So I recently spent a rousing few hours playing SNES Tetris Attack vs. mode and I'm looking for some other fun puzzle games, particularly ones with similarly engrossing couch competitive modes. We tried this one out on a whim while I was testing out my MiSTer setup and something about the simple yet engaging mechanics paired with the cute aesthetic just absolutely clicked.
A couple that come to mind for me:
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Tecmo Stackers was one of my favorites back in the day, so I'd like to give that one a try again
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I've just about gotten the Neo Geo core set up, so I plan to give Money Puzzle Exchanger and Twinkle Star Sprites a go
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Puzzle Fighter is a favorite of my domestic competitor, though I'm going to need to put in some serious practice before I'm a viable opponent...
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Lumines is a big hit in our household, though the competitive mode is not that great...we've mostly just been chipping away at the Time Attack mode
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Cleopatra Fortune has been on my radar thanks to [a certain thread](https://forums.insertcredit.com/d/152-ive-become-a-giant-cleopatra-fortune-fan), though I have yet to try vs. (or really fully comprehend the mechanics, tbh...)
Getting the obvious answer out of the way: Puyo Puyo Tetris!
I have over 300 hours of play time in that game combining steam and switch, I was hooked on it for a couple of years,
I played it all the time in the middle of class in high school, surprisingly enough, playing it while listening to my classes really helped me and my ADHD to pay attention and concentrate, I had too much energy!
Sadly It got to the point that I got so good at puyo that it was imposible for any of my friends or my brother to even beat me once. In tetris it was a bit more fair but I still won like 80% of the time.
I think the swap mode is simple but brilliant!
a not so obvious recomendation would be [Tricky Towers](https://store.steampowered.com/app/437920/Tricky_Towers/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6ltQrKy5I
It's not exactly a garbage throwing puzzle game but I think it's close eneough, I would describe it as a physics based jenga-like inverse tetris, it has a couple of different game modes and it's great!
Puyo puyo~n! It's totally unbalanced and it rules. I love the vibe and the magic attacks. I recommend the dreamcast version over the ps one
And then there's landmaker, one of my favorite puzzle games ever. It's like puzzle bobble or magical drop but building is the goal. Great music, super fun in vs. There's a dirt cheap playstation port that has an ignorable 3D addition to it.
Also, magical drop, if you've never tried it!
And!! Might and magic clash of heroes! Build attacks and walls with dropped pieces. It's basically a puzzle tactics game. It's great, and maybe the first game I was ever jealous that I didn't make.
Since everyone needs to bring up a different Tetris, here’s a casual reminder that Tetris 99 remains the best game on Switch and possibly the best Tetris, which makes it possiblissibly the best game ever? The concept of piling up 99 simultaneous players is great, the different challenges give you a reason to play every day, there are tons of modes (incl. private rooms), and it still receives new events frequently.
https://youtu.be/vXjVcjPmSWg
If your "domestic competitor" likes Puzzle Fighter but you want to even the odds on a more neutral field, **Baku Baku Animal** should be right up your alley(s). The concept is very (suspiciously) similar to Puzzle Fighter, with a system of matching consumable blocks (animal food) and consuming blocks (animal heads). There is no strategy in terms of match-ups, as the garbage is more or less randomized and not tied to a specific character, but the flow of the game is also quicker and with more frequent attacks compared to Puzzle Fighter.
https://youtu.be/F1bCaClluUs
Speaking of games with the consumable/consuming schtick, a personal favorite or mine is Kururin Pa!, and more accurately its precipitated sequel **Shingata Kururin Pa!**. It's kind of a mix between Panic Bomber and Blodia / Pipe Dream.
@“Syzygy”#p37715 For a long time Tsuu was still the Puyo Puyo of choice, but the hardcore scene has at last accepted the last few releases.
Puyo Puyo eSports/Champions is a mechanical replica of Tsu and Fever, it's not exactly a new game.
It's not even about acceptance so much as Sega basically gave up attempting to add new, genuinely competitive rulesets a long time ago—in the 15+ years they've controlled the series, they've only made one other main-line title outside of Fever/Fever 2, and everything else has been anniversary games or Puyo Puyo Tetris games (which for a lot of reasons aren't competitively viable).
I don't even hold it against them; reinventing the wheel ain't easy.
Love Quarth! Seriously, where were you when the (Easy Mode) thread was [struggling with identifying this game](https://forums.insertcredit.com/d/395-whats-that-game-easy-mode/556) lol
PuzzleBobble/Bust-A-Move is a perennial favorite and is easily understood and played by players of all ages and skills. I like the 4th game in the series because it has multiple cute characters you can pick from.
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@“穴”#p37690 a not so obvious recommendation would be Tricky Towers
Space Invaders: The Original Game for PC Engine has vs mode with 2 different themes, Battle mode with basic theme and Cosmic VS mode with anime girls. Not exactly puzzle but you get to dump garbage I'd count it! Has option to turn on vocal version of the song.
Gotta rep what has to be the most underappreciated game of its type relative to profile/pedigree: Meteos, Masahiro Sakurai‘s love letter of sorts to Panepon. I wish Q/Enhance/whoever would push Meteos the way they’ve eternally pushed Lumines but that said, their own sans-Sakurai sequels weren‘t particularly strong and they’ve never found a satisfying control option for standard controllers (but I do think gyro implementation could work).
Petal Crash also deserves mention: as far as original indie games go, that's the one. (Special mention also goes to CROSSNIQ+, which would be easier to recommend outright if it had a vs. AI mode and/or online multiplayer—I'm willing to take it on faith that it's a well-considered versus game but I'll probably never find out for myself.)
Yeah, I complained about this elsewhere but folks shouldn‘t use “inspired by” when they mean “based on” - this is basically a visual remake/upgrade, which is more or less fine if it’s not a commercial product, but you gotta say so!
I have never played Magical Drop before so I thought it was a variation on it, but now that I looked it up, it looks more like a straight up clone, Ooops!