[Multiplatform] Puzzle Quest

I'm surprised no one has made a thread about Puzzle Quest yet, since this has to be one of the most addictive games ever.

Quote:

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a brand new, genre-bending title that ups the ante on traditional puzzle games by incorporating strategy, role-playing elements and a persistent storyline. Set in the Warlords universe, the game challenges players to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane as gamers engage in battles fought by means of competitive, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes: Single-player, Instant Action or Multiplayer. Victory will advance a player's customisable hero, magical arsenal, creature companions and more—ultimately rewarding gamers at nearly every turn and deepening their immersion into the richly diverse world. The game's remarkable mix of classic puzzle gameplay and an abundant suite of characters, customisations, spells, companions, tameable monsters and more provides a fresh take on the puzzle genre that offers endless hours of replayability. Designed specifically for handheld gaming systems, Puzzle Quest can be enjoyed in long or short doses, cultivating a casual but deeply satisfying and compelling gameplay experience.

Basically, the game is your typical RPG, but all the battles are fought via a Bejeweled/Zookeeper puzzle interface, with the ability to cast spells. You move about the world map, accepting quests, buying equipment, building your own fortress, etc. Nothing like riding a giant rat around fighting the evil undead to make gameplay exciting.

There's a DS and a PSP version available. The presentation of the PSP version looks much better, but I've heard from several sources that it contains a major glitch which prevents your companions from helping in battle. I opted for the DS version, which plays fine, but it's easier to make illegal moves because of the touch controls and the fact that the green and yellow tiles blend together after you've stared at the screen for awhile.

Anyone else playing this game?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Why is Puzzle Quest getting no love here? I picked up the game yesterday, and I've barely been able to put it down since. Like nutty said, it's basically turn-based Zookeeper while worrying about HP, status effects, and casting spells.

My only real complaint about the game is the lack of wi-fi battling. There's no excuse not to include it these days. A puzzle game with individualized stats and character classes would've been perfect for online play.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The sudden surge in hype and generally positive reaction from people has my interest piqued. I think I'll pick it up in the next couple of days.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I won my first siege battle this morning; thus begins my reign of terror. My frustration so far is capturing enemies. There's only one solution to the puzzle, so you either get it or you don't. Also, what's the point of training your mount? I leveled up my giant rat to lvl 15 or so, but I don't see the improvement. Maybe his spell works better (I never use Rabid Bite)?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I beat the DS version a few days ago. Pretty addictive little game. A few things I noticed:

- I haven't tried the other classes but the Warrior's L.30 spell, Deathbringer, seems ridiculously overpowered. Coupled with an item that gives you mana with every 4 or 5 clear, you can pretty much do endless 4-5 chains and completely decimate any opponent in a matter of seconds. Unless your opponent has high spell resistance (which is extremely rare).

- Learning any of the "very hard" spells from captured enemies is almost impossible. Not only do you have to clear a ludicrous amount of pieces, but unlike with item forging, you don't have many chances to reset the board, meaning every move you make could very well be your last.

- Laying siege to cities (good or evil) and then collecting taxes from them is awesome.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I picked this up Friday and am addicted. There's a lot more going on than I though there would be. Capturing enemies, researching spells, forging items, training mounts. I enjoy the break-up challenge of capturing a new enemy.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Excellent, a sequel looms on the horizon. The space theme is ok, I guess, but hopefully they'll through in wi-fi capability this time.

How ya doing, buddy?

According to that IGN article they'll have wi-fi on at least one of the versions.

Originally Posted by IGN

Infinite Interactive says the game will include online multiplayer and downloadable content, but it is unclear at this point whether or not this feature will show up in each version of the game.

Obviously the downloadable content doesn't refer to the DS version, but we can hope the online multiplayer will.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I was going to get this after I saw in mentioned in someone's CJ comments, as the description sounded very intriguing. However when I went to the store, despite my picture of rpgs and stuff, it looked too "classic rpg" to be less blunt. In others words, too D&D (nerdy, to be blunt) RPG like, so I didn't know whether the spells and classes and story would appeal to me. Plus I saw the PSP version, but upon further research it looks like the while the PSP has a companion glitch, the DS apparently has a small, hard-to-see screen? I don't know which version to consider, as I'm still somewhat interested in this game. $24.99 seems like an awesome price for just coming out.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

If you're looking for a great story then no, this isn't really the game. So far at least it's pretty generic about an undead overlord attempting to conquer the rest of the world using his dark minions and orcs. The classes really just effect what spells you get I think, and the spells play into the puzzle element. The real question is if you like ZooKeeper/Bejeweled style puzzles.

As for the DS's screen, I haven't had any problem seeing it. Yellow and green can look similar if you're half asleep, but that's not a DS issue. Don't bother with the PSP version. It would really suck not having any of the bonuses and extra damage your companions provide.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The story might not be that great but I think it plays out quite wonderfully. It really feels like a DnD campaign being able to make decisions during some quests that can somewhat alter the story. Like choosing to take a wizards bribe and let him go or turn him to justice. What I really enjoy is how you can build everything up. Capturing mounts, learning enemy spells, making items and just wondering around the map to find runes and mess around when you want to take on quests. I don't think I've been this addicted to a game in a long while.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

My roommate and I were obsessed with the PC demo a couple of weeks ago. After we sieged the two towns though there was nothing else to do. I don't like the presentation on the DS version, and I don't own a PSP right now, so I've decided to wait for a PC version to be released. The company's next game, Galactica, looks fun as well. Hopefully they'll release a demo of that soon so I can get even less work done.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?