Collection essentials #425: Pokémon Puzzle League (N64)

What we have here is basically an updated version of Panel de Pon/Tetris Attack for the Super Nintendo, only with Pokémon characters instead of fairies or Yoshi’s Island characters. It’s hard to call this a sequel, because there’s barely anything new here aside from the new skin. Basic gameplay is exactly the same, and for more info on that, you can read my post about the original release . Pokémon Puzzle League is specifically based on the hugely popular Pokémon anime TV series at the time, which was in its second season in the English-speaking world at the time. And so the main protagonist is Ash Ketchum and his right-hand Pikachu as Ash seeks to become a Pokémon master…by battling with puzzle pieces! The English voice actors from the anime are all present, which is a nice touch. There’s even a bit of original animation for the game’s cutscenes, too. What’s very odd is that this game was never released in its home country of Japan! I honestly have no idea why. Pokémon Puzzle League h...