Pokémon Puzzle League

The objective is to clear blocks from the playfield by arranging them in horizontal or vertical lines of three or more blocks. A continuous stream of new blocks pushes up from the bottom of the playfield, causing the entire playfield to rise continuously. If the blocks reach the top of the playfield, the player loses. The player can temporarily stop the progression of blocks by scoring combos and chains, and in two-player battles, these actions also cause garbage blocks to stack on top of the opponent's playfield.

Unlike its predecessors, Pokémon Puzzle League features a 3D mode in addition to the traditional 2D mode. In this mode, gameplay takes place on a cylinder with an effective width of 18 blocks, compared to the six-block width of the flat 2D field. It also features the original block design from Panel de Pon and Tetris Attack , as well as a Pokémon-oriented design (selected by default). The game features the ability to battle against AI opponents, though their abilities are limited when using the 3D gameplay style.

The game includes several modes of play. In "1P Stadium", players control Ash Ketchum as they compete to defeat a series of increasingly difficult opponents and become the Puzzle Master. "2P Stadium" allows two players to choose one of 15 Pokémon trainers to play as, and battle one another using different gameplay rulesets. Other game types include "Marathon", which challenges players to continue playing as long as possible before the blocks fill the screen; "Time Zone", in which players attempt to achieve the highest score possible within a two minute time limit; "Spa Service", a stage-based mode where the player must clear a target number of lines to advance to the next stage; and "Puzzle University", a puzzle mode where players must clear predetermined block configurations within a limited number of moves.

The game also includes modes designed to teach newer players, including "Professor Oak's Lab", in which Professor Oak provides several tutorials on how to play; and "Mimic Mansion", a training arena hosted by Tracey Sketchit that demonstrates techniques and allows players to practice. Characters Ash Ketchum is the only playable character in the 1P Stadium mode, whereas other characters are available in the 2P Stadium mode. Ash's rival Gary Oak 's Pokémon, a Nidoran♀ , Growlithe , and Krabby , appear fully evolved into Nidoqueen , Arcanine , and Kingler when playing 1P Stadium on Hard difficulty or higher, although these evolved forms are not available when playing as Gary in 2P Stadium. The game's difficulty setting determines who the player faces as the final opponent: Giovanni in Easy mode, Bruno in Normal mode, Gary in Hard mode, and Mewtwo in Very Hard and Super Hard modes, which upon his defeat rewards the player with a different ending scene.

In addition to Ash, characters playable in the 2P Stadium mode include the eight Kanto Gym Leaders ; Orange Islands companion Tracey Sketchit; perpetual villains Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket ; rivals Gary Oak and Ritchie ; Elite Four trainers Lorelei and Bruno; and Mewtwo, who uses cloned Pokémon. Each character has a unique set of three Pokémon to battle with and a specific theme music; these differences are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay. Non-playable characters include Professor Oak, who provides tutorial information to the player; Nurse Joy , who hosts the game's "Pokemon Center" options menu; and less-seen Team Rocket members Butch and Cassidy , who appear as special opponents in the Spa Service mode.