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  Why didn't someone do this before? With genre lines being blurred every day with mixed results, this is a mash up that works. At its core sits a simple, fun puzzle game similar to Columns. Overlay that with an experience point system, equipment, an interesting story, and lots of baddies, and you have Puzzle Quest. Finally a puzzle game that isn’t just a poor man’s Tetris.

   The game board is filled with little gems that must be matched in groups of three or more vertically or horizontally. The gems come in seven flavors. Red, green, blue, and yellow build separate pools of mana; matched gold pieces can be saved up to purchase loot in towns; experience which add points directly to your XP total; and matched skulls will take hit points from your opponent. Yup, just like any good RPG, the characters in Puzzle Quest have hit points. Ultimately the way to win each battle is to drain your opponent’s hit points by casting spells and matching skulls. The amount of spells and power they have is determined by your class that you choose at the beginning of the game. If you choose a more battle oriented character, massive skull combos, and bonus effects are your bread and butter. You can also equip armor to you character, each offering additional in game bonuses.

   With all of the potential outcomes of any given battle, a ton of depth and strategy go into combat. Sometimes what seems like a good move may turn into a massive combo for the opponent, so pick your moves carefully, and try to anticipate outcomes. The computer unfortunately is very adept at this, and will sometimes wipe you out very quickly leaving your mouth on the floor. You can almost always retry a battle if you fail, and sometimes you will need to level up or get some better armor in order to advance against the tricky computer. You also will get a bonus turn when matching four of a kind, so keep an eye out for that. If there are no available moves on the board, all of the mana of both players will be drained, and the board will be filled with new gems.

   Gameplay is all handled with the stylus, which works splendidly. When in combat, just poke and drag the gem you want to move; spells are cast in a similar manner. All information about the characters in battle, and start are located on the top screen. As you win battles experience builds up until you level up. Upon doing so, you are given points to spend on a list of skills. Each upgrade adds a few percent chance to what you’re trying to build up, and character progression is satisfying.

   Fantasy tunes that accompany the battles never get old, nor does the background music; in fact most of it is quite catchy. For a DS game the music is excellent, very crisp and multilayered. The sound effects are a bit bland, however that can all be forgiven considering it is a puzzle game, and fancy sound effects just aren’t needed.

   As you progress in Puzzle Quest you will travel to additional areas on the world map. You don’t actually see the towns and locales, but rather given a set of options at each place. In the major towns and cities you can take on new quests to progress the story or build up your character. You also have the option of buying equipment, or going to the tavern to hear rumors, which can help guide you as to what to do next. You can also build a citadel as you progress through the game which will grant you additional bonuses, and even allow you to create custom armor and gear. When traveling from town to town there are random encounters with lower level enemies, and additional quests to seek out.

   If you want a break from the quest mode, you can always hop into instant battles with enemies for a quick game. The game also offers wireless play against a friend. Both players will need a copy of the game for multiplayer, but you can use your character from the game to show just how powerful you are, or not.

   The story follows a young lad living in a world where the undead have begun reappearing after being thought wiped out. He must seek his father’s advice, and help rid the land of this new evil scourge. You will meet many friends throughout your adventures, and some will offer additional bonuses in battle. While not the greatest story in the world, it is enjoyable, and far better than other puzzle game offerings. While still your typical save the world scenario, simply having a story makes playing through the game that much more enjoyable as opposed to just racking up a high score.

   After playing this, other puzzle games seem bland and boring. Hopefully this title will help push this tired genre forward to greener pastures, and maybe someday we can see more games like this; the template has been made. If you like puzzle games, or want to try something a little different, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords delivers.

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Developer:

Infinite Interactive

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Publisher:

D3 Publisher

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Genre:

Puzzle RPG

Release Date:

03/07