Pokémon Puzzle League

Pokémon Puzzle League
North American box art
Developer(s)Nintendo Software Technology
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Yukimi Shimura
Producer(s)Yukimi Shimura
Takehiro Izushi
Designer(s)
  • Bill Giese
  • Brett Ballow
  • A.J. Redmer
Programmer(s)
  • Stephen Lee
  • Robert Champagne
  • Yoon Joon Lee
Artist(s)
  • Mike Harrington
  • Raymond Yan
Composer(s)
Series
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: September 25, 2000
  • EU: March 2, 2001
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)

Pokémon Puzzle League is a puzzle video game in the Puzzle League series developed by Nintendo Software Technology and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. Released in North America on September 25, 2000, and in Europe on March 2, 2001, its Puzzle League-based gameplay has a focus on puzzle-based strategy in the game's grid-based format. To advance to new levels, players are required to combat the game's trainers and gym leaders, similar to the ones featured in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. One of several games based on the Pokémon anime, it features lead protagonist Ash Ketchum, his Pikachu, his companions Brock and Misty, the Kanto Gym Leaders, and other characters from the series.

As the development process of video games as a whole changed drastically from the 2D era of the fourth generation of video game consoles to the 3D era of the fifth generation, so did the development of Pokémon Puzzle League. The increased capabilities for artificial intelligence (AI) compelled the developers to create multiple levels of difficulty for the game, and it was implemented successfully in all but the 3D modes of the game, in which the AI becomes erratic at times. Local multiplayer capabilities are also available for one-on-one Puzzle League battles.

Pokémon Puzzle League received mostly positive reviews from critics. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, a companion puzzle game, was released for the Game Boy Color in 2000. Re-releases of the game followed in 2008 for the Wii via Virtual Console, and in 2022 on the Nintendo Classics service.