Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S Should Have Been a Switch 2 Upgrade Pack

Puyo Puyo Tetris is an extraordinary game. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2? Also exemplary! Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S being a Switch 2 launch title is a great idea! But what would have been better is it being an upgrade pack, rather than a full $39.99 additional game. What’s here still remains one of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played, but the additions and multiplayer opportunities don’t feel worth that kind of investment.

As a quick summary for those who missed past versions of the game on the 3DS, Switch, Wii U, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox One, or PC, Puyo Puyo Tetris mashes up the two classic falling-block puzzle games together. This can mean just playing Puyo Puyo or Tetris, though there are opportunities when you can be constantly swapping between boards with the two or they’re fused together. The storyline puts characters from Sega’s Puyo Puyo universe in with original Tetris ones. It’s incredibly entertaining and quite challenging. The Switch 2 version of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is nearly identical to the previous release, save for mouse controls and Doubles mode appearing.

With the mouse controls, you use the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse to choose where to place items. If you’re playing, it’s supposed to be a means to offer an additional option and perhaps more accuracy. If you’re watching someone else play, it’s a way to use your cursor to suggest what they should do with their Puyos or Tetrominos. It’s… fine? I didn’t have any trouble using that option. However, I’ve been playing Tetris with standard controls since the Game Boy release. Ditto for Puyo Puyo since Sega sold it here as Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. It seems serviceable and could be fun for some, but I’m too ingrained in my ways. My muscle memory can’t adapt to it at this point in my life.

The other addition is Puyo Tetris Doubles. This involves four people playing against each other, with two on one team and two on the other. Each pair handles one board, with both folks placing pieces at the same time. It’s fine, but the nature of Puyo Puyo meant that I only felt like it worked when Tetris ended up being involved. The nature of the chains in the other game can get a bit personal, and it’s too easy to mess up a possible combo there. It’s a fun idea and okay for silly, casual competitions. It’s not my favorite competitive option in the collection.

But the biggest reason I think Sega needed to take the Switch upgrade pack route with Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is that nobody is playing. Literally. I have been trying since basically launch to get people into matches to test out this version. Make sure online multiplayer is working well. Maybe see how the Joy-Con 2 mouse control option handles when spectators are around and such. I’ve only found a handful of matches even when trying to play around the same times folks in Japan would be online. There isn’t the audience out there like there was for the original game and sequel’s debut, and I can’t help but think a $5-10 upgrade pack could help remedy that.

I love Puyo Puyo Tetris and feel it’s a fantastic puzzle game. Any installment is great! But when it comes to the Switch 2 and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, it feels like Sega misstepped. Given the nature of the additions, it should have been an upgrade pack add-on for the original game. Or, failing that, maybe held back in favor of a whole new entry? Like I’d love a Puyo Puyo Tetris 3. But what’s here doesn’t seem like enough to really set this update apart.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is available on the Switch 2.