Reviewed: November 21, 2007
Reviewed by: Jason Flick

Publisher
D3Publisher

Developer
Infinite Interactive

Released: October 10, 2007
Genre: Puzzle RPG
Players: 1-2

9
9
9
9
9.0

Supported Features:

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords takes place in the Warlords universe, and you are tasked with saving the world of Etheria from the evil Lord Bane. Puzzle Quest is totally different in some regards than the puzzle games most people are used to. While Puzzle Quest resembles games like Bejeweled in gameplay style that is about all they have in common. Strategy and role-playing are blended together with the puzzle gameboard in such a way that it is a match made in heaven.

There really is no other game out there like Puzzle Quest, so my experience with this type of game is limited. I play RPGs all the time and I do like some puzzle games so I found Puzzle Quest very intriguing. In case you’re wondering, yes this is the exact same game released on the PSP and Nintendo DS earlier this year. As it is now an Xbox Live Arcade game they’ve thrown in a few extra features this time around.

You navigate the world map by simply moving your cursor to the desired location on the map. The cursor system operates on what I call a “Snap-to” system, so you aim the cursor in the general location of where you want to go and the circular cursor will lock on to that place. But if the multiple places to choose you must target it more precisely. At each location you press the “A” Button to access a list of options that you do. If you are at your home city of Bartonia, you have access to Your Citadel, Get Quests, Tavern, Shop and Hero Inventory.

Your Citadel is basically your personal space inside the world of Etheria. Here you can build various buildings such as forges, dungeons, mage towers and so on. The only thing you have available at the start is your castle. Everything else is earned as you progress in your adventure, but you must pay with your hard earned cash to acquire these. Each building has a unique purpose to aid you in your quest. The dungeons are used to hold creatures that you capture. These creatures in turn can be used as mounts (or rides) and leveled up.

To do both of these, you have to complete puzzle with a time limit on each turn. To capture a creature you must clear a puzzle of all gems. These puzzles require a bit more thought so Puzzle Quest is by no means easy. The Get Quests option is pretty much self explanatory as is the Shop Option. The one thing that I will note about the Quests option is that all major story arc missions are marked in red. The hero inventory shows everything about your character. You can see your characters’ class, level, skills and experience on the left side of the screen, while the right side shows individual specs. The different tabs each represent a different area varying from Magic Items, Spells, Mounts, and Victories. Infinite Interactive really put a lot of thought into Puzzle Quest, and it shows with flying colors.

The combat system of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is one of the most unique one that I have seen in some time. Instead of dueling it out with swords, you duel with gems. The object is to line up 3 like gems in a row and gain that gems characteristics. That’s right the gems actually serve a purpose other than being eye candy. The red, green, yellow and blue gems are you source of Mana, which in turn is used to perform one of the 6 spells that you have available during battle. The four gems represent the four elements and each character class uses two of the gems more than the others.

There are 12+ spells available for each class but you are restricted to only 6 during fights. So you must choose the spells that you like or are the most effective in a given situation. The purple star shaped gems are your source of experience (or XP) during fights. Now you gain XP simply by winning fights, but any XP you accrue during the fight is kept regardless if you win or lose. I was particular happy to find this out, because I hate losing my hard earned experience by dying. Any money that you earn by matching coins together is also kept regardless as well. Like in Bejeweled, the objective is to match up at least like gem. However if you match up 4 you gain an extra turn and if you match up 5 you not only get another turn but a wild card is activated in the center of that match up. Wild cards simply multiply the amount each gem is worth by various amounts.

With all that said, the most important items on the board are the skulls. These are your damage dealers and by matching these up you inflict damage on the enemy. But you must play smart as to avoid taking damage by allowing the enemy to match up skulls against you. This is where the Role playing part of Puzzle quest really kicks in. The first person to lose all of their health points (or HP) loses the fight. Most of the fights can be redone if you fail but some of them are a one-time deal, so again you must smart to win.

You are allowed up to 4 pieces of equipment to bring in battle. These comprise of a helm or crown, armor, weapon and a miscellaneous item. You can purchase for advanced weaponry and armor with your hard earned cash, and occasionally your foe will drop a particularly nice piece of equipment that may aid you greatly later on. As RPGs go you level your character by gaining experience and Puzzle Quest is no exception. There is also a skill building system in place. Every time you level up you are rewarded with 4 skill points and these are used to increase particular stats. This is also another critical aspect during battle. What you do as far as skills are concerned will directly affect your effectiveness in battle. So if you are a warrior or wizard you want to concentrate on maxing out your Fire Mastery, Battle and Morale skills to gain your fighter’s true potential.

The Non-Playable Characters (or NPCs) have a rather interesting role in Puzzle Quest. In most towns and cities there is a Tavern. The Tavern like many RPGs is a source of information or “Rumors” as they are called here. Some “rumors” are free of charge but most of the good stuff will rob you of your coin. The information giving is used to basically suck you in and reveal the goings on in Etheria.

So like I said, Infinite Interactive took Puzzle Quest and ran with it. I prefer the shiny eye candy games like Eternal Sonata and Call of Duty 4, but when I got my hands on this puzzle title…well let’s just say… I had a lot of late nights. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords will run you 1200 Microsoft Points or about $15 dollars and it is worth every point.