Spring is a very unusual season.The weather fluctuates randomly , people lose their insipration and feel worn down.Game producers are struggling to postpone release dates untill summer or even autumn and the few ones that still release games now either give us half a game or nothing.Taking all of this into consideration I felt like I had nothing to do. Noticing Puzzle Quest : Galactrix’s release , I remembered I had never beaten the previous game so , Bob , my monkey got me into beating the first game of the series , Puzzle Quest Challenge of the Warlords.
I have to admit , at first I didn’t expect much from the game. I just thought it was another rip-off after Bejeweled , so I got into it not expecting much.When starting the game I noticed there was a character choice screen. You could choose between 4 classes : Warrior , Knight , Druid and Wizard. Each of the classes specialises in one type of mana and has spells based on that type of mana. I went on , choosing a knight and naming her Mythra.
After completing the formalities known as class and name selection , I moved forward. The first thing you notice about the story is that it is being told through cutscenes. These cutscenes have no voice acting and are very animeish , but fit in perfectly with the atmosphere a puzzle game should have. In order to advance through the story , you need to beat missions belonging to the main quest. Overall , the story is really predictable , with nothing special happening. If you’ve seen at least one anime series , then you’ll know what choices you’ll have near the end of the game. Nevertheless , the story is good enough and doesn’t drag the game down in any way.
Speaking of gameplay , I have to say this is the best part about the game. When you first hear that a puzzle game mixes with a RPGish system , you’ll be very sceptical. Let me enlarge upon this.The main goal in the game is to battle monsters. Each time a battle occurs , a board full of gems appears in front of you. You need to get 3 or more gems in a line or column. Once you’ve done this , you’ll get mana according to the colour of the gems you matched. There are red , green , yellow and blue gems. As an addition you’ll find purple stars which give you experience and gold that obviously when matched increase the gold in your purse. Evenmore , once you match 4 gems you get an extra turn and if you match 5 gems of the same colour , you get an extra turn plus a wildcard which if matched with gems of the same colour , multiplies the mana income you get off those gems. Now , both you and your enemy have a certain number of hitpoints which can be decreased through offensive spells or through matching 3 or more skulls that appear on the board. Once the enemy’s HP reach 0 , you won the battle. If the enemy happens to defeat you , don’t worry , you won’t die or anything. The only thing lost will be time , because you can try again as many times as you want. When you beat an enemy , you can choose your next destination on the world map. It’s a nicely drawn map from where you choose what to do. You can move between cities , conquer cities , get quests , buy items , upgrade your citadel and much more. From time to time you’ll bump into a boss or two , which will be notably stronger than you. These bosses aren’t a big challenge though . The good thing is that at the end you get an awesome item off every boss you beat , to make your hero stronger. Another element which is taken from RPGs is the party. Through quests , you’ll meet up with people that will join you. These companions grant different bonuses that will be more than helpful in your journeys. The game also has a multiplayer component that features a direct connect option through which you could play with your friends. The characters are exactly how you left them in the campaign . The multiplayer is perfect for times when you’ve had enough of beating all the creeps on the map.
The sound effects are rather common. You’ll have one or two songs that will annoy the hell out of you by the time you reach the 2nd half of the game , that’s why I prefered some good ole’ heavy metal instead of the game’s sound. Nothing special here.
As an overall impression I can say that Puzzle Quest Challenge of the Warlords is a great game that perfectly binds RPG elements with basic puzzle elements. It’s a casual game , that tends to get repetitive , but will make you want to continue playing even after beating the main quest. The storyline is well placed , though predictable . The sound doesn’t really help it , but that can be overlooked and the multiplayer component was a great Idea. It’s really cheap , fun and better than Galactrix. If you want to relax and you’re searching for a game to help you do that , Puzzle Quest Challenge of the Warlords is the right choice! Oh , and I almost forgot to note that I think Bob deserves a Nobel Prize.
Graphics : 9
Sound : 7
Gameplay : 10
Multiplayer : 10
Storyline : 9
OI(Overall Impression) : 10
Final Verdict : 9 ( Very Good )
