Pokémon Puzzle League facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pokémon Puzzle League |
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North American box art
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo Software Technology |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Yukimi Shimura |
| Producer(s) | Yukimi Shimura Takehiro Izushi |
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| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
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| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
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Pokémon Puzzle League is an exciting puzzle video game released for the Nintendo 64 console. It came out in North America on September 25, 2000, and in Europe on March 2, 2001. This game is part of the Puzzle League series and also features characters from the popular Pokémon TV show.
In Pokémon Puzzle League, you play a strategy game where you clear blocks from a grid. To move forward, you battle against famous Pokémon trainers and Gym Leaders. These characters are just like the ones you know from games like Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. The game stars Ash Ketchum, his loyal Pikachu, and their friends Brock and Misty.
When this game was made, video games were changing a lot. They were moving from 2D (flat) graphics to 3D (more realistic) graphics. This change allowed the game creators to make the computer opponents smarter. The game has different difficulty levels, which means the computer players can be easy or very challenging. You can also play against a friend in local multiplayer battles.
Pokémon Puzzle League was well-liked by game critics. Another similar game, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, was released for the Game Boy Color in 2000. If you missed it, the game was re-released in 2008 for the Wii through Virtual Console. More recently, in 2022, it became available on the Nintendo Classics service.
Contents
How to Play the Game
Pokémon Puzzle League uses the same fun gameplay style as other Panel de Pon games. Your main goal is to clear blocks from your screen. You do this by lining up three or more blocks of the same color, either across or down.
New blocks are always pushing up from the bottom of your screen. If these blocks reach the very top, you lose the game! But don't worry, you can temporarily stop the blocks from rising by making combos (clearing many blocks at once) or chains (clearing blocks that cause more blocks to fall and clear). In two-player battles, these special moves also send "garbage blocks" to your opponent's screen, making it harder for them!
Game Modes and Styles
Unlike older Puzzle League games, Pokémon Puzzle League has a cool 3D mode. In this mode, the game board is shaped like a cylinder, which means it's much wider than the flat 2D board. You can choose between the classic block design or a special Pokémon-themed design. While the computer opponents are good in 2D, they sometimes act a bit strangely in the 3D mode.
The game offers many ways to play:
- 1P Stadium: Here, you play as Ash Ketchum. Your goal is to defeat a series of tough opponents to become the Puzzle Master.
- 2P Stadium: You and a friend can pick from 15 different Pokémon trainers and battle each other. You can even choose different rules for your match.
- Marathon: This mode challenges you to play for as long as you can before the blocks fill your screen.
- Time Zone: Try to get the highest score possible within a two-minute time limit.
- Spa Service: In this mode, you need to clear a certain number of lines to move on to the next stage.
- Puzzle University: This is a puzzle-solving mode. You have to clear specific block setups using only a limited number of moves.
The game also helps new players learn the ropes:
- Professor Oak's Lab: Professor Oak gives you helpful lessons on how to play the game.
- Mimic Mansion: Hosted by Tracey Sketchit, this area shows you advanced techniques and lets you practice them.
Meet the Characters
The game features 16 characters directly from the Pokémon anime series. These include characters who first appeared in the Pokémon games, like Misty, Brock, and Giovanni.
In the 1P Stadium mode, you can only play as Ash Ketchum. However, in 2P Stadium, you can choose from many other characters. Ash's rival, Gary Oak, appears with his Pokémon. If you play 1P Stadium on Hard difficulty or higher, Gary's Pokémon will be fully evolved!
The difficulty setting you choose changes who you face as the final opponent. In Easy mode, you battle Giovanni. In Normal mode, it's Bruno. On Hard mode, you face Gary. And if you're really good, on Very Hard and Super Hard modes, your final challenge is against Mewtwo! Defeating Mewtwo even gives you a special ending scene.
Besides Ash, other characters you can play as in 2P Stadium include the eight Kanto Gym Leaders, Tracey Sketchit, and the famous villains Jessie, James, and Meowth from Team Rocket. You can also play as rivals Gary Oak and Ritchie, and Elite Four trainers Lorelei and Bruno. Mewtwo is also a playable character, using cloned Pokémon. Each character has their own set of three Pokémon and unique theme music, but these differences are just for fun and don't change how the game plays.
Some characters are not playable but still help you in the game. Professor Oak teaches you how to play. Nurse Joy helps you with game options in the "Pokemon Center" menu. Even less-seen Team Rocket members, Butch and Cassidy, appear as special opponents in the Spa Service mode.
Game Story
The story begins with Ash and Pikachu enjoying a vacation. Suddenly, Professor Oak calls Ash. He tells Ash that he has been chosen to compete in the official Puzzle League Tournament! Ash and Pikachu quickly head to the Pokémon Puzzle League Village, very excited.
During the tournament, Ash first challenges his rival, Gary. After that, he battles and defeats seven of the eight Gym Leaders from the Kanto region, earning their badges. From them, Ash learns about a legendary, undefeated player known as the Puzzle Master.
After facing Tracey and Team Rocket, Ash finally challenges the person believed to be the Puzzle Master, Giovanni. Ash defeats him and wins the last badge. Soon after, he takes on the Elite Four, including the current Puzzle League Champion, Gary.
When Ash defeats Gary, he is named the new champion and receives a trophy. But this trophy immediately transports him to a final challenge! He must face the true Puzzle Master, Mewtwo. After a tough battle, Ash defeats Mewtwo and is sent back to his vacation spot. Ash first thinks it was all a dream, but then he finds a special Pokémon Puzzle Master trophy given to him by Mewtwo. This proves it was all real!
How the Game Was Made
Pokémon Puzzle League actually started as a different game called Panel de Pon 64. This was meant to be a follow-up to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Panel de Pon from 1995. Instead of the original characters, the creators decided to change it to feature characters from the popular Pokémon series.
The original Panel de Pon 64 version was later finished and released in 2003 as part of Nintendo Puzzle Collection for the GameCube.
The music in Pokémon Puzzle League mostly comes from instrumental versions of songs from the 1999 album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master. You might also hear a song from the Pokémon: The First Movie short film Pikachu's Vacation. The game also includes animated video scenes and features voice acting by the same actors who voice the characters in the Pokémon anime show.
External Links
- Pokémon Puzzle League at MobyGames
ja:パネルでポン#Pokémon Puzzle League
See also
In Spanish: Pokémon Puzzle League para niños
