So what happens when you
have a board-based, matching-colored icons puzzle format that works? Well, you
find different stories to tell using that base puzzle game. That’s precisely
what has been done with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. This is a game based off the
same puzzle format as in other Puzzle Quest games, but with a space sci-fi bent
that has humans (or one) realizing that there are no gods or demons but that
humanity is, in fact, those gods and demons.
The game puts you in control
of one star pilot and the member of main human consortium of science and
enforcement. Your job is to travel about, fight battles, mine, hack broken
hypergates and craft new gear for your ship. You can have up to three ships in
your inventory, can take on crew members that make certain elements supposedly
easier to perform, but it all comes down to the same puzzle-based mechanics.
You start out with a basic
ship, with no real gear on it, and then can either follow the story line and
pick up various missions to chase you across the galaxy, or indulge in some
quick battles to gain levels and train up. In that way, PQG has a touch of
role-playing to it. You can improve your skills in four areas and each ship has
a set number of slots that you can equip with different items. For example, you
may put a cannon (of sorts) in one slot. In order to fire the cannon, you have
to stockpile a certain number of colored puzzle pieces (string them together in
units of three or more to claim them) in order to use that. The colors of the
pieces do matter. The blue pieces will bulk up your shielding, which can be
handy in a battle if you are down to hull only. If your opponent has only five
hull points left before his ship is destroyed, and your cannon fires for more
than five points (and you have stockpiled the right colored puzzle pieces to
allow you to fire it), you may opt for using your turn to fire directly on your
opponent, rather than play the puzzle board.
The game combines a bit of
strategy. The tactical element is there, but is confounded by random realignment
of the puzzle pieces when you start clearing the board. You might think you are
making a safe move, only to have the board align in such a manner as to give
your opponent the opportunity to line up puzzle pieces that will directly damage
you, or result is a series of wild combos that really bolster his or her chances
of winning.
The story itself is merely
Ok. It moves the gameplay along, but can seem to drag out a bit and have you
chasing from planet to planet, station to station, or asteroid to asteroid with
few results. You can, though, opt to skip the static cut scenes.
Graphically the game is a
bit of a mixed bag that won’t challenge a machine. The puzzles are nice, lush
and bright and sparkling with effects, while the story-drive graphics are very
old-school. The sound is nothing to turn the speakers up for.
Puzzle Quest Galactrix
builds off the same base puzzle game and give it some different mini-game
twists, from the timed hacking game to the mining mini-game in which you have to
obtain X amount of different elements before the board is locked up.
Really, it’s all the same
puzzle game with the same base mechanics. However, that does not make this an
entertaining game. Sure, you don’t want to sit and play it for hours on end, but
for moderate gaming stints, the game is enjoyable. Random chance does play a bit
of a part and can be a tiny bit frustrating at times, but with the right gear on
your ship, and a bit of planning you can control the flow of the puzzle to some
extent.
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Gameplay: 6.8
The game was played
on desktop and on a laptop, the former with XP as the OS and the latter with
Vista. The laptop game crashed on occasion while the desktop XP format played
smoothly. There are moderate load times and players should not struggle with the
controls. This is a fairly straightforward title.
Graphics: 7.0
Serviceable story
graphics, and nice puzzle elements that tend to follow the same patterns
throughout the game. They are not bad on the eyes and you won’t find yourself
having the images burned on to your retinas, but they are pleasant enough for a
medium stint playing the game.
Sound: 6.0
Certainly not much
to turn up the volume for.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 6.0
The puzzle format is
basically unchanged.
Multiplayer: 7.0
This can be more
entertaining than the single-player campaign, especially when you start to see
combos that the other player is not seeing.
Overall: 7.0
The actual puzzles
follow the same base format, albeit with some different bents that create
different challenges as you move through. While there are a number of
mini-games, they are all basically the same thing and though the storyline does
attempt to drive the gameplay forward, it does miss the boat. The core elements
of the game are the puzzles, the ability to battle others, and in that regard
the game is mildly entertaining.
