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Puzzle Quest: GalactrixBy Marlon Esmeralda - 03-15-09 Print  EmailRPGs and puzzle games are two genres that can really engage a person into hours of gameplay. When Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlord was released back in 2007, many gamers became addicted to this RPG/puzzle hybrid. It only made sense since the game featured the simple, addictive gameplay of a puzzle game combined with the depth and story of an RPG. Now we have the release of the sequel to the 2007 RPG/puzzle hit titled Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Along with a new story filled with new characters and worlds comes a whole new puzzle system. The game may be a sequel, but you certainly lose nothing if this is your first Puzzle Quest title. The storyline in the game is very different from its predecessor as it switches from a fantasy setting to a more sci-fi theme, with things taking place in outer space. You take on the role of a recently graduated MRI pilot who soon starts his/her own journey into the galactic frontier. You will encounter many unique characters as well as various types of enemies, all in an effort to save mankind. The story is pretty engaging, but as all Puzzle Quest fans know, it's the game-play that will keep you hooked. Like a traditional RPG, the game will have you traveling from place to place in order to obtain quests. There are two types of quests: main quests and side quests. Main quests will progress the story when completed, as side quests will help you level up and obtain items. The quests vary from finding information to destroying enemies. Galactrix maintains the same puzzle core mechanics with its "match three" system, similar to Bejeweled. However, the playing field has undergone a transformation to a more hexagonal platform, similar to Hexic. The pieces have also gone hexagonal and can move in six different directions, but you still only move two pieces at a time to match up colors in rows of 3 or more to make them disappear. This time though, when the matching pieces disappear, the direction the other pieces fall depends on which direction you moved the puzzle piece. This unique "zero-gravity" puzzle system is certainly fun to play. The puzzle mechanics are more than just matching up three or more colors. This is where the RPG elements kick in, as the puzzle field is used to determine the flow of battle. You and your opponent will take turns matching colors. Each color has its own characteristics and matching certain ones will help you gain a level, heal yourself, or fill up certain bars so that you may use special attacks. There are also mines with numbers on them, consisting of 1,3,5, and 10. Matching the mines will deal direct damage to your enemy. This puzzle battle system is certainly what makes the Puzzle Quest series unique, and thanks to the new changes, more strategy is involved. Apart from battling, the puzzle system is also used for many other tasks in the game. For example, when you’re mining for cargo, you will use the puzzle system to determine how much mining you accomplish. You will even use it for hacking leapgates so that you may fly to other galaxies. The puzzle system will also be used when gaining item discounts, building a new ship, or to obtain rumors. For whatever the purpose, the puzzle system will still be the same. Due to this style of gameplay, luck will always be a factor, as you will never know which additional puzzle pieces will drop from the borders. This may be stressful when it comes to battling enemies and hacking leapgates. In battle, the enemy could get a lucky break and you will suddenly see things change from a winning outcome to a possible losing one. When hacking leapgates, you are on a time limit to match up colors in the order that they appear. So you will need to get lucky and hope that all the colors you need to match up are easily obtainable. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is certainly a colorful game, mostly due to the various colors of the puzzle pieces. The layout is a nice touch as it gives off an intergalactic feel. However, the map screen is very dull. It is pretty much just full of reused sprites, with all the planets, asteroids, space stations, and ships all looking the same. Though I did find the character art quite stylish, I feel it kind of hurts that there's no real emotion coming from them, as it is basically just a picture with text hovering over their heads. The music in PQ: Galactrix is also nicely done. You will certainly become entranced by the rich music. And the beeps and laser sound effects will really get you into the whole outer space theme. It would have been nice if the game had some voices added, as it definitely would have added more feeling to the story. I did come across a few minor issues with PQ: Galactrix, one being the touch controls. Since the game is only controlled by use of the touch screen, you would expect the touch controls to be top notch. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, especially on the map screen, where I would select the location for my ship to go, whether it is a planet, space station, leap-gate, or asteroid. Once I reach my destination a small menu appears, where you select what you want. There were many times when my touch selection registered wrong, for whatever reason, and I would see my ship travel in an unintended direction. It is definitely something small, but since it happens so often, it does get a bit annoying. The main drawback that will probably get most gamers is Galactrix's many loading screens. The loading screens don't last too long, with 5 seconds probably being the longest, but combined with the game's auto-saving feature, then the time increases quite a bit. These moments will occur after mostly every action done in the game. It won't throw you completely off from the game, but it is a bit tedious, especially for a game on the Nintendo DS. There is a lot to do in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and it will take you some time to get through the game's single player mode, thanks to its many side quests and various puzzle mini-games that occur for just about everything you do in the game. There will also be many times in which you will repeat things over again, like battling and hacking, due to the game's unpredictability. There is a multiplayer mode that you and a friend can play with to help add to some replay value, but only if you both have a copy of the game. The game's loading times will also add to that amount as well. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is certainly an engaging game that will suck many hours from your life thanks to its simple, yet addictive game-play. Slight changes were made but fans of the original PQ will certainly feel right at home. Even gamers who have never played a PQ title may still enjoy this game. The game does have its share of flaws, but they hardly have any affect on the core gameplay. Add in some stylish visuals and solid music, and you got a nice game overall. This unique, RPG/puzzle title is definitely a worthwhile experience. Ratings |
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