When comparing Puyo Puyo Tetris vs The Escapists 2, the Slant community recommends The Escapists 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best couch/local co-op games for the Nintendo Switch?” The Escapists 2 is ranked 14th while Puyo Puyo Tetris is ranked 48th. The most important reason people chose The Escapists 2 is:
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation. Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Two strategic, classic games in one
This game combines the fun and strategy of Tetris and Puyo Puyo together.
In Tetris, shapes drop from the top of the screen at varying speeds. You can rotate these shapes around to form lines at the bottom of the screen. When a line is formed, it clears out space on your screen, which allows you more room for more matches. Tetris is a beloved classic that has stood the test of time.
Puyo Puyo is a color matching game. Colored pieces fall from the top of the screen onto a tile-based board. By matching four pieces of the same color in rows or columns, all the matched pieces will disappear (called "popping") which gives you more room for more matches. The real fun in Puyo Puyo comes from making strategic matches that cause large amounts of tiles on your screen to pop and cause a chain reaction of matches (called "chaining").
Whether it's the shape-matching of Tetris, or the color-matching of Puyo Puyo, both games offer a lot of room for strategy. Getting both games (not to mention the dozen different game modes) in one package is a great deal.
Pro Fast and frantic competitive play
The smooth mix of Tetris versus Puyo Puyo really lends itself well to competitive play. Getting matches on your side and sending your friend trash pieces (while they do the same to you) is a great way to blend the two games into some frantic head to head action. Scrambling to outplay your friends is made even more interesting by the fact that you're playing two completely separate games side by side. In some modes, your boards will even swap at random meaning you'll have to pay attention to the action on both boards at the same time.
Pro Very interesting gameplay premise
Putting the shape-matching nature of Tetris head to head with the color-matching style of Puyo Puyo sounds weird, but it works. One player will be playing Tetris, while the other is playing Puyo Puyo. The goal is to make as many matches as fast as you can, which will send trash pieces to your friend's board. The seamless blend of two different games combined with over a dozen different modes results in matches that play out in extremely interesting and creative ways.
Pro Tons of game modes
There are training modes that teach you how to play, a story mode where you can watch an adventure play out, and even a free mode where you choose the rules. Some interesting multiplayer modes include: a mode where your boards swap at random, a mode where you both play the same game, and a mode where one player plays Tetris while the other plays Puyo Puyo.
In total, there are six challenge modes, five arcade modes, three lesson modes, and also an adventure mode with a hundred stages. Regardless of your play style, you'll easily be able to find an exciting mode that suits your tastes.
Pro Great online experience
The online community for this game is very friendly and welcoming of new players. Finding quick matches with others is also quick and easy due to the rather large pool of players who actively play this game.
Pro Level skip for tricky puzzles
A handy level skip keeps adventure mode fun without being frustrating. If you're ever stuck on a certain level for way too long, you can just skip over it and keep progressing to watch the story play out.
Pro Encourages experimentation and creativity
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation.
Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Pro Good balance of game systems make for a rewarding simulation
Taking action in the game uses up your stamina, so you'll still have to make time for things like eating and sleeping if you want to have energy for things like digging through walls, fighting other inmates, or cutting through vents and gates.
Items such as shovels and cutters have limited durability, so they can't be used endlessly. Raw materials can be found around the prison to craft items, or you can buy items from fences using money earned by running fetch quests for other inmates. No matter how you acquire them, crafting materials and finished goods are limited so you'll have to use your items wisely.
Time is an important factor that has to be managed too, with certain activities having to be done at certain times. This limits the amount of time you have to roam the prison, since you have to show up for meal times and roll calls. Free time can be used to craft, roam the prison to determine the guard patterns, or finally put your ultimate escape plan into action.
Juggling each and every one of the various aspects of the game results in a very deep and rewarding simulation experience.
Pro Solid progression of difficulty
The difficulty increases as you progress, with each prison becoming just a little more intricate and more challenging to escape from than the previous. The prisons themselves get more complex with more obstacles to overcome such as tougher guards which results in more ways things can go wrong. The progress feels good and natural, as you're always building on what you learned in previous prisons to escape from the newest one.
Pro Great pixel art style for retro fans
If you enjoy a more retro style, then this game is pure eye candy. Simple but charming, the pixel art is colorful, with the sprites having a nice variety in animations when they're shoveling, searching, running around, fighting, or partaking in any kind of activity that would require movement. The tile sets for the game world are nicely detailed, colored and shaded. You won't get tired of looking at the same tiles over and over due to the sheer amount and variety of the art assets created for the game.
Pro Lots of replayability
No two games will play out alike. Each prison is an open sandbox, so it's definitely not a linear experience with a defined escape blueprint. Prisons can be replayed over and over to beat your previous time, measured in how many in-game days it took you to escape, which leaves plenty of room for trying new things on each successive playthrough.
Pro Co-Op multiplayer mode adds a new depth to gameplay
Working together creates a whole new experience with loads of possibilities. In co-op mode, you play with up to 3 teammates either online or locally as you work towards escaping the prison together. This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay as working together creates experiences that just aren't possible when playing solo. Someone could distract the guards, while another searches rooms for crafting materials. One player could run around collecting items, while another scopes out the guard's patrol patterns. Some can complete quests to collect money while others are working on digging tunnels.
Pro A couple of alternative prisons add a change of scenery
Tired of bricks, cold floors, and cement cells? For those who want a change of scenery, there is a prison set in the wild west, and even a futuristic space prison. This adds a little bit of variety to the look of the game while keeping the same gameplay mechanics. It's a nice touch and gives your eyes a break from staring at the same tilesets over and over.
Cons
Con Unfair matchmaking in online mode
There is no organized skill ladder, and all online matches are completely random. This can lead to some very unfair games at times, especially when skilled, experienced players are matched up against new players.
Con Has some balance issues
When you go head to head with another player, one of you will be playing Tetris and one will be playing Puyo Puyo. Not only does each game feature different mechanics, but there are some overpowered tactics (on both sides) which can send way too many trash pieces onto your opponent's board. Some more tuning is definitely needed.
Con Tetris is slowed down
In order to be balanced with the speed of Puyo Puyo, the Tetris game has lots of artificial delays in pieces dropping which prevents you from playing as quick as you are capable. This can be frustrating to some, especially experienced Tetris players.
Con Story mode will not appeal to all
The characters in the story mode are from the Puyo Puyo anime. Unless you're a fan of the show and its characters, you probably won't get much entertainment out of it.
Con Getting caught by guards can be overly punishing
It's frustrating when you spend several hours grinding quests for other inmates, collecting items, crafting, and carefully planning your escape, only to get caught by guards and lose all your items or killed. This effectively means you have to start over, wasting hours of your own time and days of in-game time.
Con Can feel grindy at times
Running around doing fetch quests for other inmates, or searching for crafting materials for hours on end can get stale after a while.
Con Tutorial doesn't cover much
The tutorial will only walk you through the barest of basics, resulting in the player having to learn the game's various mechanics on their own.