Minna de Puyo Puyo (InstanceTopic, 17)

From Compile Worlds

Minna de Puyo Puyo, also known by it's bastardized name Puyo POP!, is the first spin-off in the Puyo series. By coincidence (or maybe even conspiracy), it is also the last Madou-Puyo game and the first Puyo game made by SEGA, just in time for the 10th anniversary. The gameplay engine, is more or less, a carbon copy of Puyo Puyo TSU's. Keeping in line with the previous Puyo Puyo~n and the Anniversary titles, the various stages of story mode have different variations of the basic rule that you have to comply with.

Characters

Story

Arle and Carbuncle are nonchalantly walking one fine day, until Carbuncle tries to eat a "Golden Rune". As Arle is examining it, a Puyo tournament mysteriously appears behind her back and Carbuncle dives into it, leaving Arle to chase him. She is greeted by Skeleton T, Incubus and Seriri in the forest, all of whom easily knocked out of the way by Arle's 133t Puyo skillz. As she continues to pummel the others and collect more Golden Runes, Kikimora pops up over 9000 times to be a Mrs. Exposition about the various rules. Beating the snot out of the annoying maid, Arle finally enters Satan's Castle, a refuge where she can seemingly escape her explanatory ways. However, all of her old rivals and love interests are within waiting for her, so she beats them up too. When she finally defeats Satan, he reveals the Golden Runes are actually a ticket to some fancy hot springs, intended for Arle. Arle doesn't realize this, thinking the ticket is for someone else, and promptly discards it, causing Satan to cry rivers.

After the main story, Arle can rechallenge the courses in reverse order to do a silly fetch quest and unlock the final dungeon, Trial Labyrinth. Inside, she faces the entire cast of the game, barring herself, starting with Lagnus and ending with Carbuncle, who's still as stupidly hard as ever, no thanks to having only 3 colors and a field covered in Hard Puyo. Alas, there is no reward for conquering the Labyrinth other than bragging rights.