Panel de Pon dressed in Pokemon colors, and it is every bit as clever as it is addictive. Block chains, solo challenges and local versus with anime characters and music make for a fresh, charming puzzler. A great underrated pick.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle2 players3+
Description
Pokémon series characters compete in block alignment and chain puzzle challenges in this original Japanese entry. Published by Nintendo, released in Japan in September 2000. Block alignment and chain puzzles inspired by Panel de Pon, solo challenge and multiplayer versus modes, Pokémon characters. Japan exclusive.
Pokemon de Panepon review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Behind the Pokémon trappings hides one of the best swap-based puzzlers: you line up tiles, set off chains and bury your opponent under the blocks. Execution speed and anticipation create an addictive tension, alone or in a duel. The Panel de Pon concept has lost none of its finesse and remains a snappy treat even today.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Behind its cute looks hides one of the twitchiest puzzles around: swapping blocks to line up three colours and set off cascading combos. The versus against trainers quickly turns into a breathless duel, where one chain reaction flips everything. Easy to grasp, bottomless to master, it hooks instantly.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Swapping blocks on the fly to line up three colors and set off cascading combos imposes a nervy rhythm you struggle to leave. The stack rises, the urgency climbs and each successful chain pushes back the deadline by reviving the tension. Beneath its Pokémon dressing hides one of the machine's most demanding puzzles, as gripping solo as in versus.
Japanese version of Panepon recast in the Pokémon universe, released in September 2000. Unlike Pokémon Puzzle Challenge localized for the West, it keeps Nintendo's Panepon identity and its kanji-kana interface, and ships with a slightly faster speed tuning. Collector appeal rests on that dual lineage, both Japanese Panel de Pon entry and Pokémon spin-off, which makes it an unusual cartridge within the puzzle branch.
Better with friends
A Pokémon dressing on a stacking puzzler where you flip blocks to line up colors and drown your opponent under garbage. The competition rests on execution speed and the art of setting up big combos before you strike. The cable-linked versus needs two units, but the crystal-clear mechanic and last-second reversals make every duel addictive and ripe for back-to-back rematches.
Is Pokemon de Panepon still worth playing in 2026?
This handheld take on Panel de Pon dressed in Pokemon colors caught far less attention than Pokemon Puzzle League on N64, and that feels unfair. The Intelligent Systems engine offers exemplary clarity and demand, the chains turn hypnotic in no time, and the Pokemon layer adds a real progression to unlock rather than mere window dressing. The local versus mode across two Game Boy Color units remains a fine arena even today. An unjustly overlooked puzzle game well worth rediscovering.
