Petal Crash: Story Mode Expert Difficulty (No Continues)

Nintendo Switch version.
This puzzle game by Friend & Fairy (and released through Galaxy Trail) just came out recently, and I wanted to throw this up to showcase just how much fun this game is. It was inspired by 90s puzzle action games, and you can definitely feel that when you pick it up and play.
The mechanics borrow from those sliding image tile puzzles as its foundation, but moves cause the tile/block to not stop until it collides into something. If blocks of similar colours collide, they disappear, and any blocks that are nearby will be pushed forward afterward. Think of it like a ricochet effect when you hit marbles, but they're locked by an 8x8 grid and move in 4 directions. When those ricocheted tiles connect with similar colours, then they'll create your usual chain reaction that you'll see in other puzzle games in the genre.
In VS. mode, both you and your opponent share a timer, and whoever clears more blocks will "push" the time limit on their opponent if they have an advantage. When the timer reaches 0 on someone's side, the timer resets and the battle continues seamlessly, as the losing player loses a heart/takes a hit. When a player loses three hearts, the match is over. You can send garbage blocks as usual with chain reactions or combos, and if a player's field is completely full of blocks, then they lose the match regardless of any hearts that remain.
I've had my eye on this game since I heard about it earlier this year, and it did not disappoint once I started playing it. This game is such a love letter for those who have grown up playing arcade action puzzle games from the mid-90s to early 2000s. There are so many familiar elements that it derives from other well known puzzle properties back then that it's hard to believe a game like this came out in 2020. What I thought was a lost art in modern day puzzle game releases was realized once again in this title, and everyone who contributed to this project did a fantastic job putting this together.
As for the run, the AI here is no joke. They tend to capitalize on sending garbage your way when they can, and do so by properly setting up chain reactions. I'm still getting used to the game myself so I have a lot to adjust to, but am glad to have pulled this run out during its launch period. What's even better is that the game treats you while doing a 1cc run on Hard & above with something that I haven't seen since releases like Dr. Mario 64 & Puyo Puyo Sun (and technically Fever): An extra bonus match at the end of the campaign. It's details like this that you can tell where this game was inspired from, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it on first go.
One day, I'll do a 1cc run of Master Difficulty but for now, I do want to say this. if you are a fan of games like Dr. Mario, Panel de Pon/Puzzle League, Wario's Woods, Puyo Puyo and anything else that falls under the action puzzle game genre, do yourself a favour and pick this game up. You'll feel right at home with its mechanics and presentation, and I do hope subsequent puzzle games do follow the example Petal Crash brought back to revitalize the genre.

[@HectorMartinez-mw2xq]

"Can you find him? Try for '7x Chain'..."
Well that's a little ominous

[@twentyspires]

seriously great work here!

[@indigowendigo8165]

Aww, this game looks really cute!

[@enchilada7765]

what am I witnessing?
bro I wish this game had online

[@TDOTCRFH4]

good news... it will soon!

[@jamesoffutt2801]

Super Game Boy color.