Posted: August 2, 2012
Puzzle Quest 2 is one of those games that at first glance you say, "My grandma plays Bejeweled and next thing you know I'll be playing bingo on Wednesday nights. Pass." Maybe that was just me, but my seven year old was begging me to have a game we could play together. I caved and picked up a copy for my iPad. Well 35 hours into this game I think it's safe to say that there's something it has going for it. Why the iPad? Well I had played the first Puzzle Quest on my PC and Xbox 360 and felt that this honestly is the type of game that would work perfectly on the iPad. Turns out I was right.
Story
The very anemic storyline places you in the role of the destined hero of Verloren. The village has been under constant attack from goblins and trolls originating from a nearby cursed tower. You must fight your way to the tower and defeat the evils within. Puzzle Quest 2 gives you just enough story to feel interested in the game. This fits well with its casual appeal. Sometimes a dungeon crawl is a dungeon crawl and you don't want to know the inner motives or backstory for why the big bad guy is laying siege. Evil is out there and it needs to have boots laid to its evilness.
Story 6/10
Gameplay
Puzzle Quest 2 starts out with you creating your character. The RPG elements are pretty basic here but for the most part work. You can choose your gender then your class. Classes available are Assassin, Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Templar. Each class has abilities that affect your style of play. For example I chose the Templar and so fights tend to be defensive. You won't do much damage but you can sure take punishment. Switching it up to an Assassin, you can't really take a beating but you can dish it out so your play style would be to hit hard and fast before you get killed.
Roaming around the world you will come across NPCs who have basic interactions that boil down to "talk to me!" or "DIE!DIE!DIE". So you either get a quest, or crushing the testicles of evil. The combat engine of Puzzle Quest 2 takes on a familiar "Match 3" Bejeweled-style game. Each person takes turns matching various gem types (Action, Color, or Skulls) in groups of 3 or more. Matching color gems builds up mana of that color which unlock your abilities. Matching skull gems does damage to your opponent and action gems allow you to use your equipped weapons against your enemies. Each player takes turns matching gems and doing damage until one player loses all their health. Scoring four or more gems in a row will earn you bonuses such as an extra turn, adding wild card gems, and even bonus experience. So the strategy in combat -- which the AI sometimes seems to be ridiculously lucky at -- is to make choices that chain matches up or get four or more matches to earn more rewards. Sometimes I swear the AI can see what gems are coming up in each row before making their choice. However the game does seem to make up for it by giving you hints if you have a hard time finding a choice.
Gameplay 8/10
Presentation
The graphics in Puzzle Quest 2 don't really stray far from its predecessor. Character portraits reflect the light-hearted, cartoonish feel of the game but are limited to one for each class and gender which limits personalization. The game animations, dialogue and combat cutscenes keep the game enjoyable and really work well, especially on the iPad. Keep in mind, if you're expecting a graphic and storytelling experience more on the level of Final Fantasy or Mass Effect, it may seem dull, but consider the casual nature of the game and realize that it does manage to click together.
Presentation 7/10
Overall
Puzzle Quest 2 is a game that is most enjoyable in short sessions. You fight a few enemies, complete a quest, maybe level up and then put it down for a while. Sure you could have a marathon, poopsocking session of the game, but really this game shines when you play for shorter sessions. So I would say to really get the most out of your gaming experience with Puzzle Quest 2, you just need to manage your expectations a bit. While the first Puzzle Quest was average to play on the PC and Xbox 360, playing the sequel on the iPad is where the game really shines.
Puzzle Quest 2 7/10
Game Info
Platform: Nintendo DS, Xbox Live Arcade, iPhone, iPad, Android, PC
ESRB: E 10+
ESRB: E 10+
Publisher: D3 Publisher
Developer: Infinite Interactive
Release Date: June 22, 2010 
Christopher Brimmer doesn't just write for HalfReal Review ya' know! Be sure to check out his site NoobSource.com where he writes not just game reviews, but board game reviews too! 
No comments:
Post a Comment