PAX East: ‘Puzzle Quest 2’ Hands-On First Impressions

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was really the first game that got me addicted to the DS. Something about the combination of the really simple Bejeweled-like game play coupled with RPG elements made the game easy to pick up anytime of the day yet really hard to ever put down. I originally picked up the game on a recommendation from the guys at Penny Arcade, so it was only fitting that I got a chance to check out the game’s sequel, Puzzle Quest 2, for Xbox Live at PAX East.

First and foremost– this sequel is nothing like Puzzle Quest Galactrix. While that game was a successor to Puzzle Quest, it ultimately failed in its attempt to be as fun or addicting as the original game. So don’t worry, Puzzle Quest 2 is a return to the original game play with the square board, spell-casting, and all the addicting game play you’d expect.

However, there are definitely some changes in Puzzle Quest 2. Firstly, the game took place in a small town, rather than a large world map like the first game. In PQ I was always wandering around the map trying to find things and it was often hard to read, so the new layout  made finding quests and traveling from place to place much easier.

Gameplay was familiar and any changes were easy to adapt to. While I didn’t get a chance to try out the DS version of the game, the Xbox Live version looked great and may have even convinced me to pick up on there instead of for the handheld. Along with the story mode that I tried in the demo, there’s also Instant Action, Multiplayer, and  Tournament modes of the game

Puzzle Quest 2 allows players to assume the role of a War Mage, Inquisitor, Barbarian or Assassin to rid the village of Verloren of the demon Gorgon. The game will be out sometime this spring for Nintendo DS and XBLA.