Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Jan 23 21 A (Boss Raids)

The January 2021 update to Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 added four more characters (Ms. Accord, Ocean Prince, Lidelle, and Sonic), some more songs, and, what will be featured in this video, a new online mode: Boss Raids! Remember those Skill Battles in the story mode? You can go head-to-head with other people like what you see in Adventure, but this update introduced this mode, a 4-on-1 against a computer player with a lot of HP, high-level AI, and a few abilities you don't usually get in Skill Battles. Since you're all in this together, having someone very good at this game is to your benefit.


I was actually concerned about the level-up factor, a trait brought over from Puyo Puyo Quest, but it seems they addressed that by having at least three difficulty levels. The ones I saw were Medium, Hot, and Spicy. (I'm assuming there are lower difficulties, but all of my characters were at least Level 48 so I may have been ineligible for them. For the record, the difficulty levels refer to curry, which is Arle's favorite food. This is why one of Arle's customizable pre-match quotes is, "After this, I'm getting curry!")


The goal, of course, is to deplete the AI boss's HP. Everything that would generate garbage blocks or Nuisance Puyo counts as an attack. Unique to Boss Raids, however, are conditions to collectively fulfill. If the team can pull off that condition, everyone fighting the boss goes into Chance Time (if Tetris) or Fever Mode (if Puyo), where you're given a pre-made combo while the boss is locked and cannot make a move. If you're defeated, you're forced to sit out the battle until the countdown ends, and the battle is lost if you and your allies are all in this "defeat" state at the same time.

There is one more reason to play Boss Raids: They give out an INSANE amount of EXP. Skill Battles in Adventure max out at 999 EXP, and that's in the final, toughest parts of the game. Depending on the difficulty level, Boss Raids can give out upwards of 8000 EXP. It's pretty much the only way to reliably level up your characters should they be near the cap of 100.


In any case, here we go:
Match #1: Boss Raid
I AM PLAYER 3 (Lidelle, Tetris)
SKILLS
Fighting Spirit - Boosts your own Attack.
Assemble! - Lines all gaps in a Tetris playfield to one side up to a certain height.
Transformer - Creates lines that set you up for a major clear. (T-Spin Double)
Teammates:
PLAYER 1: Poly (Tee, Tetris)
PLAYER 2: パーブロー (Pablo) (Ally, Tetris)
PLAYER 4: アム (Am) (Arle, Tetris)
Background(s): Suzuran Jr. High
Boss: Marle
This was my very first Boss Raid. I think it went well, but this was also when I realized that not only were the EXP gains enormous, having been used to a cap of 999 at a time, but that I think I was overqualified for Medium difficulty. Lauren Landa voices Lidelle.



Match #2: Boss Raid
I AM PLAYER 1 (Ms. Accord, Tetris)
SKILLS
Steel Guard - Boosts Defense for the entire team.
Assemble! - Lines all gaps in a Tetris playfield to one side up to a certain height.
HP Recovery - Restores lost HP.
Teammates:
PLAYER 2: gdmyuri (Lemres, Puyo)
PLAYER 3: YU (Lemres, Puyo)
PLAYER 4: ファンタズマ (Phantasma) (Lidelle, Tetris)
Background(s): Suzuran Jr. High, Tetris Palace
Boss: Dark Prince

I moved up to the Hot difficulty and found that you need to play two battles for it to count as cleared--in a sense, this is like a miniature boss rush. I had some frighteningly strong allies though. Wendee Lee voices Ms. Accord.


Match #3: Boss Raid
I AM PLAYER 3 (Draco Centauros, Puyo)
SKILLS
Change All - Changes every non-Nuisance Puyo on the bottom rows to a particular color. (Green)
Holdup - Decreases the target's defense.
Garbage Cleanup - Removes Nuisance or garbage from the preview.
Teammates:
PLAYER 1: フレア/Flare (Lidelle, Puyo)
PLAYER 2: YU (Lemres, Puyo)
PLAYER 4: ファンタズマ (Phantasma) (Lidelle, Tetris)
Background(s): Cockpit 3, Far Edge of Two Worlds
Boss: Ex
Personally, I feel like Puyo might actually have the slight edge here due to how Puyo can counter attacks while Tetris can't, not even from a Tetris opponent. That, and you can Quick Drop Puyos here, though I don't really show it yet. By the way, do you ever suspect Lidelle is a pretty popular character?

Match #4: Boss Raid
I AM PLAYER 4 (Sonic, Puyo)
SKILLS
HP Recovery - Restores lost HP.
Growth - Boosts Attack for the entire team.
Recycle - Turns Nuisance Puyos into Puyos of one color (Green)
Teammates:
PLAYER 1: ふーてこ (Huuteko) (Dark Prince, Tetris)
PLAYER 2: Zone (Ms. Accord, Tetris)
PLAYER 3: じここうていペンギン (Zikokoutei Penguin) (Dark Prince, Tetris)
Background(s): Dream Arcade, Cockpit 2
Boss: Marle

Well, here's the character you were probably looking forward to see--the first round is a mirror match to boot! This is, by the way, Roger Craig Smith's last time voicing Sonic. There's been no announcement as to who will succeed him. Many say Ben Schwartz, but I doubt it. SEGA likely wants someone cheaper than Smith, and I predict a newcomer no one's ever heard of.