Puzzle Quest 2 Review

By , on December 10, 2010

Puzzle Quest 2
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Deep gameplay mechanics; rewards careful patient playing.
  • Detailed artwork and designs.
  • Multiple game modes and characters to play with.

CONS

  • Poor interface design for smaller iDevices.
  • 'Dice rolls' can heavily swing against you; ruins the flow/pacing.

VERDICT

Puzzle Quest 2 doesn't build upon its predecessor so much as it distills the addictive elements from the first and adds deeper character based gameplay in to the mix.


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By now, just about every electronic device capable of doing so has been infected with a three-match game of one kind or another and it's not hard to understand why, because simply put 'it sells'. Puzzle Quest 2 by Infinite Interactive and published by Namco on the App Store takes the already insanely addictive formula of three-match and RPG mechanics from Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords and packages it in a new way that remains just as potent as ever.

After selecting one of four classes, players can dive in to the action as they learn the ropes from a series of quests in the village of Verloren before delving in to the caverns in search of a demon. Combat against enemies (or more precisely physical actions of all kinds) is played out via a three-match battle where gems matched are used to power defensive or offensive spells, direct attacks or even to power weapons wielded by their character. Synergy between the spells you've chosen is critical to surviving even earlier enemies in the game, but once you have a bead on what's useful you'll find that most battles barring a few will present a minimum of challenge.

However all isn't double-rainbows in the village of Verloren. The one consistent problem with playing Puzzle Quest on a smaller iDevice is the condensed screen that doesn't feel appropriate at all. Complex artwork, text and touch selections all suffer for this shrinking, but thankfully the core gameplay remains mostly unaffected so don't feel like you need to buy an iPad to enjoy this game. 

Puzzle Quest 2 isn't merely as addictive as the first title, it's possibly even more engrossing thanks to its polished features. This is definitely a great pick up for iPad gamers and despite some issues it remains a great game on smaller iDevices as well.

Screenshots

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