Two awsome genres brought together to give a great game
User Rating: 8.6 | Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords PSP
As I am sure everyone is aware Puzzle Quest is a mix between a bejeweled style puzzle game and a good old RPG. This game has a lot of simplicity in it while there is also quite a bit to do. One will wonder how well the gameplay of a puzzle game would fit into that of an RPG, but it honestly works. It is really accessible and easy to get into. Simply the different coloured jewels give you mana for spells while skulls are straight damage to your opponents. This really works well because if you plan moves well you can get 4 or 5 of a kind and get an extra turn which can be the difference between victory or defeat. It certainly is a different battle system, but one that really works if you are a fan of puzzle games at all. A great thing is how open the game is. You go to a city and get quests and do them at whatever pace you want. This is because aside from just the quest you can find runes to make items, or capture and train a mount. You can even siege a city to capture it which gives you some income every so often when you visit. The map is easy to get around to find where you are going expecially since it is all points that you can visit, no free roaming. This really does make the game what it is and lets it have it's own sense of style. Even selecting gems and spells during battle is simple along with going through inventory menues. The graphics in the game are all hand drawn and look well done and really gives the game the feel that makes it great. The world map is well done and easy to get around on. There isn't always a whole lot going on to see when in a battle, but there are some special effects that are triggered and really add a little to the game keeping it fresh. The sound is also very well done to give the game it's style. There is always music of some sort along with sound effects when entering battle and moving gems and even when you have won a battle. Overall I do not believe that there is anything that could have been done to make the sound better.
There are is a minor issue and do believe me when i say minor. When in a battle the game will pause for one second. This is usually when there is a special effect that is going to be displayed, or when you are just finished a fight. This is quick and very easy to look over. Overall I will find it hard not to recommend puzzle quest to anyone who enjoys puzzle games or even a light hearted RPG with lots of different things to do. The fusion between the genre is definitely well done and especially nice for it's budget price for a new release.
