FUN! That's the first thing that comes to mind when playing this game. I see 
why it's been compared to BomberMan, it has many of the same elements that 
made that classic title so appealing. 

Okay, what's "Poy Poy", you ask? Well, it's a game where four characters are 
in an enclosed arena filled with various objects. Each character can pick up 
and throw things, attempting to cause damage to their opponents. When the time 
runs out, or only one character remains standing, the match ends.

There are two modes of play. Exhibition is basically VS mode, allowing up to 
four players (human or CPU) to compete in any arena with any alterations to 
the rules the players deem necessary (varying number of rounds, time limit, 
handicaps, etc.). The "main" game is the Poy Poy Cup competition, and can only 
be played by a single player. In this mode, the player must win three 
two-minute matches in each of the arenas of the game, fighting three CPU 
controlled opponents (they don't just gang up on the human though). This mode 
of play allows the player to earn money and change other game elements, giving 
them increased abilities and/or more characters to choose from (all this data 
can be loaded individually by each player in a multiplayer game)

That's the simple explanation. However, there is a LOT more to the game than 
that. For instance, you have three different ways to throw objects. They can 
be slammed down on the ground in front of the character for a short range, 
powerful attack, tossed over a shoulder to nail a trailing opponent or simply 
"charged" to increase the distance and angle the object is hurled.

Winning is equally complex. It's not as simple as "last man standing". No, at 
the end of the match, points are awarded to each character based on how they 
did in the game. Accuracy, time survived in round, and number of hearts 
collected are all measured to determine the "true" winner of the match. 
Usually, the winner is the last man standing for the simple fact that they 
were alive the longest in the match and probably hit more accurately than 
their opponents (both of which contributed to him being the last man 
standing), but not always. And since the points are totalled over three 
separate two minute matches to decide the winner of the overall round, 
characters can always catch up, and sometimes gain a dangerously large lead. 

Then there is the assortment of objects themselves. They range from the mildly 
tricky (logs that roll and cut a wider path of destruction) to the outright 
evil (a giant boulder that turns into a T-Rex on impact, attacking any nearby 
characters). Oh yes, and there are bombs. Bombs can be thrown to produce an 
area effect blast on impact, or detonated by hurling other objects into them. 
Characters hit while carrying a bomb suffer the effect of the hit, and their 
own bomb, which they drop upon impact...:)

There are also crates, which can be broken open to get the items within. 
However, this is much more important than it might appear. You see, one of the 
things used to rate performance in a given match is the number of white hearts 
each character picked up. These can only be accumulated by releasing them from 
crates (and as soon as the hearts hit the ground, ALL the characters make a 
grab for 'em)

Then there are the arenas themselves. One is a desert with howling winds and 
the occasional whirlwind. The ice floes are fun, as objects slide around in a 
merry fashion, and the local penguins love nothing more than pecking bombs 
with their sharp little beaks. On Easter Island, the large heads move around 
on their own, and spit out time bombs when irritated. Robot land features a 
punching robot that spins in the middle, knocking objects away from him 
and occasionally sweeping the arena with a paralazation beam. The forest is 
filled with logs, and did I mention that the level with the stony T-Rex takes 
place in a darkened arena with only occasional sweeps of light? 

There are initially about six characters to choose from, I've added at least 
four more by simply beating the game on the easiest level. Each character has 
a unique mixture of abilities that different players will find comfortable. 
Additionally, there are an assortment of "psyche gloves" that grant the 
character a special move (little things, like causing any object they throw to 
BLOW UP on impact...Or a glove that teleports the object to the air above an 
opponent...Or one that sends objects merrily bouncing around the arena for a 
short time, you get the picture). There are 10-15 of these available to the 
players in a multiplayer game, but in the "main" game, players only get a 
single glove to begin with. To get more, matches must be won and money 
earned. Then, new gloves can be purchased and/or old gloves can be upgraded 
to more powerful versions. Any glove bought or upgraded is available in the VS 
mode (level 1 versions are available to all players in this mode) 

Each glove can be upgraded three times, with sometimes surprisingly altered 
abilities. And, if a level three glove is upgraded, it becomes the "ultimate" 
version of that glove, complete with new name and changed abilities. Rumor has 
it that in addition to secret characters, secret gloves can also be discovered 
through diligent playing. 

Mixing all these elements yields a game that is deceptively simple looking, 
yet provides players a tremendous amount of flexibility in actually playing 
and attempting to win the game. For instance, the main objective is to hit 
other people while not being hit. However,  it's hard to win the game with 
that approach. Equal attention must be paid to throwing objects accurately and 
attempting to snarf up hearts whenever they appear. Since the round is divided 
into three matches, strategy often shifts as characters fall behind or pull 
into the lead. When falling behind, does it make more sense to break all the 
crates in hopes of finding stars, or does it make more sense to try pinpoint 
aiming. In either case, it becomes much more difficult to avoid direct 
confrontation with opponents (oh, I forgot to mention, characters can also 
pick EACH OTHER up and hurl them, preferably at a cluster of bombs). 

Then there is the mixing and matching of objects and psyche glove powers. 
Discovering new and innovative uses for the gloves can be endlessly 
entertaining. For instance, "Hail" causes an object to trail sharp ice shards 
along it's path. But with a bomb, it also explodes on impact, giving a double 
dose of hurt to anyone near the blast point. The "homing missile" powerup is, 
of course, lots of fun with bombs, but if a stack of three logs is thrown, 
they spin wonderfully across the arena before hitting the ground and 
scattering in all directions. 

Mixing the varied uses of psyche gloves, objects, play styles and the 
ever-shifting positions of characters in the arena provides a wonderfully 
chaotic and changing assortment of possibilities. Needless to say, when choice 
combos are found,  like using the "magic" psyche glove to teleport a boulder 
above an oppenent who is hiding behind a rock wall, surrounded by bombs, 
causing it to bounce off his head into the assorted explosives, the feeling of 
accomplishment and amusement is quite rewarding.

All I can say is that this is a wonderfully fun game, and I've only played it 
SINGLE player so far! I can't wait to get three victi...er..._friends_ over to 
try it out (especially now that I've got a level THREE magic glove, a Railgun 
Explosive glove and an assortment of other toys to show them...)

BTW: Regarding a post I saw previously about the "overpowered" character; Yes, 
he's very strong and fast, but it takes him a friggin' eternity to recharge 
his Psyche abilities, so he can't use his tricks nearly as much as other 
folks. The old man, on the other hand, recharges almost instantly. He's NASTY 
in any arena filled with small objects (rock-teleport to victim, bomb-teleport 
to victim, rock-teleport to victim, etc., etc.)

- Pat Dolan