It’s the year 1999 and you’ve developed a fairly straight forward but enjoyable puzzle game that needs an edge... what do you do? Plaster it with Pokemon anime references, bang Pikachu on the box and reel in the cash! That’s what Nintendo did for this 2000 N64 release! 

Notable for being one of the only Pokémon games to make direct references to the TV series, with exclusive characters from the show, or anime versions of existing characters such as Brock and Gary, music from the series (and most notably, the kick ass ‘2BA Master’ CD) and Pokémon voices as oppose to the squeals and shrieks that we we’re used to in the handheld games and Stadium, this game was really exciting when you were a kid obsessed with the anime.

Indeed, it’s the mass popularity of the TV show that resulted in this title being made specifically for North America (before it later came to Europe in 2001) as back then the show was as big a deal as the videogame itself.

Gameplay

So, puzzles and Pokémon - they're not related but damn, pineapple was never meant to go on pizza yet it worked! Firing up the game we’re presented with a very rare thing indeed, a video clip – That’s right, a video clip in an N64 game! Not only that, but an anime clip made specifically for this game, with the narrator, Ash Ketchum, Oak - everything. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping for some mad gem swapping action then nothing will.

Oak has given you the heads up about a new league in the Pokémon realm - The Pokémon Puzzle League. Ash being the spunky hero he is jumps at the chance to unleash his energy on another load of unsuspecting gym leaders and trainers.

With a big selection of playable characters, ranging from fan favourites such as Ash, Misty and Brock to random gym leaders and Team Rocket, this game really digs into every nook and cranny of the first few seasons of the show.

Before each battle you can choose between 3 Pokémon, which vary depending on the character you’ve chosen to play as. The Pokemon you’ve chosen will make no difference in gameplay but do allow for some fun sound effects, especially when you’ve chosen a Pokémon with a particularly ludicrous voice like Squirtle.

Gameplay involves you swapping blocks to either match them in a vertical or horizontal line, with the restriction of only being able to swap them from top to bottom and not in a 4-way manner like many other puzzlers. A new row of blocks will appear at the bottom of your stack and push your current load up as the game progresses. When your blocks reach the top of the screen it’s goodbye for you and your Pokémon. Matching 3 or more will momentarily stop the onslaught of blocks appearing at the bottom of the screen as well as dumping a load of them onto the top of your opponents stack. With some quick gem swapping moves, not only can you keep on top of your stack of blocks, but you can also send an endless stream to your opponent before they’re overwhelmed and give up the goose.

The build up

I never got to experience this game as a child, I always looked longingly at the box when I was in a GAME store, as I was a huge Ash Ketchum fan, but knew deep down inside that £40 was steep for a puzzle game and... damn, it’s a puzzle game! No amount of Pokemon is going to persuade me to buy that filth. So, as time went by, I slowly forgot about this game... Until it resurfaced on the Wii Shop Channel in 2008.

As you’ll remember from a previous Throwback, I had a hatred for puzzle games when I was younger. In the early 2000’s that all changed as I suddenly took a liking for them thanks to the relatively rubbish Mario & Yoshi and by the dawn of the DS era, I was positively obsessed.

By 2008 then, I was an avid puzzle player. I’d become a lifelong Tetris fan and played my fair share of good, bad and ugly puzzlers. Not only that, but 2008 was probably when my nostalgia for Pokémon hit its peak, with my rediscovery of the incredibly cheesy but also totally awesome 2BA Master album, my new-found college friends who were also hugely into the series and the recent resurgence of retro games in general thanks to the then fairly new concept of the Virtual Console.

You can imagine my excitement then when this title reared its beautiful head on the Virtual Console – A cheap puzzle experience on Wii, that I’d never played, that features endless references to the Pokémon anime. Words can’t describe my elation, but seeing as I’m interacting with you right now via words I should probably pull my finger out and describe anyway – Mass anticipation and intrigue overcome me. There we go.

Play with me

I had a great time working my way through the single player campaign which pits you against a load of Gym Leaders until you work your way to the top, facing off against the likes of Richie and Tracey. Each battle between gyms plays out similarly, with the journey being more of a visual and difficulty change than anything. Still, it’s a fun way to create a sense of progression and keeps you from sticking to the old formula of high-score chasing or playing against CPU for the hell of it.

Whilst the single player campaign is great though, true love was found when a second controller was slid into my Wii’s GameCube slot. Two player battles on this game are a blast. If you can find yourself a likeminded puzzle master friend, you’ll be playing this title for hours. Like a version of tennis boiled down into puzzle form, your Pokemon will be tossing blocks to each others court as you both relentlessly blast them back and forth to each other whilst Ash let’s out screams of joy (or more specifically ‘WAY TO GO’) and Brock cracks wise when he dumps another load on your face.

You're Beautiful

The visuals in this game are nice, with art, characters and voice clips taken directly from the show. The music is also great but a slight let down thanks to technical limitations. Unbelievably, the entire 2BA Master album is present on this game – For an anime soundtrack to be present on an official Nintendo game, an N64 one at that, is a pretty big deal. Sadly though, the N64’s severely limited cartridge space meant that these songs had to be midi versions without vocals. It felt like I was playing a Pokémon Puzzle/Karaoke hybrid.

Why grind?

I have a particularly weird relationship with the world of Pokémon. I’m a huge fan of the franchise, I absolutely adored Stadium as a kid, being able to see Pokémon duke it out in full 3D was positively heavenly. My love for the show was so strong I’d still consider it one of my favourite of all time and the movies were always a treat to watch. I could never quite get into the handheld games though. I think I’ve only ever got as far as the 6th gym. I’ve tried time and again, from Yellow to Pearl, Soul Silver to X, telling myself that I should and one day would enjoy these titles but I guess I’m just really not into the whole ‘Cut that Pokémon for the 10th time, grind grind grind!’ deal.

So spinoff games in the Pokémon series are my bread and butter as oppose to the titles everyone would assume. This one in particular, blending my love of puzzle games, spin-off titles and the anime is probably my favourite for the multiplayer aspect alone.

End game

The puzzling is straight forward enough while the fast paced nature of it and single player campaign make it a highly enjoyable and surprisingly meaty offering. The 2 player mode and endless anime references are what really make this title, though. So if like me you’re a big fan of gem swapping, Ash letting out screams of joy and sassy Brock action, you’ve got to give this title a try. As they say, GOTTA STACK 'EM ALL.

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