Planet Puzzle League - Gameplay

Gameplay

In Planet Puzzle League, identically-sized square blocks (panels) of various colors are stacked in a two-dimensional well 6 spaces wide, of which the active on-screen playfield is 12 spaces tall. The blocks in the stack align according to an invisible grid, such that the blocks occupy distinct rows and columns.

Planet Puzzle League, by default, is played with the Nintendo DS unit in a sideways "book-style" orientation, which allows the vertically-oriented playfield and its blocks to be displayed larger, making it better-suited for touch-screen gameplay. The game can also be played in the standard Nintendo DS orientation, for button positioning that is suited for traditional button-based gameplay. Either control method can be used, regardless of orientation. The game can be configured for either left-handed or right-handed play.

When using touch-screen control, blocks can be dragged horizontally with the stylus. In this control scheme, a move occurs as a block is dragged from one grid space into an adjacent grid space, during which a two-space horizontal cursor is repositioned, framing both grid spaces. As a block is dragged into a space occupied by another block; the other block is swapped into the space vacated by the dragged block. For computer-controlled players and when using traditional button-based control, the cursor is navigated along the playfield to select spaces to swap, in which a move occurs when blocks are repositioned in a swap. Players move the cursor using the D-pad and perform swaps using the A or B action button.