Review: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
I was so excited to get my hands on Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ever since designer Jeb Havens told us about it back at GDC. The big launch day came and went and I was dismayed to discover that I couldn’t find a copy anywhere; great for the game, but not so great for me. So I kept scouting around with no luck until finally I contacted Jeb and begged him to help me find a copy. He obliged and a few days later I had a copy in my hot little hands just begging to be played. The great quest for Puzzle Quest was finally over. Little did I know however, that the real quest was just beginning.
The most intriguing thing about Puzzle Quest is its ballsy attempt to blend two very popular but very different game genre’s together, those being puzzle games and RPGs. Your mind would tell you that such a thing is impossible, but in this case your mind would be dead wrong.
The games starts out like a traditional RPG. You get to pick your character from a group of varying classes, each with it’s own strengths and weaknesses. Once that part is out of the way, you move on to the real meat of the game. The world map gives you the opportunity to travel around to various towns picking up quests along the way that in turn lead you to other towns and even more quests. You can choose to follow the main storyline of quests, but there are plenty of side-quests to be done as well. Once a quest is accepted, the RPG format begins to give way to the puzzle side of the game, which is initiated during the many battle sequences.
The battle puzzle system takes the Bejeweled “gem swapping” mechanic and puts a twist on it. Instead of “solving” the puzzle on your own you are pitted against an AI enemy ,creating an entirely different approach to the typical gem swap. Whatever move you make could potentially give your opponent the upper hand, so you always need to be thinking one move ahead. It makes for a very challenging gameplay experience that is utterly addicting.
Included in your “battle puzzle” are several elements. Colored balls that create mana for spell casting, gold coins that help you collect money, purple stars for experience and skulls that cause damage to your enemy. By matching them up in groups of three or more you can take advantage of the different symbols’ powers. What makes this particularly interesting is that you can then tailor your strategy to suit whatever ends you are currently trying to achieve whether it’s leveling up, or getting enough gold to pay for that extra fancy suit of armor. If you don’t win your current battle, never fear for you can just go back and try it again without losing any your accumulated gold or experience points.
Once you are out of battle mode, the RPG element once again takes center stage. As you level up and acquire more gold, you can begin buying better armor and weapons that will add to your various stats. You can even pick up some NPC’s along the way who can help you in battle with such things as getting you an extra attack or taking some extra hit points off your enemy. There is also an area where you can use your fabulous riches to build armories, stables and other buildings that will allow you to create new spells, train mounts and forge better weapons.
All of these elements blend together seamlessly to create not only a unique gaming experience, but an absolutely engrossing and addicting one as well. If I had to gripe about anything, it would probably be the fact that the AI always seems to have amazing luck with the right things dropping into the puzzles at the right time. This will sometimes create extended turns for the AI full of 4 and 5 combos that can often deal massive damage without a break. This can be frustrating at times, but in my opinion, it only makes the game that much more challenging and pushes me to keep trying until I kick some enemy ass.
If you’re a fan of either puzzle games or RPGs, you are sure to find a lot of fun in Puzzle Quest. It takes two tried and true genres and marries them together to create a match made in heaven. Be sure to call your local game store before going to buy a copy because as I mentioned earlier, it was a bit troublesome to track down, but once you find it, you’ll be in love. Go forth now, hero, and find a copy of this game! Your quest awaits!
Puzzle Quest is available on DS and PSP. You can try a PC demo version of the game at Game Daily.
Fruit Brute
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 18 April 2007
· Comments (9)
Other stuff like this: bejewelled, ds, psp, puzzle game, puzzle quest, rpg
I downloaded the demo a few weeks ago and this game can be pretty addicting... will there ever be a full PC version?
Eww, I'm glad I have this for my PSP instead of my DS. Same game, better looking. :D
Eww, I'm glad I have this for my DS instead of my PSP. Same game, better interface. :D
[eyeroll]
eyeroll is right.
I find the game to be much more enjoyable on the DS than the PSP, nevermind that your party members actually work.
I play on both my PSP and DS. Love them both.
I am totally addicted to this game and didn't expect it. I figured a "bejeweled" clone wouldn't hold my interest. But it has a Tetris-like hook....just one more game, I know I can win this one!
I wish there was an in-game manual. I'm at level 20 and I still don't know what half the stuff does (mounts, siege, etc.)
People tell me this game exists, but I have yet to see it being sold anywhere. Blogs have notified me to places getting copies, but when I show up, they tell me it's sold out. I won't think it's a real game until I feel a physical copy of it, as i slide it into my DS.
I actually saw a used copy at a Gamestop in the Upper West Side yesterday. I was shocked!
P.S. I'm still lovin' me some Puzzle Quest!