As a fan of arcade puzzle games, I've raved about Panel De Pon a few times on here but I don't think I've ever went into why I hold this one in particular in such high regard. Panel De Pon is my go-to for whenever I want my VS puzzle game fix because it's pretty much the complete package all around. It's got an addictive hook, low skill floor, high skill ceiling, an abundance of replayability, and boasts an element of artistry in its presentation that helps it really stand out within the genre.
Before I talk about the game itself, I want to clear the air about Panel De Pon. This is a series infamous for constantly rebranding itself in an attempt to appeal to Western audiences, likely because its cutesy fairy protagonists were deemed too cutesy for us. So Panel De Pon for the SNES was localized as Tetris Attack and was modified to feature the Yoshi's Island cast, its sequels for the N64 and GBC were based on Pokemon, and Planet Puzzle League for the DS had no characters. I think Tetris Attack is the best of these localizations since the pastel artstyle of Panel De Pon translates to Yoshi's Island perfectly without losing much of the appeal, but nowadays, I do prefer to stick with the original game because it has a unique identity all its own, more on that later.
Despite being localized under the Tetris name, Panel De Pon has almost nothing to do with Tetris. If I had to make comparisons, it's actually like a more accessible Puyo Puyo crossed with Bejeweled. The main premise is that you have rows of colored blocks slowly creeping up to the top of your screen, and you need to swap them to create matches of 3 or more. However, unlike in Bejeweled, you can shuffle around the blocks as much as you want, so there's a strong focus on creating set-ups for combos to send lots of garbage to the other player's side, which is where the Puyo Puyo influence creeps in. In a high level Panel De Pon match, there's a really frenetic and chaotic energy to this game, where both characters are frantically scrambling to arrange their tiles, combating each other's garbage and quickly adapting to your situation. More than in any arcade puzzle game I've played, Panel De Pon rewards speed, and I find that quite refreshing and fun.
But don't let this description intimidate you, because as I mentioned above, I think Panel De Pon also has a low enough skill floor that anyone can hop in and have a good time, especially compared to the infamously steep learning curve of Puyo Puyo. Being able to freely shuffle tiles around allows for a lot of freedom and a low margin of error for experimentation, and combos are generally easier to construct than in Puyo Puyo. Panel De Pon offers a wide range of difficulty levels for most of its modes too, and while the VS Mode can get quite chaotic, there's plenty of more calming and zenlike single-player modes that make Panel De Pon a great game if I want to play something chill and maybe work my brain a little. And there's a lot of options too. From a dedicated Story Mode, to level-based Puzzles and Line Clear, to local multiplayer, to your standard Marathon and Time Trial Modes, to a wide variety of cheat codes ranging from bonus puzzles to harder difficulties to hidden characters. Oh, speaking of which...
Panel De Pon is one of the many arcade puzzle games of its time to have a cast of characters, not unlike games like Puyo Puyo, Magical Drop, Money Puzzle Exchanger, and throwback indie Petal Crash. However, Panel De Pon's lineup of cute elemental fairies manages to make an surprisingly large impression despite their limited screentime, between their adorable designs, their posing, and the neat character bios you can check out in the Attract Mode. When playing in singleplayer, each fairy you choose to play as gets a big profile shot in the left of the screen that shows off their personality solely through their posing, like the forest fairy Thiana just laying down on the grass or the fire fairy Flare looking like she's gonna burn you if you screw up. And in multiplayer, each character gets a cute little sprite in the center of the screen that reacts based on how you're doing. That's really why I prefer Panel De Pon over any of its sequels. As much of a Yoshi fan as I am, it just feels wrong not playing as the fairies, and it's a real shame that they weren't given the chance to shine that they truly deserved.
And while we're on the presentation, my god is this game absolutely gorgeous. I am a sucker for SNES games with pastel artstyles, and Panel De Pon's lush visuals manage to rival that of classics like Yoshi's Island and Kirby's Dream Land 3. I've already praised how expressive the characters are and how strong their posing is, but even the scenery looks so comfy, with bold yet soft coloring that really puts you at ease. On top of that, Panel De Pon has my favorite soundtrack in any puzzle game. Masaya Kuzume's score for Panel De Pon is catchy (Lip's Theme), groovy (Flare's Theme), comforting (Elias's Theme), and uplifting (Neris's Theme) in equal measure, boasting soft and airy synths (Windy's Theme) as well as some of the wildest slap bass I've ever heard (Ruby's Theme). On a console known for its incredible soundtracks, the Panel De Pon OST is one of my favorites on the SNES, and more people should absolutely be aware of how much of a bop it is.
As I said at the start of this post, Panel De Pon is just the complete package as far as arcade puzzle games are concerned. Whether I want a more laid-back or chill experience, or if I want to play something intense at a high level, Panel De Pon has me covered. Add in that truly lovely pastel aesthetic, the incredible soundtrack, and an adorable cast of fairies, and you get
No comments:
Post a Comment