Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S Review (Switch 2)

We’re making this a trend now, huh? It’s never long before Puyo Puyo Tetris makes its way onto the scene. Such was the case back in 2017 with the launch of the original Switch, when a worldwide release of 2014’s Puyo Puyo Tetris (which released on Wii U and 3DS in Japan) served as one of the very first games available for Nintendo’s then-fledgling hybrid.

It was arguably a ‘right place, right time’ moment for the crossover franchise, appealing to casual Tetris fans, puzzle game die-hards, and the massive influx of players just looking for more things to play on their shiny new system. Crucially, it helped reintroduce Puyo Puyo to the wider global market after a lengthy hiatus from localising the franchise.

Now, it seems Sega is aiming to recapture that lightning-in-a-bottle success with Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S — an enhanced port of 2020’s Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 — as one of the very first games available for Switch 2. Unfortunately, some bizarre choices within and surrounding this release prevent it from shining as bright as previous entries.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S takes the sequel that once more mashed the worlds of Puyo Puyo and Tetris and tosses in a handful of new features, many of which are designed to take advantage of Switch 2’s new functionality. That sounds like a pretty solid grab on paper, but a deeper dive into what’s actually new this time around leaves this re-release feeling unjustified.

In our Switch review of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, Scully found it to be a worthy sequel crammed with ways to experience the titular two giants of the falling-block puzzle genre. That’s all still true in this version, which retains the original’s wealth of modes, unlockables, customisability options, and more. Whether it’s a simple alternating battle between Puyo Puyo and Tetris, a mode where miniscule Puyos drop from the sky, a fast-paced race to clear 40 rows in Tetris, or Skill Battles that completely change the game by introducing light RPG elements and abilities, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S does an excellent job keeping that simplistic core gameplay loop fresh and varied.

Its replayability is bolstered by the Adventure Mode, which offers up a light-hearted story featuring the Puyo Puyo cast and a bunch of levels to chew through, as well as its multiplayer modes, which turn it into quite the entertaining party game for the right crowd.

In contrast to all of that juicy returning content, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S adds just a single new mode: Puyo Tetris Doubles. This introduces 2v2 battles to the mix, in which each team must control and drop two Puyos or Tetriminos simultaneously on the same board. Critically, your pieces have collision physics with one another, meaning you need to carefully coordinate with your partner to stay out of each other’s way and drop the pieces in the right places.

It’s a solid addition that can lead to some fun multiplayer chaos, as you desperately beg your friend to please, please, get their annoying square block out of the way so you can nail a T-spin in just the right place.

All of that said, Puyo Tetris Doubles mode feels like a small addition to the greater scheme of the game. This sentiment only grows stronger when considering that the mode is limited to a select number of game styles (Versus, Party, and Fusion) and that you absolutely need other players for it to be any fun at all. While Puyo Tetris Doubles can be played with CPU partners and opponents, you’ll be banging your head against a wall trying to wordlessly coordinate with the AI. As such, single-player gamers are effectively left out in the cold when it comes to just about any substantial new content in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S.

Outside of the one new multiplayer-centric mode, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is pretty light on enhancements. The game certainly looks better on the new hardware, with a resolution bump to keep things looking nice and crisp, and it runs buttery smooth. This version also adds native GameShare and GameChat support, letting you share your copy of the game wirelessly and online with friends.

Then, there’s the incorporation of the Switch 2’s new camera and mouse mode abilities. Players can use a connected camera to superimpose their face on various parts of the board during gameplay — a fun, if ultimately superfluous, little addition.

I don’t have anything as kind to say about the new mouse controls, which feel genuinely awful and imprecise for Puyo Puyo and Tetris gameplay compared to traditional gamepad input. Your mileage may vary, but it feels distressingly reminiscent of the shoehorned touch and waggle gimmicks that plagued the DS and Wii days. The only saving grace in my eyes is that it’s purely an optional input method and can be viewed as a weird little novelty.

And, well…that’s it. Aside from a few other minute adjustments to the experience, the features outlined above are really the only new things available in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S. The game feels like it was just slightly updated and tweaked for release on Switch 2 compared to its Switch incarnation, which makes Sega’s release and pricing strategy for this title all the more baffling.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S continues Sega’s frustrating trend of not offering any sort of upgrade path for its Switch 2 games. Just as with titles like Sonic x Shadow Generations and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, you’ll need to purchase the Switch 2 version of the game at full price, even if you own a copy on Switch 1. There may be some reason to do that for the other aforementioned titles, which see substantial performance bumps on Switch 2, but that’s not the case for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S. This new version is barely any different from the original release and offers very little to anyone who played Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 the first time around.

Even beyond the egregious pricing strategy, dividing Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S from its non-enhanced counterpart feels like a misstep that could seriously affect the longevity of this game from a multiplayer perspective. There’s no crossplay between the titles, which means that the online experience and player base are even further segmented than before. In the days immediately after launch, I tried multiple times to find any online matches and failed to find an opponent every single time. That could potentially improve as more people dive into the Switch 2 ecosystem in the days ahead, but it feels like a dark omen for this version’s community and future.

Conclusion

More than most, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is a tough release to put a score on. Under no circumstances is it a bad game — in fact, it’s a pretty darn decent game that’s filled to the brim with modes and features to tide puzzle lovers over for the long haul. However, that has everything to do with the solid skeleton of the original Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 and barely anything to do with the minimal additions made to this Switch 2 re-release.

For newcomers to the series or those who missed its original release, there’s plenty of fun to be had here. For fans who already have the original version on Switch, I struggle to think of a greater waste of Switch 2 gaming funds than this.