Nintendo Puzzle Collection

Description

The Nintendo Puzzle Collection was intended as a showcase of Nintendo’s puzzle heritage with titles originally from the Arcade, Famicom, and Super Famicom. Each game was given refreshed graphics, remade music, and support for up to four players. Dr. Mario (ドクターマリオ) was notable because Dr. Mario 64 had never been released in Japan before, making this compilation its first appearance there. Panel de Pon (パネルでポン) a.k.a. Tetris Attack was reworked from an unreleased Nintendo 64 build, while Yoshi’s Cookie (ヨッシーのクッキー) received a full revamp with new modes and backgrounds inspired by Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island.

One of the most distinctive features was its GBA Cable support, for the GameCube–Game Boy Advance link. Players could use a GBA as a controller, or even download simplified versions of each puzzle game directly onto the handheld, playable until the system was powered off. This mirrored experiments in other GameCube titles like Wario World, which offered microgames via the same connectivity.

An international version was shown at E3 under the working title Masterpiece Puzzle Collection and was slated for release in North America and Europe. An English localisation was even prepared and rated by the ESRB, but for reasons never publicly explained, the Western release was cancelled. Reception in Japan was favourable, with praise for its presentation and multiplayer, though Panel de Pon and Yoshi’s Cookie were the standout titles.