Puyo Pop has had a fairly lucrative career as a videogame franchise. Having begun under the guise of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine on the Mega Drive and, once SEGA became solely a software publisher; Puyo Pop Fever has appeared on practically every format to grace the shop shelves. The NintendoDS is the latest in the long line of systems to receive a conversion but, with the unique nature of the NintendoDS, the biggest question of all comes into play; will the latest Puyo Pop Fever be another run-of-the-mill edition or stay true to the NintendoDS formula of releasing titles that just aren’t possible on other systems?

            The title appears from the start to offer a vivid and lively world. Seemingly little has changed from previous editions with the variety of Endless Mode options available, as well as the basic Story Mode. The idea of the title is similar to ninety percent of the average Puzzle games released; different coloured blocks fall from the sky in either two, three or four pieces, rotating these and placing them correctly on the ascending pile below while four or more of the same colour together will cause these blocks to disappear, in turn causing an avalanche should these blocks have more placed on top of them. The Story Mode has several stages to work through each getting progressively difficult, whilst the Endless Modes are often far from endless. Featuring a selection of Fever, Mission or Original, the player must successfully endure an extreme combo set-up as the time limit decreases, complete the tasks set by the computer – such as three or four chain combos, removing multiple coloured blocks at once etc – or play until their blocks reach the entry point for those falling.

            The dual-screen play only really comes into the equation when in multiplayer; however, the Touch Screen has a comfortable – if not spectacular – role in the proceedings. Simply tapping the Touch Screen will rotate the blocks, whilst dragging left, right or down will move the falling pieces accordingly. Whilst this is entirely predictable, it’s been calibrated perfectly with the developers obviously having a precise view of exactly what degree of accuracy the player requires, clearly putting the lack lustre Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits to shame.

            The multiplayer side of things is an incredibly bright addition. With the default settings complimenting two to eight players perfectly – in terms of length of the matches as well as the play settings – and the options are adjustable to fit practically every variation of the single-player games. The Single Game Card or Game Room for multiple Card link is quick and easy to access, and is probably one of the best featured multiplayer titles yet on the NintendoDS. The option to Pause the title mid-game during a Wi-Fi link is also very much a rarity.

            Graphically, of course, the title is nothing special. There are no long mathematical physics equations as to how the Puyo’s move – just a series of GIF images – yet the cut-scenes have their 2D characters stylishly animated and the two screens, even when not particularly used to their entirety, are always lively and colourful. With the characters voice-sampling being clear and distinctive, there’s no knocking the title for clarity even if most of the titles tunes are easily ignorable.

            While Puyo Pop Fever isn’t without its annoyances – few unlockables, no save during the Story Mode and limited original features - the title can’t be knocked for the sheer level of enjoyment held within. A lack of variety and lack lustre use of the NintendoDS’s features condemn the single-player to the league of the “as a break from when I’m playing Nintendogs” titles, but the multiplayer features will be a constant lure.