Pokémon Puzzle Challenge

Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (Japanese: ポケモンでパネポン Pokémon de ) is a spin-off puzzle game for the Game Boy Color. It is based on, and thus plays like Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64.

It was originally released in Japan on September 21, 2000, in North America on December 4, 2000, in Europe on June 8, 2001, and in Australia on June 15, 2001. It was later released on Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in North America, Europe, and Australia in 2014.

In Challenge Mode, the starting Pokémon are Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Players battle the Johto Gyms by beating them at puzzle games, and can obtain other Pokémon, such as Marill and Pichu. Sometimes Eggs can be hatched, allowing players to use more Pokémon. Players may also fight friends using the multiplayer modes. Additionally, the game includes a "Puzzle" mode in which players attempt to use combos to clear all the blocks onscreen within a certain number of moves.

Blurb
Journey to Johto for the ultimate puzzle challenge!

Chikorita, Pikachu, Totodile, Pichu, and other favorite Pokémon will help you take on Johto Gym Leaders like Jasmine, Pryce, and Falkner in a quest to become the Pokémon Puzzle Champion. Use lightning fast reflexes to form chains and combos that clear the block tower, attack opposing Pokémon, and bury them in a sea of garbage!


 * Six puzzling modes to play! Test your scoring skills in Time Zone, clean up the mess in Garbage, then face the eight Gym Leaders in the ultimate challenge mode. Plus, with Puzzle, Line Clear, and Marathon Modes, you'll be clearing blocks for hours on end!
 * Train to be the true puzzle master. Watch demos that teach you the basics of forming chains and combos, then master the techniques in a special slow-motion practice mode.
 * Link with friends to prove your puzzle prowess! Use the Game Link cable (sold separately) and battle your friends in three block-breaking two-player modes!

Single Player Mode
Single Player Mode features:

Marathon
An endless game. The objective of the game is to obtain the highest possible score before the screen becomes completely filled with blocks. Easy uses five kinds of basic tiles, but Normal and Hard add the dark blue triangle piece found in all games but Planet Puzzle League.

Challenge
In Challenge mode, the player assumes the role of and travels around, battling all of the Johto Gym Leaders. Rather than show an opponent on screen, the Leader's Pokémon has a health bar and occasionally sends random garbage. Combos, chains, and Surprise (!) blocks wear away at the opponent's health bar. On Easy mode, the last opponent is Clair; on Normal, it is Karen; on Hard mode, the final opponent is Lance.

Time Zone
Try to get a high score in only two minutes. Get chains and combos for max points.

Line Clear
Clear all stages. There are 6 rounds, each with 5 stages (including a Bonus Stage). After beating all 30 stages, a battle awaits. This mode also features Johto Gym Leaders.

Puzzles
Divided in rounds and stages, the goal is to clear the block setup in a limited amount of moves (usually 1 to 5).

Garbage
Same as Marathon, with two differences: Most obviously, Garbage Blocks of varying sizes fall down randomly from the top. The number and type of Garbage Blocks depends on the Garbage Level (which constantly rises). Also, the scroll speed never changes, probably because the Garbage Blocks present enough of a challenge to the player.

Unlockables
Like others in the Puzzle League series, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge has several unlockable extras revealed as the player accomplishes tasks in the game.


 * Super Hard is added to Challenge mode via a special button combination revealed at the completion of Hard mode.
 * Intense is added to Challenge mode via a special button combination revealed at the completion of Super Hard mode.
 * Blistering Speed may be used in Marathon via a special button combination.
 * Portraits of the eight Gym Leaders of Johto are unlocked after completing their corresponding stages in Puzzle mode.
 * Bellossom, Pikachu, Sentret, Togepi, Marill, and Pichu are unlocked from within Challenge mode by completing certain tasks while playing. If a new task is completed, the player will be challenged by a Trainer who uses one of these special Pokémon. Beat them to unlock their Pokémon for use at any time.
 * Igglybuff, Elekid, Cleffa, and Magby are only usable in Marathon mode. They begin as Eggs who cannot be used, but they "hatch" and become playable over time.

Opponents

 * Falkner
 * Bugsy
 * Whitney
 * Morty
 * Chuck
 * Jasmine
 * Pryce
 * Clair
 * Will
 * Koga
 * Bruno
 * Karen
 * Lance

Trivia

 * Pokémon Puzzle Challenge had the tentative title Pokémon Attack. This title was probably based on the title of.
 * Through a special button combination, one can get access to a nearly finished game of for the Game Boy. This is probably due to the fact that Panel de Pon was originally going to be released on the Game Boy, but was scrapped in favor of a Pokémon variant. This can be accessed on a Game Boy or a Game Boy Color, but there is a separate button combination to allow the Game Boy Color to access the Game Boy mode.
 * Additionally, there are a number of sprites of characters from the series not used even in this mode, indicating that this game was originally intended to be a Panel de Pon game.
 * Getting a chain of 30 or higher will make the game show a question mark instead of a number.
 * There are three unused songs in the game's data.
 * In the Virtual Console release, multiplayer options are disabled due to the emulator being unable to emulate the Game Link Cable function.