You're piling blobs (Beans/Puyos) into a pit ala Tetris. The beans come in five different colors (red, green, blue, yellow, and purple) and fall in pairs from the top of the screen. The object is to connect four of the same color. They don't have to be lined-up, just so long as they're touching each other. Once four or more have been connected, they disappear. If there were beans on top of the connected group, they fall to the lowest level...sometimes creating chain reactions, which can be set-up for MAJOR points. Planning chain reactions forms the strategic element of the Puyo formula, and is the real substance of the game. It goes without saying that the higher the level, the faster the descent rate of the beans. (Although sometimes they'll lapse into speed fits even in the early levels, these are only temporary.)

   Well, that's the basic idea...but there are a couple of special rules when you're playing against an opponent. The biggest issue being the transparent blobs (Refugee Beans/Ojama): by eliminating any more than four beans at once, you dump the respective amount of Refugees into your opponent's pit. (One big chain reaction can turn the tables no matter how badly you're losing.) Refugees can only be eliminated when they're touching a disappearing group of another color. Say, for instance, you connect four yellow beans: all the Refugee beans that the yellow group is touching disappear with them.

   There are also a couple of rare special "beans" that make your life easier. Has Bean, as he is called in MBM (he's actually Carbunkle, the Puyo Puyo mascot), will take a stroll across the beans in your pit, changing all the ones he touches to the same color. Big Bean (BigPuyo) occupies two rows, and will eliminate ANY beans he falls on clear to the bottom of the pit.

   An interesting thing about the Scenario mode (where you challenge thirteen increasingly difficult opponents) is the way that each character plays in his or her own distinctive style. For example: one character will schlock all the pairs of beans down at max speed in an attempt to overwhelm you by working faster than you; the later enemies are smart enough to plan elaborate chain reactions; etc. The versus mode, of course, is even funner than this.

   Although the Scenario mode in the 8-bit version has only one difficulty setting, the small-screen go includes an immensely fun "Puzzle Mode." The Puzzle Mode consists of 30 stages of pre-set bean patterns with a specific criteria (such as "eliminate all beans", "eliminate all RED beans", etc.). Usually, the problem can be solved with the first few pairs of beans provided.

-- Genesis Version --

-- Game Gear Version --

Password to the Final Stage in Normal Mode: (Genesis version) Purple, Yellow, Has Bean, Refugee

Passwords to every stage in Hard Mode: (Genesis version)

• Stage 2 -- Green, Refugee, Yellow, Yellow
• Stage 3 -- Yellow, Refugee, Purple, Refugee
• Stage 4 -- Blue, Green, Refugee, Blue
• Stage 5 -- Red, Purple, Green, Green
• Stage 6 -- Yellow, Yellow, Refugee, Green
• Stage 7 -- Purple, Refugee, Blue, Blue
• Stage 8 -- Refugee, Yellow, Has Bean, Yellow
• Stage 9 -- Purple, Blue, Blue, Green
• Stage 10 -- Refugee, Green, Red, Yellow
• Stage 11 -- Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Has Bean
• Stage 12 -- Green, Refugee, Refugee, Blue
• Stage 13 -- Has Bean, Refugee, Purple, Has Bean

Passwords to every stage in Hardest Mode: (Genesis version)

• Stage 2 -- Blue, Blue, Green, Yellow
• Stage 3 -- Green, Yellow, Green, Refugee
• Stage 4 -- Purple, Purple, Red, Has Bean
• Stage 5 -- Green, Red, Purple, Blue
• Stage 6 -- Blue, Purple, Green, Yellow
• Stage 7 -- Blue, Purple, Green, Has Bean
• Stage 8 -- Refugee, Purple, Has Bean, Yellow
• Stage 9 -- Purple, Green, Has Bean, Refugee
• Stage 10 -- Green, Blue, Yellow, Has Bean
• Stage 11 -- Green, Purple, Has Bean, Red
• Stage 12 -- Red, Green, Has Bean, Blue
• Stage 13 -- Red, Red, Refugee, Yellow

Passwords to Scenario Mode: (Game Gear version)

• Stage 2 -- Refugee, Blue, Red, Has Bean
• Stage 3 -- Yellow, Blue, Purple, Blue
• Stage 4 -- Red, Purple, Refugee, Green
• Stage 5 -- Blue, Refugee, Refugee, Has Bean
• Stage 6 -- Has Bean, Purple, Refugee, Yellow
• Stage 7 -- Blue, Red, Refugee, Has Bean
• Stage 8 -- Has Bean, Purple, Yellow, Blue
• Stage 9 -- Blue, Has Bean, Yellow, Purple
• Stage 10 -- Blue, Yellow, Red, Green
• Stage 11 -- Purple, Blue, Refugee, Yellow
• Stage 12 -- Purple, Blue, Red, Has Bean
• Stage 13 -- Yellow, Red, Green, Blue

Passwords to Puzzle Mode: (Game Gear version)

• Stage 2 -- Purple, Yellow, Has Bean, Has Bean
• Stage 3 -- Purple, Purple, Purple, Yellow
• Stage 4 -- Green, Green, Purple, Blue
• Stage 5 -- Purple, Green, Yellow, Purple
• Stage 6 -- Blue, Green, Red, Green
• Stage 7 -- Blue, Red, Green, Purple
• Stage 8 -- Blue, Green, Refugee, Purple
• Stage 9 -- Green, Yellow, Purple, Refugee
• Stage 10 -- Refugee, Has Bean, Refugee, Has Bean
• Stage 11 -- Has Bean, Blue, Red, Has Bean
• Stage 12 -- Purple, Has Bean, Yellow, Green
• Stage 13 -- Yellow, Purple, Yellow, Has Bean
• Stage 14 -- Yellow, Refugee, Refugee, Purple
• Stage 15 -- Red, Purple, Yellow, Blue
• Stage 16 -- Green, Red, Green, Has Bean
• Stage 17 -- Refugee, Has Bean, Yellow, Blue
• Stage 19 -- Purple, Red, Has Bean, Blue
• Stage 20 -- Red, Yellow, Blue, Purple
• Stage 21 -- Red, Blue, Yellow, Green
• Stage 22 -- Yellow, Green, Red, Red
• Stage 30 -- Blue, Yellow, Purple, Has Bean
• Ending -- Red, Green, Has Bean, Has Bean