Game Story Case Studies, Episode 2: Puyo Puyo Tetris (Part 2)

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Welcome to Part 2 of my analysis of Puyo Puyo Tetris’s story mode. While I covered a lot in just the opening scene of the game in the previous episode, there is plenty more for me to cover in this game’s story mode. Obviously, there are a lot of SPOILERS here, so be sure to read my other articles if you want to avoid them. If you don’t care about spoilers, then read on.

Act 1: Scene 1

The story so far: Ringo and friends have started a new adventure by warping aboard the SS Tetra. The ship’s captain has investigated their appearance, and now this scene begins.

The phrase “non-form-fitting outfit” is awkward wording at best. At worst, it is wildly inappropriate, especially for a kids game…

And what makes Tee think that? Other than Ringo holding that awkward pose, it is more clear that she is panicking, especially since they are speaking the same language. A poor attempt at humor…

In the previous line, Tee’s companion O, (who only talks in “pipi’s”) may have said something useful (or even funny). Yes, something isn’t normal, I suspect that people materializing on a space ship is one of them…

After trying to get Ringo’s attention, she has this one liner. This is a clear sign that “tight-fitting clothes” is the wrong word choice. I think they mean “space suit”, or something of the like. (Author’s note: I dislike this word choice enough that I will poke fun of it in every scene that has it at least once, assuming the scene in any given article has this quote in it. I’ll try not to go overboard.)

So wait, the tetris blocks warp people just like the puyos do? That’s new for Tetris, and just as odd as the puyos doing the same thing.

How do you know this? In fact, Tee is just as surprised as she is. Also, it seems that playing Puyo Puyo does this warping thing, and those playing don’t have control over it. Again, how would Ringo know that anyone could control the warping like that?

Well now, that is a little hasty, they didn’t try talking yet! It is a good thing they don’t intend violence, but calling it a “battle” is strange…

Not sure why this might be in their universe, but I guess they need some excuse to play Tetris or Puyo Puyo…

I know they mean playing in a puzzle game, but out of context, it sounds like he means her harm…talk about a real gentleman…

After freaking out that they don’t play the same puzzle game (and after Tee wins), Tee claims he has questions. I find it strange that they battle first before introductions…

He means he can play Tetris. I think anyone in this universe can do that…

Is there any explanation for this? It is an odd plot device…

After inadequately explaining the puyo portal thing, and that warping afterwards isn’t intentional, Tee claims that battling leads to trust. This is the equivalent of saying “I played dodge ball against you, so I can trust you!” This is not how that would work in real life, making these scenes even harder to believe.

Finally, something relevant, finding Ringo’s friends. A lot of these plot points seem forced. At least two non-hostile people are working together now…

It should be pretty obvious that this game’s story doesn’t make much sense. Here are a few takeaway issues:

• Playing Puyo Puyo or Tetris leads people to warp to other locations, for some reason.
• And is a way to build trust. Wouldn’t the loser be upset for not winning?
• Calling it a battle is a somewhat strange word choice, as the two puzzle games are abstract enough to not be considered fights.
• Even worse is the word choice of “tight-fitting clothes” for “space suit” and “non-form-fitting outfit” for “normal clothes” or “not a space suit”. The person who localized this game into English must have had a hard time translating this from (I presume) Japanese.

There is plenty more to cover with this game, so look forward to the next episode as I sort out more of this game’s plot.

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And that was part 2 of Puyo Puyo Tetris’s story analysis. This series could take a while, but bear with me as I view every scene. I’ll try to limit it to the more noteworthy scenes in the future. If you have something to add to this game’s story that I might have missed, let me know in the comments below! If you like this content, then click that like button. To keep up with That’s All Games, you can also subscribe through email. Until next time, have fun gaming.