Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S on Switch 2, the review

With Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, SEGA brings one of the most unlikely but successful crossovers in the video game landscape back to Nintendo Switch 2. This new edition promises to take advantage of the console's increased power to offer an even richer puzzle experience. But does the update really bring substantial improvements? Or are we simply faced with a re-release with a few marginal additions? The heart of the game remains unchanged: Tetris requires you to align blocks to eliminate rows, Puyo Puyo requires you to connect four drops of the same color. Although different in dynamics, the two formulas share a DNA made of reflexes, strategy and positive addiction. Playing them in combination gives rise to challenges that, for those who love the genre, remain among the most engaging around.

The Adventure mode is the linchpin of the single-player offering. The plot, pretentious and not very incisive, is simply a glue between scenarios, challenges and characters with a deliberately caricatural tone. However, the goal is not to tell a great story, but to push the player to explore all the game modes, alternating Tetris and Puyo Puyo challenges in a path that quickly becomes challenging and varied. The star rating system encourages replayability and rewards precision, making the campaign a good testing ground for honing your skills.

The multiplayer component remains the strong point of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S. The classic modes like Versus, Party and Big Bang are joined by more chaotic challenges like Swap, in which the two types of puzzles alternate every 25 seconds, and Fusion, which combines them in a single, frenetic match. Learning is not immediate, but the reward in terms of gameplay is high. The real novelty of this edition is the support for cooperative 2v2, in which two players per team work together on separate grids trying to coordinate to achieve victory. It is an interesting mode and, if played in company, can offer a more intense experience than the simple head-to-head. Mouse controls are also present, functional but less precise than the classic D-pad.

Among the extra modes, Skill Battle stands out, an alternative that introduces elements of a role-playing game: each character has unique skills to activate in the game and teams to compose based on synergies and statistics. The idea is intriguing, but it risks being too cumbersome for those looking for a more immediate puzzle game. Online, the game offers various options: leagues dedicated to each type of puzzle, ranked challenges and raids against bosses. Matchmaking can take a few minutes, but the games are stable. Therefore, there is no lack of variety, although the dynamics remain fundamentally the same as its predecessor.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S confirms the solidity of the original formula, enriched by a considerable amount of content and a well-balanced learning curve. The experience on Switch 2 is fluid, colorful and perfectly compatible with the portable nature of the console. However, for those who have already played the previous version, the new features may not be enough to motivate a new purchase. An evergreen crossover, rich in content and perfect for local and online multiplayer. But the 2S edition is limited to small adjustments, making it advisable above all for those who have never faced this unusual but successful fusion of puzzle games.

Format : Switch 2 Publisher : SEGA Developer : SEGA Rating : 7/10