The Nintendo Switch launch title I was most excited for was Puyo Puyo Tetris. An unconventional choice, considering all eyes were on Breath of the Wild. But I adore Tetris. More importantly, I was eager to foster a connection with Puyo Puyo. I had known about the SEGA series for decades and did technically try it through its Western rebrandings. Beyond a few characters’ names, though, I couldn’t tell you a thing about Puyo Puyo proper. Thankfully, the crossover did not disappoint: I now consider myself a Puyo Puyo fan despite only experiencing a paltry portion of the franchise (in my defense, most of it hasn’t been officially localized). When a sequel was announced, I knew it’d be another instant purchase.
Image: Source Gaming. Marle and Squares in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2’s postgame
I wasn’t expecting anything revolutionary out of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2; it could never match its predecessor’s novelty or impact. All I needed was another cute, entertaining adventure, which SEGA delivered. And considering how notoriously awful and terrifying 2020 was, closing it with a second Puyo Puyo Tetris was a small comfort, as was getting free updates the following year (one of which even kindly added one of my favorite characters). Despite retreading familiar turf, though, Tetris 2 isn’t an unambitious cash grab of a sequel—and we have its dynamic duo to thank for that.
Marle and Squares’ History
After the last crossover concluded, the Puyo Puyo and Tetris dimensions were restored to normal and each group’s memories of the events faded. One day, however, they suddenly began merging again! This time, the unholy fusion is linked to two enigmatic strangers, first Marle and later Squares. Our heroes ultimately prevail, stop the “dimensional parasites,” and restore balance. A postgame chapter delves into the pair’s relationship and acts as a coda.
Image: Source Gaming. Marle and Squares saw considerable revision before SEGA landed on their final designs. In English, they’re voiced by Megan Taylor Harvey and Zeno Robinson, respectively.
Both Tetris 2 recluses are recruitable in the Japan-exclusive mobile spin-off Puyo Puyo!! Quest. Marle even appears in her “normal” and “light” forms. Notably, her, Squares, and their variations are only available as six- or seven-star party members, the highest ranks available. Oh, and an updated re-release of their debut, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S, launched earlier this year alongside the Nintendo Switch 2.
So, what’re my thoughts on Marle and Squares?
When uniting two unrelated properties for a crossover, significant hurdles arise. How do you best preserve what makes them distinct and cherished? Narratively, do you go the predictable route and have villains from each series team up, or should you create a fresh menace whose strength requires the two groups of heroes to stop? Do you endanger the casts’ homes or whisk them off to a new, “neutral” setting? Ensuring the crossover is palatable to people unfamiliar with one or both franchises is also critical, especially in this case. Only a few Puyo Puyo games had left Japan by 2017, and Tetris 1’s long-awaited localization happened to coincide with a hotly anticipated console launch. Needless to say, SEGA had several tough needles to thread.
Image: Source Gaming. While Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 retreads beats from its forebear—people get brainwashed, for example—it isn’t as scattershot. Singing fish Suketoudara isn’t randomly swimming through space for the sake of a gag this time.
And they managed them elegantly. Naturally, the Puyo Puyo cast and their usual haunts are accounted for. What to do regarding Tetris, though? Yes, it had a few characters to its name, but is it worth reviving obscure fossils like the professor and his assistant? Most players’ knowledge of Tetris iconography is limited to the Tetrimino blocks, after all. So SEGA, instead, designed an original batch of eccentrics—including an antagonist, Ex—to represent it. Crucially, this meant the S.S. Tetra folk could perfectly sync up with the Puyo Puyo crew: everybody’s visually cohesive and the Tetris-themed newbies are as expressive and experienced as their foils. That reflects all you need to know going into Tetris 1, too: its leads and the franchises they represent are storied. And, together, they told a breezy, goofy tale. Literally every problem is solved by a Puyo Puyo and / or Tetris battle, and a lotta wacky hijinks happen!
Which, to be clear, is fine; historically, Puyo Puyo games are lighthearted flings. When it came time to pen a sequel, though, series writer Utako Yoshino faced a new trial: how do you make Tetris 2 approachable to newcomers and simultaneously rewarding to returnees? Well, the former was easily addressed by giving most of the cast amnesia. Amnesia is a recurring element when dimension-hopping in Puyo Puyo, so that’s internally consistent, and the people who remember Tetris 1’s events can recap essential information as needed (though this does immediately spoil Ex’s duty as the Keeper of Dimensions, one of its grand reveals). Hey, this setup helped ease us into Kaname Date’s grisly murder mystery, and it’s equally effective here.
Image: Source Gaming. Marle and Squares both feature fresh Puyo Puyo “dropsets,” which is nice. Usually, new faces recycle dropsets from older, absent ones.
Meanwhile, appealing to veterans was accomplished by improving the presentation—the visuals saw a considerable bump—and plotting. Understandably, someone might not assume the latter would be the case at first, though. Soon after starting the campaign, we catch our first glimpse of Marle, the initial villain. She giggles a lot, speaks in a monotone voice, and is nakedly scheming something. You’ve seen plenty of creepy ladies like this before, right? Sensing the looming danger, our intrepid saviors unite and pursue the intruder. Y’know, business as usual, and I was bracing myself for another serviceable, vaguely amusing fling.
Where Tetris 1 hid Ex until the final world, Tetris 2 paints an X on a target from the get-go—and then nicely builds her up as a threat. Chapters 1 and 2 serve as introductions: they explain who the Puyo Puyo people are, who the Tetris people are, and both parties ponder Marle’s nature and goals. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 even begins with a brief narration by her; everything orbits Marle. She later introduces Tetris 2’s Skill Battle ruleset (which hails from the Japan-only Puyo Puyo Chronicles): two allies give you access to their special abilities mid-fight. And that’s all imposing; it takes three people to fend Marle off, who ultimately leaves the first confrontation unfazed. The second, though? An off-key rendition of Puyo Puyo’s theme plays while she breaks down and babbles about what’s “right…”
Image: Source Gaming. Like the rest of the roster, Squares and Marle have an alternate set of voice clips. In two unique touches, Marle’s alternate set also changes her costume, while both of Squares’ batches appear during the story.
Chapter 3 conveys the corrosive affect Marle has on the Puyo Puyo community: they’re devolving into fun-loving, battle-obsessed pains like her (dangling Puyo Puyo plot threads are also subtly alluded to; Klug and Sig’s demonic backgrounds shield them from Marle’s curse). Everyone is gradually restored to normal, and then in Chapter 4 our leads take turns wearing the outsider down… only to discover a meek, scared girl breaking through the eerie façade. After her defeat, she’s purged of Squares’ brainwashing—cue his entrance. His plan was to use his pawn to battle others, gather energy, and now he’s gonna use it to wipe ‘em all out! A twist like that was inevitable, really. We’re only at Tetris 2’s midway point. Marle’s panic attacks suggested a greater threat was pulling strings. Even her dress implied the same; possessed characters and dark doppelgängers in Puyo Puyo often bear burgundy outfits.
Anyway, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 keeps up the momentum. Chapter 5 deals with everyone traveling to “the edge of spacetime” to locate Ex, seeking his advice (most of the group passes the time by having a silly pageant, yielding fun character moments). In Chapter 6, the team tackles a series of tests to restore Marle’s memory. Even the side stories here flesh her out, most significantly by letting her recruit an Ally unaided; it gives the meek newcomer some much-needed agency. This is all in service to our ultimate goal, too: stopping the supercharged Squares—who, of course, is usually fought via Skill Battles.
Image: Source Gaming. Mirroring Chapter 4, Chapter 7’s a gauntlet of duels against Squares, who forced me to experiment with and level up my team. In Tetris 1, only a handful of folks felt relevant, but nearly everyone contributes here. Taking the tyrant down was a joint effort!
Chapter 7 marks the climactic showdown and reveals Marle and Squares’ dysfunctional dynamic: the latter’s a tyke having a temper tantrum, while the former is his “sister” and creator. “Mother” might sound like a more apt label at first blush, but Marle treats Squares as her equal… and justifiably so. Together, they monitor the multiverse, indirectly helped our heroes during Tetris 1, and erased their memories. While Marle’s position has given her a certain wisdom, she’s exceptionally lonely and lacks social skills. She tried to address that by literally making a friend, but her inexperience in fostering friendships and interest in outside realms left the newborn’s needs unfulfilled. And though everybody unreservedly forgiving Squares strains credulity, well… as we know, children need guidance and make mistakes. Ultimately, they both shoulder blame, something unused dialogue overtly states (therein, Marle openly admits she’s partially at fault while revealing that Squares’ threats were mere bluster).
This is also when I finally came to appreciate the divinities’ designs. Blatantly, they embody Puyo Puyo and Tetris. Respectively, Marle’s costume, spells, and name carry a circle motif to match SEGA’s blobs, whereas the edgier Squares evokes rigid Tetriminos (his sister rolls with some cubes and darker hues when under his control, appropriately). But their designs and even voices also conceal their true natures. The rosy-cheeked Marle rocks cheerful colors, her facial expressions are vibrant and silly, she’s extremely petite, and she sounds like she’s, I dunno, six? You’d assume she’s some defenseless, lost little girl, not a goddess! Conversely, the tall Squares wears dark outfits and speaks authoritatively with a deep voice. A casual glance suggests he’s mature, competent. Instead, he’s in dire need of discipline!
Image: Source Gaming. An incarnation of “the Will of the Worlds,” Marle ensures puzzle battles are fun while Squares governs what’s “right.” While they take their jobs seriously, taking a break to enjoy an interdimensional road trip is exactly what they need to bond and grow more worldly.
In a sense, though, Squares kinda had a point: the Puyo Puyo Tetris games are unholy anomalies! Both endanger the multiverse! The Fusion, Party, and Skill Battles invariably descend into confusing hodgepodges of clashing animations, catchphrases, and mechanics! Squares personally showcases the latter through a grueling final boss fight, where he’s overwhelmed by the energy he absorbed. If you aren’t careful, he’ll vanquish you within seconds. Puyo Puyo Tetris 1 and 2 embrace chaos.
But Marle and her new buddies, who subconsciously remembered Tetris 1 and wanted to meet again, make a greater point: these crossovers are fun. And they’re perfect launch games for the Switches, lovely venues through which people can acquaint themselves with either series. Again, I became a Puyo Puyo fan through Tetris 1, I know I’m not alone, and I’ve seen others share the love by introducing their friends to it through these two delightful titles. Connecting with others through games is invaluable, a wonderful way to bond with people and sample new experiences. Isn’t that the most important thing?
Image: Source Gaming. Natural order be damned, it’s a shame the Puyo Puyo and Tetris champions were torn apart. Marle seemingly agrees, even if she and Squares nevertheless uphold the status quo—a responsibility the latter took too strictly.
It isn’t a stretch to view Squares as an allegory for the suits that preside over Puyo Puyo either. The characters’ cries of how these events still matter even if their memories are erased almost read as Yoshino defiantly rebuking SEGA’s stingy restrictions, their fear of challenging the status quo. And that powers Tetris 2’s back half: everybody’s unhappy that they’ll invariably be torn apart, yes, but they decide to treasure their time together while it lasts. It’s Klonoa 2-esque, and even kinda recalls a summer camp little Cart Boy once attended; I was sad when my new bestie and I had to part, but I was ultimately left with warm, happy memories of our time together. Writing for video games is difficult—Gears of War scribe Tom Bissell can attest to that—but it speaks to Yoshino’s talent that she was able to use these harsh restrictions to pen mesmerizing drama.
Loneliness plagues the Puyo Puyo Tetris titles. Ex struggled during his isolation in the first, but he still carried some emotional maturity, a quality Marle couldn’t teach her young companion. And Tetris 2 needed them, a pair of outsiders who challenge these crossovers. They even enrich Puyo Puyo as a whole: Marle and Squares expand its lore by offering a glimpse into its celestial plane. And where Ex struggles to leave Puyo Puyo Tetris territory, these gods aren’t intrinsically tied to a property SEGA doesn’t own, meaning they’re theoretically free to pop Puyos and keep making friends. Tetris 2’s epilogue shows Squares is on the path to redemption, and considering SEGA’s top brass has loosened up—last year’s Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop proudly revisits dangling plot threads, to the rejoicing of fans—then Squares will likely follow suit. Soon, the puzzle multiverse will have two wise, dependable guardians.
Congratulations, Marle and Squares! You’re gonna make a great team!
Image: Source Gaming. Yoshino’s tweeted artwork honoring the Puyo Puyo Tetris cast, once likening Squares to Ecolo. Makes sense; both are isolated, and the alien takes a liking to him. Ex and the Dark Prince do, too. Squares has a support group now—everything’ll be fine!
Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
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