is the seventh installment in the Puyo Puyo

Puyo Puyo (series)

Puyo Puyo refers to a series of puzzle video games created by Compile and later Sonic Team.- History :Puyo Puyo, originally released by Compile in 1991, featured characters from the 1989 RPG Madou Monogatari, also made by Compile...

 series released on Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 on July 30 and November 26, 2009 for PlayStation Portable

PlayStation Portable

The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 and Wii

Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

. This game is endorsed by Erika Toda

Erika Toda

, is a Japanese actress from Kobe. She originally debuted as a gravure model at age 13.She starred in many dramas like Liar Game, Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna and Keizoku 2: SPEC. She has had supporting roles in many popular Japanese TV dramas such as BOSS, Nobuta wo Produce, Engine and Gal Circle...

, following on from Sega's use of female Japanese stars to promote the series.

The staple gameplay mode, , allows characters to take on child or adult forms, giving smaller or bigger puyo respectively.

Storyline

The game opens with a storm of Puyo falling down unto Earth, flooding a high school in its wake. Ringo Andou, a student who witnesses the flood, trembles until Arle Nadja appears. She teaches Ringo how to play Puyo Puyo and fight the many enemies with her skill. Arle soon finds herself being endangered and runs off, and Ringo sets out to find her, encountering old and new friends and rivals, using a special ability: she is able to transform into an adult or a child while playing the game, affecting the Puyo size in the process.

After a match with Klug, Ringo decides that in order to solve the problem, she must travel to seven power spots of the planet, encountering the strongest opponents. During the trek, she discovered that Arle has become possessed by a new adversary, Ekoro. When Ringo comes upon the newly-transformed Dark Arle, she defeats her, reverting her to normal. Ekoro decides to bury the universe in Puyos just for amusement. Ringo, Arle, and Amitie team up with her to save the day. Ekoro is defeated, and everyone is unharmed.

Characters

While 14 characters from previous series appear, five new characters debut:

Ringo is the intelligent main protagonist of the game. She lives in yet another different universe to Arle and Amitie, and is taught how to play the game of Puyo by Arle when a horde of them flood her school. Her name means apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

.

This Suzuran

Suzuran

is the name of a limited express train service operated by Hokkaido Railway Company between and in Hokkaido, Japan. The current limited express service was introduced in July 1992, but the name was first used from 1956 for an express service operated by JNR between and Sapporo.　"Suzuran" is the...

 Shopping District's resident is the son of a fishmonger and Ringo's friend. He is very fashionable, but also quite weird. He has purple hair that covers his eyes. Being the fishmonger's son explains his name, which means tuna

Tuna

Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...

. He is never seen without a Kendama

Kendama

A is a traditional Japanese toy which consists of a wooden, hammer-like object with a ball connected to it by a string. In English, kendama may be referred to as ring and pin and bears similarities to the classic cup-and-ball game, known in the Latin American world as balero...

, which he wears around his neck, and his animations frequently feature it.

Risukuma is an older student at his school and a former science club member. Three months ago, the science club room blew up after an experiment went wrong, and he is now in the middle of renting the physics club. He has the head of a teddy bear, and resembles a bear as well. His name is a portmanteau, with risu meaning squirrel

Squirrel

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

 and kuma meaning bear

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

; senpai

Senpai

and are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...

is an honorific for a senior.

Arle possessed by Ekoro. She corresponds to Doppelganger Arle from Puyo Puyo~n.

The main antagonist of the game, and the one responsible for flooding Ringo's world with Puyos. He is equivalent to Popoi from Puyo Pop Fever

Puyo Pop Fever

Puyo Pop Fever, known as in Japan, is the fifth installment in the popular Puyo Puyo puzzle game series, developed by Sonic Team, released on a wide variety of systems in several regions. Sega published all the Japanese versions of the game; the game was scarcely released internationally, and...

. He has a question mark on his head, and is able to shapeshift into shadowy versions of the characters.

Gameplay

There are five modes of gameplay used in Free Battle games:

The main focus of the game. There are two transformations, and , with each character having representations of each. The Transformations refer to the grid size, not so much the character representation.

This is Fever mode. It is identical to the mode in 15th Anniversary.

This mode emulates the gameplay of Puyo Puyo Tsu.

This mode emulates the gameplay of the original Puyo Puyo.

In mission mode, the player is given a task which they must complete before their opponents. This mode is named after the Puyo Puyo spinoff game released in 1993.

The story mode focuses mainly on Great Transformation, but has a small number of other modes in addition.

The first three modes are also available for multiplayer games over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...

.

Trivia

• When Klug enters Deka Transformation mode, he turns into Strange Klug, the result of his possession by his book, previously seen in Puyo Puyo Fever 2.
• Amitie's Deka outfit resembles her Puyo Pop Fever
  Puyo Pop Fever
  Puyo Pop Fever, known as in Japan, is the fifth installment in the popular Puyo Puyo puzzle game series, developed by Sonic Team, released on a wide variety of systems in several regions. Sega published all the Japanese versions of the game; the game was scarcely released internationally, and...
  
  outfit.
• Arle's Deka outfit is a combination of her Puyo Puyo~n and Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary
  Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary
  is a sub-story of the Puyo Puyo series, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii. As with many other games in the series, it has not been released outside of Japan for any consoles. This is the first Puyo Puyo game to be...
  
  outfits.
• Arle and Carbuncle are separately playable for the first time since Puyo Pop Fever
  Puyo Pop Fever
  Puyo Pop Fever, known as in Japan, is the fifth installment in the popular Puyo Puyo puzzle game series, developed by Sonic Team, released on a wide variety of systems in several regions. Sega published all the Japanese versions of the game; the game was scarcely released internationally, and...
  
  .
• Skeleton-T has two personifications by his side: one to represent Deka, and one to represent Piko. When he enters Transformation mode, either one of these two characters takes his place.
• Risukuma and Feli's Deka outfits resemble servants. Risukuma resembles a butler, while Feli's resembles a maid. Coincidentally, both are considered senior students.
• When Dark Arle enters Transformation mode, she does not transform at all. Rather, her robe changes color depending on which mode she enters, Red for Deka and Green for Chibi. (Carbuncle does not transform either.)
• Ekoro can shapeshift into Ringo when outside Transformation mode, and can transform into either a shadow Feli for Chibi or a shadow Klug when he enters Transformation mode.
• There is another version of Carbuncle who appears alongside Dark Arle in her animations.

External links

• SEGA's Puyo Puyo 7 site.
• SEGA's "Project Ringo" teaser site - now links to SEGA's Puyo Puyo 7 site. There is no new teaser/trailer.
• Puyo Nexus Wiki's Puyo Puyo 7 page Has information on Puyo Puyo 7 that might not be fit for Wikipedia's standards.