Puzzle Quest Challenge of the Warlords
We have all played one version of Bejeweled or another, whether it was a free Flash edition on the web or something on your cell phone. You know the game. The basic principle revolves around rotating colored blocks and creating a match of three or more. However, I would venture to guess that you have never played a Bejeweled-like title with elements of a role-playing game infused into it.
Imagine journeying around an overworld map and trying to free the land of tyranny and sinister monsters. A clichéd RPG storyline awaits you and as the plot unfolds you'll be encountering monsters at every turn. The only means of combat available to you is a puzzle game. No turn-based fighting. No grand monster summoning. No animated graphics of any kind. If you're saying "WTF" at this point then you're basically where I was when I heard about the game.
In so many ways Puzzle Quest feels familiar right from the get-go despite its bizarre set up.
Considering this game is an RPG you can expect a few things right off the bat. For starters each battle you enter also uses life points to determine a victor. When your life points are depleted to zero you lose and when you bring your opponent's down to zero you win. Your character also gains experience points for each won battle and with these points you are able to level up. Achieving a new level gives you better stats, grants access to better spells, and allows you to increase particular abilities.
With these facets in mind looking at the Bejeweled-like combat is an interesting thing. On the gameplay grid there are a variety of gems. Red ones provide fire mana, yellow gives air, green provides earth, and blue represents water. These are elements that can be found in essentially every RPG but here they take on a different meaning. By getting three, four, or five of a particular color in a row you gain a set amount of mana. With this magic power you can cast spells that will change the flow of gameplay, alter the board, or do damage to your opponent. You can also do damage to your opponent by matching skull gems in the same manner.
In each of those gem categories there are also skills that are associated with them. As you level up you can expect to see better performance when you collect a particular color of mana. For instance, if you increase your fire ability you'll receive more red magic by completing a row and possibly get an extra turn. The same can be said for air, water, earth, and battle skills as well. Tinkering with your character and figuring out what style best suits your needs is a fun aspect of Puzzle Quest.
The flow of gameplay is very straight forward. The character with the highest cunning goes first and then turns alternate from that point on. If four or more gems are matched of a particular type that player gets an extra turn. With the way the CPU plays don't be surprised if they get a bunch of extra turns before you get the opportunity to move blocks. It's kind of cheap in a way but certainly adds a level of challenge to the game and keeps you on your toes.
With such a wild concept the game is immensely fun to play and to be honest you'll find yourself goofing around just to play and level up rather than further the story. There are many side quests to take and plenty of monsters appear on the roads between locations so there's always someone to fight. This all adds to the addictive nature of the game but it's amount of customization that really allows Puzzle Quest to sink its claws into you.
Once you've gained a decent amount of gold through battle and reward you can buy equipment to further your skills. Each has a different benefit and as you pick up new merchandise you can really personalize your puzzle fighting style. Ironically this just barely scratches the surface of depth that awaits gamers looking to enrich their experience.
With your money you can finance and build a citadel which is basically a base of operations. There are many things that can be done with a citadel and they extend beyond simply increasing your profit and notoriety. Once you've defeated three of a particular type of monster you can capture them through a pre-arranged puzzle. If you are successful this creature can do one of two things for you; it will become a mount that adds to your skill or can possibly teach you a new technique.
The technique aspect is the most interesting. Whichever class of warrior you pick when you first start the game essentially preordains the type of abilities that you'll unlock. Once you've captured a monster and mastered a new spell, the world is your oyster. Your character can expand and customize beyond its original means and battles become a lot more interesting. Citadels are also a place where you can forge new equipment. By searching certain areas on the overworld map you'll find a super-powered guardian who is protecting a rune. Once you've collected some runes and head back to your headquarters you can craft new weapons, armor, and accessories.
All in all there are plenty of things to do in the game whether you're customizing your character or just having fun with the addicting gameplay. Puzzle Quest is a simplistic yet satisfying entry into the puzzle genre and proves to be one of the PSP's most enjoyable games.
Puzzle Quest is not the most visually impressive game on the market. The attractive anime designs help give the game personality but in the end you're looking at a Bejeweled-like puzzle game. Basically that means you can expect to be staring at a grid filled with gems for hours on end. There is very limited animation involved in the game to say the least and what's here is more functional than flashy. Overall this is a decent looking title but it's one that doesn't push the boundaries of what you'd expect from the puzzle genre.
The soundtrack in Puzzle Quest is pretty standard in terms of RPG music. There are epic tunes that will stick with you but the variety is lighter than one might expect. Given the fact that this is a puzzle game the sound effects are effective though limited and the same can be said for the voice acting. Things here are relatively average in terms of presentation but the atmosphere keeps things feeling fresh despite the limitations.
The single player campaign will last you as long as you want it to. With side quests and character customization on top of the story I'd say you're looking at around 80 hours or so. Add to that the fact that you can take part in multiplayer matches against a buddy and that replay value doubles.
Puzzle Quest is one of the most original handheld games to come out for quite some time. It's the perfect combination of the RPG and puzzle genres that fans of both will find incredibly addicting. The aesthetics may be somewhat limited but there is enough personality and creativity put into the game to keep you playing through many battery recharges. The PSP needs more titles like this and quite honestly I think this is the most "fun" I have ever had with the system.