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Amazing Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm not an avid game player. I don't usually have the time to play. With this game, my life was on hold until it ended. It's like bejeweled meets and RPG. It's a whole lot of fun. If you remotely like games, get this.
My 6-year-old son was able to play too and really liked it.

This game is boring.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I tried to like this game. I love RPG's, I love puzzle games. I played and played hoping it would get more interesting, but it didn't. It's the same lame puzzle over and over and over, and the RPG-side doesn't make up for it. It wasn't addictive at all, I had to force myself to keep playing. Cool idea for a game, this one's a failure. My guess is the people who rave about this game are more of the checkers type than chess.

Awesome Underappreciated Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ever since the Penny Arcade guys have been ranting about this game, it's been almost impossible to find. Due to low initial sales the game got pulled back from shelves, but word of mouth has made it sell out wherever it's to be found.

The game can pretty much be summed down as turn-based bejeweled. It's got some RPG elements to it, and the way you actually play the puzzles that make up the core gameplay is by encountering enemies. By matching up pieces you'll either get mana, xp, gold, or cause direct damage to your enemy. Mana can be used to cast spells that have various effects on gameplay, such as changing pieces, making your opponent miss a turn, or causing damage to your enemy. The battle ends when either you or your enemy have reached 0 hit points.

The story is standard fare for an RPG, but the battles and gameplay are the main reasons to get this game. A warning, though - the AI is HARD. Even on normal you'll have difficulty with the game until you reach a high enough level where you get some strong abilities. Fortunately, you can change the difficulty whenever you want. All in all, highly recommended for anyone that wants a good puzzle game.

Great game with some drawbacks.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First off, it stands to be said that you could play the meat of this game for free online if you wanted. Another thing I should get out of the way is that I absolutely hated Bejeweled (and its clones) because it always seemed to me like the poor man's Tetris Attack (which is the best puzzle game ever). With those out of the way, I can safely echo Tycho's recommendation for this game, if you're a fan of the puzzle genre. But let's back up a bit.

The gameplay is easy to understand and pick up, but like any puzzle game worth its salt, it takes some playing to really understand the nuances and to get the hang of playing it well. Essentially, there is an 8 x 8 grid filled with different gems, and the object is to match up at least three of the same type in a row, after which they disappear and make way for more gems to fall from the heavens into the 64 square board. The catch, (and the main reason the mechanics in these games are still inferior to Tetris Attack), is that you can only move gems to adjacent squares, and only if the move creates a three-in-a-row situation.

What makes the gameplay in Puzzle Quest inherently different from Bejeweled is that it is always played as a battle between two people (or a person and the AI) rather than as a glorified game of solitaire. This injects a level of strategy into the game that really refreshes it and makes it worthwhile to play. Another element that 1st Playable put into the game that adds more strategy is the use of spells and skills rather than just matching gems. While there are gems for gold, experience, and attacking, there are also four different colored gems to build up mana. You can then use your mana in various combinations to cast offensive spells on your enemy or defensive/healing/support spells for yourself.

The spells and experience are all part of the RPG half of the game. While it was obviously done to add a reason to keep playing, and in that respect it's successful, the story in the Quest mode is laden with so many RPG clichés that it's painful sometimes. You'll battle trolls and you'll go on fetch quests and you'll have your homeland invaded by orcs and undead. This probably should have been expected from a game that has what may be the most generic title in the history of gaming (full name: Puzzle Quest - Challenge of the Warlords). Despite this, the game has had me hooked for the past couple weeks now.

To me, there are two major types of games on the DS: games that require longer play sessions and have clear stopping points (like Phoenix Wright or Contact) and games that can be played for five minutes at a time with no problem (like Tetris or Elite Beat Agents), and counterintuitively, games of the latter type end up taking up more of my time because I somehow convince myself that I will only play one or two rounds before going to class or writing a paper. Puzzle Quest is definitely one of those games. Not only has it been keeping me from productive work, it has been completely invading my psyche. I can no longer close my eyes without seeing a colorful grid ripe for the picking.

The game is not without its shortcomings though. One major gripe I have has to do with the element of luck in the game. Too many times, I have intentionally not taken a move because it would set up my opponent for an attack, and then when the AI takes that very move, it gets one of the random, 2% chance it will happen extra moves, and then attack me anyway. Other times some of the randomly generated gems falling from the top of the screen will for up extra matches, including attacks and fours or fives in a row. This could have been easily alleviated by showing the reserve gems up on the second screen, so attacks and combos could be planned ahead further. Another gripe I have with the game is the AI. In some ways it's too good, because it can spot matches instantly, and in others it's awful, because it can't seem to plan ahead at all. These two almost balance out though, so it makes for a decent opponent a lot of the time, but hardly as fun as playing against a real human. The last downside to Puzzle Quest is a minor one, but when you match four or five in a row, a huge message telling you about your accomplishment pops up over the top half of the grid and lingers for a second or two. It normally isn't anything more than a nuisance, but I can imagine in matches with short turn times, it could be disastrous.

Still, with these negative points on the game, it remains one of the most addictive puzzle games I've played in a long time, and I recommend it to anybody who's a fan of puzzle games and/or RPGs. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Addictive and Clever

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I got this game because my husband is a complete game junkie and wants almost every new game that's released. He wanted this one, and I thought it sounded like a good addition to our multi-player library. But out of the two of us, I'm the one who plays this most. It's a Bejeweled style "swap to make three of a kind" style game layered inside an RPG world, with one innovative twist. It's an opposed game, so you are playing against the computer (or another geek in multiplayer mode). The gems that you swap either give you mana points towards spells you can cast, experience, gold or do direct damage to your opponent. First one out of hit points loses the challenge. The nice thing is there's no penalty for losing (you don't really gain anything, but you don't lose anything either) so nothing's lost but the time. I sometimes wish they had given you a "flee" or "surrender" option so you can quit a fight you know you'll lose and move on faster. If there's no more moves available on that board everyone's mana gets drained, the board refreshes and you basically start all over (hit points don't refresh though, that's a blessing). This can make some fights go on FOREVER.

The quests are occasionally amusing, but the real fun is the puzzles. I have noticed one odd thing about them though, there seems to be a finite number of starting arrangements for the board. There's multiple options open after each move, so no two games play exactly the same way, but as I play the same boards over again I am able to remember which were good moves and repeat them. This is handy against some of the tougher opponents.

There's also a "citadel" where you can do some character improvement. Capturing enemies, training riding mounts, learning new spells and crafting new items happens in your home city. You can capture others to increase your gold supply as well. I've just now started playing with this section of the game. There's two twists on the standard puzzle game here. To capture enemies you must completely clear a set number of gems from a board. They're usually arranged in some colorful pattern, and there's only one way that lets you clear them all. To learn a spell from a captured monster you have the standard puzzle board, but you're trying to match a certain amount of gems and scrolls. Scrolls are only created by matching 4 or more at once. To craft items it's the same game, only with anvils occasionally dropping as well as being created. These are actually much harder than the standard game, since no more moves means you lose, not just you start over.

The puzzles use the touch screen to swap gems around, which is a good use of this DS feature. The downside is the puzzle is on about HALF the touch screen, which means a 10x10 grid of gems is mighty tiny. Not for those with poor eyesight. And it's very easy to 'graze' a gem you didn't mean to get, causing you to make an 'illegal move' and lose a turn. ARGH! The list of available spells takes up the rest of the screen, and the top screen is showing your mana, status effects, hit points, etc. I understand why they did it,I just wish there had been another option.

All told this is a great DS game.

Bejeweled + RPG = Puzzle Quest!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A great game with a great story, numerous play modes, a lot of characters, a ton of weapons and items, BUT you must LOVE Bejeweled (the gem-matching game) or you're going to hate Puzzle Quest! I whole-heartedly recommend this game, but you've got to try Bejeweled first to see what you're getting yourself into.. a truly unique and fun game!

Bejeweled with a twist

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I played the PC demo of this game before I decided to buy it for the DS. I'm amazed how deep this game could be considering that it is basically Bejeweled with RPG elements. The gameplay is fun and competing against a friend makes it even more fun. The only complaints I have is that there isn't a lot of variety in the music, so it could old fast. It is also a shame that both players need a game cart to compete against each other. I guess this would be understandable, but it's also unfortunate that you can't battle opponents over Nintendo WiFi. Other then those complaints, this game is definitely worth the price.

Great game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is more of a puzzle game than an RPG but it's really good if you like either genre. The storyline is ok, but it lasts a while and there are a lot of sidequests to keep you busy. You can also make items, capture monsters, memorize new spells from captured creatures, and train mounts so there is a lot of things to keep you busy.
The game has pretty good graphics, but it's just a puzzle game so thats not really important. Controls are good, the stylus works excellent for this game. The music in my option, was awful. It was tasteful and appropriate to the game, maybe even pretty, but it got old quickly and it distorts badly if you turn it up at all. Luckily, you can just turn it off. Battling other players is really fun, sadly the game does not support wifi.

Good Game but lots to remember

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I recently purchased this game and find it very entertaining. I am still however trying to remember all of the details necessary in winning the battles. I like the adventure with the "Bejeweled battles" rather than playing the "Bejeweled" by itself which to me gets a bit boring. I'm glad they had a help button so you can remind yourself of what all the spells and different colors mean. I'm glad I bought this one!

Suprisingly Addictive

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A cross between a puzzle game and an RPG, this game is difficult to put down.

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