Like the previous Puyo Puyo games, the gameplay consists of matching blob-like blocks (Puyos) of the same color so that they vanish from the screen. However, matching blobs of the same color isn't enough to obtain a high score in the game. Rather, the player must set up chains, where multiple Puyos of different colors disappear at once. Indeed, the computer will quickly annihilate a player who cannot set up combos well. The greater the combo, the more points the player receives, and the more devastating the attack on the opposing player.

As expected, Puyo Puyon delivers several modes of play, although they're all the same game at heart. Some of the modes available include a standard one-player mode, where the goal is simply to keep the screen as clear as possible. The game also offers various one-on-one modes for single player games. In these modes, the player faces off against a computer opponent, where the player simultaneously keeps his own side clear while dropping Puyos on the computer opponent, all while watching animated characters fight each other in the center of the screen. Variations on this mode include a Story Mode and a one-on-one style fighter, where the player picks any of the game's characters and progressively fights different computer enemies. In addition, the game offers a slight twist on the standard modes by allowing the players to use incredibly huge Puyos, where a very limited number fit on the screen at once, to microscopically tiny ones that allow for some huge chain combos.

While the one player modes can be entertaining for a while, it is the multi-player option that breathes longevity into a puzzle game. Thanks to the Dreamcast's four controller ports, it is easy to set up an enjoyable game with several friends. Compared to the one-player game, the multi-player action is quite fast and chaotic, especially when four people attack each other at once. Indeed, a tournament against human players is certainly Puyo Puyon's strongest and most enjoyable feature.

Just as with many puzzle games, the graphics are clean and simple. The characters and backgrounds are all bright and colorful, including the Puyons themselves. The Puyons also help bring life to the game with their silly animations and facial expressions. The blobs stick together as they touch other Puyos of identical color, and isolated ones dance in place. The animated player and computer characters also lend a human touch to what generally is a lifeless category. Still, nothing in the game indicates that it is next-generation software. As Puyo Puyon is a puzzle game, it does not use extraneous special effects such as light sourcing or lens flare. Overall, the graphics do their job and nothing else. Like the graphics, the sound is of light-hearted , simple quality, which is all a puzzle game really needs.

As a whole, Puyo Puyon is a solid but extremely predictable puzzler. Although the game itself is well made for its category, Puyo Puyon is also void of any innovation. Puzzle fans will no doubt love the title, as will anyone looking for a decent "drop the blocks" puzzle game. However, for gamers who already own one of the hundreds of similar games, it is probably not worth spending $50 to see the same game on a more powerful machine. Rather, the money would be much better spent on a game that displays the Dreamcast's true abilities and is unique to the machine, such as Blue Stinger or House of the Dead 2. That is to say, if you already own Puzzle Fighter, Baku Baku or even Bust a Move, it is probably better to skip Puyo Puyon unless the price is substantially lowered.

-- Rachel Lewis