Puyo Puyo CD (Turbografx-CD) review "The Minions of Satan came to learn the customs of the PuyoPuyo, and used this knowledge to subjugate the pitiful little blobs by forming them into like-colored sequences of four or more. This was a great and vicious evil, for when the PuyoPuyo were connected in such a manner, they would EXPLODE into tiny, gelatinous bits."

From the 1980's through the early 1990's, the development company Compile was known for their spaceship and mech shooters. Little did anyone suspect that the creation of those worlds was but a foreshadowing to an entirely new endeavor: Puyo Puyo CD, a Tetris/Columns style puzzle bonanza, which, by injecting story sequences into the tried-but-true blocks-game genre, would singlehandedly inspire future efforts such as Street Fighter Alpha, Final Fantasy 7, and Silent Hill.

Compile created this new world, and crafted Its children in Its image. Established within this new land was a hierarchy of angels: Scorpion Man, Zombie, Lulu, and the like. However, after a vicious war in the heavens, Satan-sama, the archfoe of Puyo Puyo CD, was cast to the World below — never to return to the skies again.

There was much rejoicing, and the inhabitants of the world prospered.

Alas, it was not meant to be. The fallen angel, Satan, corrupted the souls of others, plunging the world into darkness. After witnessing the power that goes hand-in-hand with villainy, many of the angels descended of their own free will to side with the Evil King. In Its infinite compassion, Compile could not bring itself to smite Its own children. The Almighty Developer unleashed upon the outcasts a plague of unmatched proportions: hundreds upon hundreds of small, multicolored, blobular beasts named "PuyoPuyo". The slimy PuyoPuyos would pile atop the corrupted heathens, rendering them immobile for a short time.

Sadly, this warning fell on deaf ears, as the Minions of Satan came to learn the customs of the PuyoPuyo, and used this knowledge to subjugate the pitiful little blobs by forming them into like-colored sequences of four or more. This was a great and vicious evil, for when the PuyoPuyo were connected in such a manner, they would EXPLODE into tiny, gelatinous bits.

Thus was born of Compile a daughter — a young, superdeformed savior for the world, named Arle. She would wander the World, search out the fallen ones, and engage them in PuyoPuyo combat: a battle in which annihilating your own PuyoPuyo would send even more of the Puyo Plague across to your opponent.

Thus spaketh Compile to the Holy Daughter:

"A PuyoPuyo battle shall proceed in the following manner. First, Arle, you shall seek out and converse with the inhabitants of the World. Should any of them appear suspicious in the pre-battle story scenes, be it by singing, threatening you, or possessing a lower body consisting only of a single, gigantic foot... challenge them to mortal PuyoPuyo combat."

Boy with giant foot as lower body: "Heheheheh, hi there!"

Arle: "Wow, you have a big foot!"

Boy with giant foot as lower body: "Whaaaat? How can you say such an insulting thing?! Prepare to die!"

(Boy takes flying leap towards Arle)

Arle: "Wait! Let us instead settle our differences by Puyo Puyo!"

"You and your opponent shall then gather: yourself to the left, your opponent to the right. Let the PuyoPuyo descend quickly from the skies, and fashion them into groupings of four or more: squares, rows, or squiggly lines — it matters not. As long as four of a single color touch upon one another, you shall detonate those blobs in eyepleasing eruptions, creating empty space on your playfield. As this happens, and the remaining PuyoPuyo descend via gravity into the newly-cleared area, it is possible to create yet another chain of four in the process... I call this 'combo', and it shall result in additional (beyond the typical two per turn) PuyoPuyo being cast upon your opponent. Beware, for the same may be done to you. If you are overwhelmed and the vile little things flood your entire playing field, you shall lose. Do not let this happen. May the blessings of Compile be upon you."

And that, my friend, is the tale of Puyo Puyo CD.

//Zig

Staff review by Zigfried (January 16, 2005) Zigfried likes writing about whales and angry seamen, and often does so at the local pub.