Customer Reviews

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you've done any research on Puzzle Quest, you know it's a fantasy RPG where combat is done in a "match 3" Bejeweled style puzzle game. That's a good summary, but it doesn't do the game justice - the fusion of two different games is complete and total, making an RPG whose gameplay, though familiar, is done in a completely different manner than we've come to expect.

At the core of the game you create a character from one of four classes. Moving around on a stylus-guided map, you travel to various areas, get quests, and battle assorted monsters. The combat is done on a grid of icons you line up - skulls (which you line up for a physical attack), coins (to get bonus gold), stars (to get bonus experience), and mana gems (to get one of four kinds of mana), and wildcards. Special abilities let you go beyond simple line-up-the icons to do damage, alter the puzzle board's contents, affect your opponent, and more. You can figure out cascading combos that are just as satisfying as any fighting game.

Alone, this would be a reasonably fun game. However, the game is both a complete puzzle game and a decently-detailed RPG. You level up your character and gain new abilities and add to existing skills - which can affect gameplay radically. Equipment also affects gameplay and varies considerably - a whip does damage when you collect yellow (air) mana, a suit of armor helps reduce damage, a ring may heal you as long as you keep your blue (water) mana above a certain level. You'll find yourself mixing and matching abilities (you can only have six ready at a time), equipment, and more to find new and better strategies.

However, the game then takes this one step further with adding even more - you can capture enemies and use them as mounts (and train them) or learn their special abilities, craft items with runes you can uncover, and build up citadels and bring other towns under control of your Queen. Throw on a lot of optional quests, random monsters, and more and you've got a satisfying RPG experience with plenty of ways to play.

Finally, the icing on the cake is how the plot is handled. It's a sadly standard plot, but it's told with some interesting characters (such as a motormouth dwarf or a scheming princess whose father knows her all too well) and some little details in the game that flesh out the world.

If there are any flaws, its that the presentation graphics are a bit mixed, from an OK overhead map, to barebones status screens, to some very nice character artwork (each class has 4 possible character portraits, 2 of each gender). It's good enough, but I felt the status screens and maps could have been done a bit better.

The only caveat I will add - this is not exactly a casual game. Each combat is very intense and can take a few minutes to play, and you definitely have to think as the AI certainly will. It's not something I can reccomend to truly casual gamers as it takes some investment of time and brainpower.

Overall? A fantastic experience deserving of the hype, and a step forward in gaming.

This game is so MUCH fun! I sort of felt blah about the idea of another Bejeweled style game, and though the combat takes on a Bejeweled like interface and general idea, it has so much more to it! Each type of thing you connect means something different for your character (connect 3 skulls and it does damage to your opponents life, connect 3 piles of money and you get gold, connect stars for experience or orbs for different types of mana!).

It's Bejeweled at the very core but it plays like an RPG. You have a character that levels, has spells, equipment and gets quests. It's incredibly fun and more addictive than you could possibly imagine.

I also want to mention that the art, interface and music are fantastic. This game is top notch in my book, just plain fun!

I am not a gamer. I'm in fact a mom who is often known to be nagging at my kids to turn off their game devices. I fell hard for this game, though. I now own my own DS (pink so my son won't steal it) and have repeatedly played Puzzle Quest. I bought it last spring and played it daily until I just yesterday completed battling Lord Bane in the final Quest. I love strategy thinking without the time pressure - so the bejewel like game is interesting enough, but the added layer of increasing levels of opponents and spells kept me coming back to see how the game play changed. Too much fun.

At this point in the DS life cycle, there aren't many good RPG titles available to play. PQ fills in some of the void with a solid RPG title that partners gameplay using an interesting puzzle twist. The RPG elements of the game are surprisingly deep and will keep fans of the genre interested for awhile with it's addictive leveling-up attributes. Also, this game does a good job at being "available time diverse". If you only have a few minutes to beat one puzzle and put one microstep forward in the single player campaign, you can do that and have your progress saved. If you want to stay glued to it for hours (like I did yesterday on a long plane ride), then it will keep your long-term interest. The game is definitely fun, but has some drawbacks as others mentioned below. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros
*Deep RPG elements
*Addictive game play
*Long, deep, and interesting story/campaign
*Decent graphics for its intended purpose
*Excellent utilization of the touch screen

Cons
*No variety in the musical score. You literally have to play on mute after an hour of gameplay.
*The requirement of multiple game cards for multiplayer is greedy. I have three DSs for my kids and me to play other games. I am not going to purchase three licenses for this game.
*No WiFi play - this is dissapointing as it would have been a fun experience to play with folks on line.

With all the various puzzle games available for the DS, there isn't really all that much anymore that can make one stick out more than another. Puzzle Quest manages to stand on it's own thanks to it being an incredibly addictive mash of puzzle and RPG elements that set it apart from the rest of the pack. Starting out as a typical RPG, you perform combat by partaking in puzzles that are reminiscent of Bejeweled. You take turns moving pieces around and the game even requires some strategy to it as well. The fact that the puzzle and RPG elements are combined here, and that they actually work as well, is reason enough to pick up Puzzle Quest alone. The game's overall presentation is fresh and the main quest is incredibly long and also features some incredibly addictive puzzle gameplay that will keep you playing Puzzle Quest for quite some time. The only downsides to Puzzle Quest are that the puzzle field is cramped on the bottom screen of the DS, and it's easy to miss something in the heat of gameplay. Not to mention that many of the enemies throughout the game can be very frustrating, but the good definitely outweighs the bad here thanks to the addictive gameplay. All in all, Puzzle Quest may sound like an odd hybrid of two genres that have seen well worn entires on handhelds, but make no mistake that this one of the most fun experiences you'll have either way on the DS right now.

Seeing that there are quite a few reviews on this game already Ill summarize mine as much as possible:

I own 2 videogame stores and have played games forever, my best genres are puzzle, strategy and rpg. I have played a lot of Tetris and Advance Wars to name a couple.

Why did I buy this game?
- Because it was a puzzle/rpg game with good reviews for the DS

Basicaly you take turns with your opponent to join 3 (or more) same-type symbols and you get either:
- Red Mana (for spells)
- Blue Mana (for spells)
- Green Mana (for spells)
- Yellow Mana (for spells)
- Gold (to buy in shops)
- Experience (to level up)
- Deal damage to opponent

Pros:
- Easy to learn
- Much more than a puzzle game
- Quick to jump into the action
- Combos!
- Computer plays fast and is not stupid
- Non-linear gameplay, go wherever you want on the map
- Four different classes to choose from: Druid, Warrior, Mage
- Two save slots
- You can have npc join your party

Cons:
- Too easy! My high lvl warrior has spells that kill anything, fast.
- Finished the game in about 8 days playing many hours a day
- Quests are boring (but hey, its a puzzle game remember)
- You have to be very careful with the stylus (sometimes it does something you didnt want to do)
- Lots of the items for sale are worthless
- npcs that join your party do not have much impact on the fights

Conclusion:
- Needs a "HARD" mode where the enemies could have double HP or something =)
- Theres plenty of space for improvement and I cant wait for Puzzle Quest II !!

The biggest problem I had with this game was sitting down to play it for 5 minutes and realizing it's hours later and I should probably go eat something.

In theory the game is "just another" columns like puzzle game, with some RPG elements thrown in to keep it more entertaining. However the sum is much more than the total of it's parts, as you'll discover after playing it for hours to try and gain "just one more item" or "to make my pet one level higher".

If I had to be left alone on a roof top after a hurricane, stranded with my NDS loaded with only ONE Game... THIS would be the 1 game I would want to have with me.

If you've ever wished there were just "a little more meat on the bones" of a Match 3 Game... But you lack the patience & dedication to play full blown, in depth, broad scoped, long drawn, intricately detailed computerized RPG games... This game represents The Perfect Hybrid & The Best of Both Worlds. It is AWESOME.

I suspect I may be the target audience for this game:
* I am a "casual gamer" - shamelessly entranced by Match 3 games...
* In college - I was hooked on AD&D RPGs in a very big way, for several years. And I miss them!
* My cat has a longer attention span than I do.

And - this game fully addresses ALL of these needs... : } There was no learning curve -- I just stepped right in, immediately knew what I was doing, & started making progress building my characters. It is a FEAST for the Casual Gamer, with a yen for RPGs. I REALLY hope to see further additions to the "Puzzle Quest" series from Infinite Interactive.

But, even if you don't have my extensive AD&D background, plus a few hundred clock hours of Match 3 behind you, & just come in fresh -- in fact, even if you think you st*nk at Match 3, or feel boggled by RPGs -- you can STILL build your character & have fun with this game. So many Strategy & FPS Games just stop & go nowhere if you don't have the skill to play (I know, I've eB*yed off all of mine) -- but you'll still be able to have fun & work with this game no matter what age you are, or skill level you come in with.

I like many puzzle games, but I never play ANY of them as long or as often as I play this one... When I get stranded at the mechanic's shop, or stuck on 3 hour waits for appointments -- THIS is the game that gets me through with my sanity.

Even my cat knows it's cool. He loves to sit over my shoulder to watch & listen to me play this game! Unless I'm losing to my opponent, in which case, he leaves... LOL IMO Nintendo should create interactive peripheral devices to enable video games for cats...!! =^..^= My cat would be first in line to order his.

This game has crashed a few times after several consecutive hours of play, after about Level 15. However, it does seem to save my last score & the progress from my last completed battle, so not too much is lost. Also the screen gets funky if you Level Up while training your Mount.

HINTS: If you're feeling overwhelmed at lower Levels trying to complete Quests... Play your character a really, really...really long time against a variety of opponents & Level Up to around Level 12 (depending on Character Class) in "Instant Action" &/or "Choose Opponent" Modes BEFORE engaging in Quests. Make SURE you have a GOOD weapon (I like the Great Axe), & a Mount with a GOOD spell (I like the Griffon, but there are better ones I can't capture!) - before engaging in major Quests. IMO, build your Battle Score as high as you can before hitting the Level 50 cap (ie. there is no Level 51) -- after which you'll be paying an arm & a leg in Gold for Battle Points, from there on out. Save up Skill Points for those elements which most of your Spells require, because you'll be using those colors of gems. In game - beat up on the little guys in your path (wights, zombies, rats etc.) if you're close to Leveling Up, before you take on the big guys. And, "know your enemy"... Know what color gems he wants (view his spells) & try to clear them off first (eg. stealing all the blue keeps Ogres from regenerating), & know what he can do to you (view his weapon capabilities & element proficiencies) early in battle. Clear gems vertically, vs. horizontally - to help limit unpleasant surprises dropping down from the top. Remember to Siege a few Cities to create Citadel outposts as you go, so you can do maintenance on your character. Some will fall rather easily. When playing under time constraints, make "swiping" motions to draw a line quickly through two gems. And if you're STILL unhappy with your success... Stick with a Warrior Class Character - they will hit harder & move up faster. :)

I'll be the first to admit I bought this game because it's been impossible to find a Bejeweled-type game for DS. (I tried the Disney Meteos game and didn't like it because it was so incredibly limited, and you couldn't save your place).

I cannot put this game down. My family is going to disown me. At first I found the fact that I was playing 2-person Bejeweled annoying ("He took the row I wanted!") and then realized it really adds a great new dimension to the game.

I do find the RPG portion of the game a little tedious, especially now that I'm at level 35 and there are SO many different places I'm supposed to visit.

I highly recommend this game, it's totally worth the price.

I bought this game for my 14 year old daughter before we went on a long trip, hoping to keep her occuppied for a while. She wouldn't put that game down. Unusual for her because she usually gets bored quickly. So, it must be quiet entertaining.