
ago and enjoyable in a newer, freer, and faster form on Nintendo’s leading
handheld.
Overall: 8.8
Love Tetris
Attack? Then get Planet Puzzle League. Never played TA but love Pokemon Puzzle
League? Then you must acquire Planet Puzzle League. If you’ve never played TA
or Pokemon PL, then you still must get Planet Puzzle League. It’s easy to say
this because the game has instant mainstream and hardcore gamer appeal. And
what, I ask, is left when you’ve covered both of those markets?
Nothing. In
other words, this is a game that any puzzle fan will thoroughly enjoy.
