Puyo Puyo BOX
| Puyo Puyo BOX | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Compile |
| Publisher(s) | Compile |
| Distributor(s) | Sega |
| Series | Puyo Puyo |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer, PocketStation connectivity. |
Puyo Puyo BOX is a compilation video game developed by Compile for the Sony PlayStation. It is Compile's last recognised Puyo Puyo title in the series before Sega, previously only owning the character rights, fully obtained the rights to the series. Puyo Puyo BOX, being a compilation, primarily consists of modes from earlier Puyo Puyo games, but also contains original content.
Gameplay
Puyo Puyo BOX has a plethora of game modes available to the user. It houses the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis in the US) versions of Puyo Puyo and Puyo Puyo 2, as well as a Madou Monogatari-style quest mode in which the player plays as Arle and battles against members of the other cast in Puyo Puyo matches. It also houses a Stage Clear mode in which you have to face either 10, 20, or 30 opponents, as well as two multiplayer modes which can be played with either other players or AI substitutes.
For the Quest mode itself, it allowed the player to customise the armoury in ways in which made Arle stronger with a double-edged sword effect. You could remove the Puyo Rings in order to beef up her attack at the expense of being unable to see your next pieces for example, and the amount of experience gained and gold won was relative to how big a chain was scored and how quickly the opponent was defeated.
Legacy
Despite being the last of the series released by Compile, it enjoyed great success. The key point in the Puyo Puyo gameplay of BOX is that the player can choose a ruleset from either Puyo Puyo, Puyo Puyo Tsu (with countering), Puyo Puyo SUN (with countering and SUN puyos dropping after each counter), and Puyo Puyo~n (with countering and a special gauge, with a select number of specials for the player to choose before a game begins). This can effectively lead to four-player battles where each player plays with independent or mixed rules. This game also allowed for team battles to take place. A special multiplayer mode was made available in this game, known as Treasure Mode, which was adapted in Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary as its Excavation Mode to pay homage to the idea.