Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords – NDS – Review

It’s really a gamble you know?
Taking two genres and placing them together in a hybrid-style game and then
hoping that the ingredients mix together well enough to create a new and
exciting splinter genre. Looking back there have been many games that managed
to unite two genres and pay off big, but more often then not, it usually ends
in disappointment. Just off the top of my head I can think of some real hits,
Deus Ex (FPS/RPG), Resident Evil (horror/adventure), Serious Sam (FPS/Arcade)
and, well, let’s just say I could write an entire article on the bad ones,
Culdcept (card/RPG), Unlimited Saga (Point N Click/RPG) come to mind right
away. So, with that, Puzzle Quest is the latest entry in the wild world of
merging genre’s, taking a puzzle title and joining it with a somewhat
immersive RPG game is a gamble the folks at D3 publishing are hoping you’ll
take.

Starting off selecting one of four
character classes (knight, wizard, druid, warrior) you roam the countryside in
an effort to complete the somewhat formulaic concept you run afoul of all sort
of nasty villains who you get to do battle with. Only it’s not what you think,
you engage in combat by dueling if you will, on a puzzle game. Completing
lines of skull shaped puzzle pieces will allow you effective attacks on your
opponent, taking away their health points. Chaining attacks will do even
greater damage as will your reserve of magical attacks. Magic is used in both
an offensive and defensive capacity and depending on your character, the level
and type of attacks will vary.

"One wouldn’t think that a zombie would
be effective in a battle of the mind, but one would be wrong."

It’s weird, really, weird. The
game itself meshes quite well together, better than the two parts easily. The
puzzle game, in fact, is a decent one but seems to lack that certain ommpphh
that other more-popular puzzle games possess like Bejeweled or Tetris. It’s
decent, don’t get me wrong, but alone it would be a repetitive and simplistic
game. The same could be said about the RPG storyline; we’ve seen it before,
the leveling up of characters, the improvement of attributes the character
possesses it’s a tried-and-true (and well worn) formula that alone would have
this reviewer complaining of its unoriginality. However, when the two are
combined the whole is greater then the sum of its parts, or so the saying
goes. A pretty solid RPG experience with the puzzle attacks and very addictive
gameplay. On more then one occasion, I told myself, "OK, one more battle" and
that would be at 1:30 in the morning.

Graphically, the game does get the
job done, I would have liked that the setup of the dual DS screens was a
little more well though out, as it is, some of the puzzles lose some visual
clarity along the bottom edge of the lower screen. This can cause some
frustration as the game’s villains will sometimes whack you with a combo of
such powerful chain reaction attacks that the battle will be over before you
even start. Flashy light effects are somewhat reserved and the game does have
that older RPG look to it. Fortunately, the looks take a second seat to the
actual fun.

"Ah, the token woman in a robe giving
instructions."

Sound wise the game, again, seems
somewhat dated; it was as if the developers were making an homage type game,
only with the puzzle thing going on. There isn’t anything that is particularly
innovative or original about the score and accompanying sound effects. Merely
adequate filler for the gamer.

Surprisingly the game is really
long, with the game boasting over 150 quests in the full-blown adventure. But
again, the game sometimes seems to play by its own rules by having incredibly
difficult bad guys appearing fairly early on in the game and then there are
those times when you don’t even get a shot off against your opponent they whup
up on you so quickly.

But the game does allow for some
fairness, even though it may not seem like it. Get beaten by an enemy and you
still will get some experience points and other goodies, and be able to fight
again. In parting, my wife, who is a total puzzle game addict could not get
into this game, and it had a lot to do with the storyline, reading of the plot
and the fact that there was actual monsters to fight. The whole RPG thing just
does not do it for her. I, however, can totally see why this game is good, but
then, I like RPGs, so, be forewarned if you are a puzzle player, this may
include elements that you may not care for.

Gameplay: 7.8
Sometimes the odds are so stacked
against you, you will die immediately. The touch pad can lead to some
unnecessary frustration and the game is pretty difficult at times. I enjoyed
the heck out of it.

Graphics: 7.0
It has a sort of retro Sega
Saturn/PS1 RPG look to it. Not so’s you would hate it, but the look is
definitely there, words leap off the screen when something really good or
really bad happens.

Sound: 6.8
A bland background noise filler
that only seeks to keep some sort of noise going on.

Difficulty: Hard
The game is long, and the baddies
are really tough, expect to be beaten, a lot.

Concept: 8.8
A marriage of two genres that
really works, Amen!

Multiplayer: Unavailable
Two cards are required to play
head to head.

Overall: 8.0
A solid, entertaining slice of
dual-genre pie. I like the puzzle fighting, I liked the plot, I liked the game