GDC 08: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Fruit Brute and I got a sneak peak of Infinite and D3's cash cow sequel, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, but the Powers That Be had the info embargoed until today. We didn't get much more than a cursory once-over of the puzzle/rpg, but what we saw told us plenty - for starters, Infinite listened when fans asked for a sci-fi setting: Galactrix is set squarely (ok, hexagonally) in the far future, when giant space corporations compete for control of the universe, and so forth. The sci-fi setting works perfectly for the new hexagonal tiles, which in and of themselves will greatly expand upon the deceptively simple strategy of the original Puzzle Quest.
Three-or-more matching is still the name of the game, with yellow red and green tiles corresponding to your ship's engines, weapons and computer systems rather than spell elements. Blue tokens replenish your shields - not your life, which begins to drop if your shields are depleted, but adding an active mechanic for restoring what amounts to a primary HP bar during combat, which is a great addition. Purple tokens represent Psi powers, which seem not unlike the first game's XP tiles but have additional, unknown benefits as well. Silver tiles stand for intel, which adds a new dynamic by unlocking rumors and game information between battles. Attack tiles are no longer skulls but bombs with numbers representing how much damage they'll inflict if matched up successfully.
One major upgrade that comes from hexagonal tiles is that you'll have the option of choosing the direction of your new tiles when making a move - if you're in open space, that is. If you're fighting near a planet, new tiles will fall in the direction of that planet's gravity. But if you're fighting in open space, then new tiles will drop from whichever direction you made your move - in other words, "down" becomes relative to the way you choose to flip your tiles.
There's a lot to look forward to, and of course Puzzle Quest: Galactrix will be on as many platforms as the original, so nobody has an excuse to avoid the addiction!
tiny dancer
Posted to GDC, Hot Stuff, Video Games on 25 February 2008
Other stuff like this: d3, ds, galactrix, infinite entertainment, pc, psp, puzzle quest, xbox 360
Name: Dave