PAX 2008: Puzzle Quest Galactrix Impressions
Has success spoiled Puzzle Quest?
I loved the first game in the series for the Nintendo DS. I didn't care about the annoying little bugs or repetitive level grinding or the fact that it's basically just Bejeweled with Orcs. It was perfect for quick sessions on the bus, train, or toilet: you could start and stop with almost no problem, the plot was easy to remember even if you hadn't played for days, and the gameplay was just addictive enough that you wanted to play "just one more mission," but didn't feel like you were in danger of getting in over your head. To me, Puzzle Quest was part of the great promise of casual gaming. Not insulting to long time gamers, not overwhelming for the newer recruits.
I visited the D3 Publisher booth at PAX to check out Puzzle Quest Galactrix for the PC, not so much a sequel to the first title but a re-imagining. Knowing that the first game came out for just about every platform with a screen, the game's producers understandably wanted to do something a little different with this game. Moving out of the fantasy realm, Galactrix pulls the series into outer space and gives it a sci-fi makeover. But it isn't just the trolls and giant spiders getting replaced by aliens and spaceships. The basics are the same - line up three or more pieces to do damage, get energy for special attacks, etc. - but the game board itself has morphed, and the pieces have changed from squares into hexagons. When I had heard about the changes, they seemed interesting, like an evolution of the previous gameplay. Now that I've had a bit of hands on with the title, I'm a little less confident.
The game's screen is busy, but at the same time has trouble really communicating what's going on each turn. Every game has a learning curve, and though the first title wasn't exactly pick-up-and-play, I ended most turns in Galactrix a little confused about what I had done, and especially what my opponent had done. The series is a little infamous for it's "cheating" AI, and I can see the complaints only increasing as movement around the board gets more confusing.
The visual style to the game remains simple but attractive, and appropriate for the new setting (if a little generic). The battle effects are flashy but impressive, and although the avatar they had me using was a rather plain gentleman, the character designs overall looked quite nice. I'm still looking forward to the game when it comes out this January for PC, XBLA, and Nintendo DS, and hope that in an attempt to make something more than 'just another Puzzle Quest,' they didn't overlook what made the first one special.
Dawdle
Posted to Video Games on 5 September 2008
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: d3 publisher, ds, impressions, pax 2008, pc, puzzle quest galactrix, xbla
Oh, Dawdle, those are hexagons, not pentagons...
Dang, I guess I'm just no good with numbers if I need more than one hand to count 'em.
Thanks, fixed.