Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown PC (P2P-Final)

It has an absurd multi-ending side quest, and online PvP… All requiring quick skills to outlast your opponent! Still wrapped in late 2000’s nostalgia! The Class of ’09 girls took the internet by storm in 2023 with the visual novel genre. Now that the Class of ’09 VN trilogy has concluded, the late 2000’s girls we know and love return to bring you the most story-rich 2D VS Puzzle Game to date in Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown! Swap blocks to lines of 3 or more, but the true learning curve is mastering the chaining system to bury your opponent before they bury you! First off, this is based on Panel de Pon (or Tetris Attack) from the mid-’90s, not Candy Crush.

As for Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown being hard, it can certainly seem that way without experience, but it’s the kind of puzzle game that actually rewards practice and planning. This isn’t a “ten minutes of practice and you’ll win every time” type of game. That depth is exactly why this style of puzzle game has endured for decades. For the uninitiated, the gameplay of Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown revolves around swapping panels horizontally to line up three matching tiles and clear them from the board. Clearing more than three at once creates a combo, while letting gravity trigger multiple consecutive clears creates chains, which score more points and send garbage blocks to the opponent.

That’s the core of Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown. Defending against incoming garbage is as simple as clearing tiles adjacent to it. It’s easy to learn, difficult to master, just like the games that inspired it, and that’s exactly what has given the genre such lasting appeal. For anyone familiar with the series, this is essentially Pokémon Puzzle League on the N64 recreated almost move for move. It even features Stuart Zagnit (the voice of Professor Oak in the anime and games) as the game’s antagonist—or whatever you want to call him—which is a fantastic touch.

The voice acting is a real surprise. Going in without any familiarity with the earlier games makes many of the performances genuinely hilarious. Players who dislike adult-oriented humor or are easily offended should probably steer clear, especially if they’re good at Class of ’09: Puzzle Showdown. The announcer reacts dynamically to performance, and anything above a 3-chain unlocks increasingly over-the-top taunts and commentary. The trash talk feels surprisingly authentic to the culture it’s parodying, particularly anyone familiar with modern American schoolyard banter.