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Modojo Roundtable - Puzzle Quest
Written by Cody Musser on Thursday, April 5, 2007
A gigantic love festival ensues when the Knights of the Modojo Roundtable take on a Puzzle Quest and what exactly makes it The Awesome.
...Continued From Page 1
Elmer Concepcion: Totally, I can't remember how many times I set up a nice row of +5 skulls when the bad guy pulls out a devastating combo smash to the crotch from underneath you. I've made many careful plans and careless moves which were twisted into my undoing.
In later levels though, the incredible power of the spells began to shine through. They provided those ever invaluable chances to manipulate the board to your liking, wreak your own personal brand of chaos, or even abstain a turn to allow the AI to make the mistake you could have made.
Cody Musser: Anything you guys can think of that Puzzle Quest got wrong? Elements that just didn't mesh into the gameplay, or where things could have used some extra work?
I'd have to say the story definitely could have been given some extra effort. As it stood, it was pretty derivative. In so many RPG's I'm trying to make it through the fight to get more story, in the case of Puzzle Quest it was the exact opposite. I suppose that's good and bad, but even still, in an RPG setting, with puzzle elements or not, I'd like a good story.
Ryan Morgan: If there's anything that can attest to the brilliance of this game, it's the fact that I've scoured the city for a copy but still find myself empty-handed. Fortunately, the demo gives a nice glance at the full product, and I started with much the same problem that many of you ran into. I love Meteos and Tetris, but Zoo Keeper is the puzzle game that you'll usually find in my DS. I play almost every night before I go to bed, so I'm completely used to standard Bejeweled gameplay. Adjusting to the fact that TWO people are playing on the board really adds a tremendous amount of depth to the proceedings.
That's not the best part of Puzzle Quest, though, as the one thing about RPG's I usually can't stand is the combat. Even in terrific games like the FF series, the combat can get really tedious when all you do is hit "fight, target, cast spell, target..." An RPG where battles are turn-based, have tons of spell casting options, and actually require you to earn the win by out-thinking your opponent? Sign me up.
The only other RPG series I can think of that really has this level of ingenuity is the Paper Mario games. With Super Paper Mario already looking great, I really hope we see more [unique game type here]/RPG crossovers soon! Imagine, for example, a DS version of Bookworm Adventures.
Anthony Gallegos: What makes Puzzle Quest The Awesome is that it fluidly combines casual gaming (Bejewled) with a strong RPG element. Unlike a lot of RPGs where you really start just going through the motions, puzzle quest has quest specific battles that are engaging time after time. Yes, you do fight mobs to level up, but you also fight them because they are pertinent to your characters current quest line.
The battles are also very intense, as someone said earlier. Often times I am defeated more than once, but the magic awesomeness of Puzzle Quest keeps me coming back for another computer induced beating. Unlike a lot of other RPGs this one gives you a sense of accomplishment after almost every battle. You earn those damn exp. points.
I have to agree with Cody though that the story line is a little weak. Because the battle system is so incredibly engaging I find myself glossing over the very vague story elements just so I can move on and try out a new spell or ability.
Elmer Concepcion: Actually I agree with Cody that the story is a frank weakness that keeps the game clearly in the casual. Transparently the developers used the story merely as a vehicle to get to the next battle, again and again. Though there were a couple entertaining quips and curious moral decisions that popped up now and again, they were few and far between. It's clear through these moments that they could tell an engaging story, and the threads are there for guiding your character along different moral routes. Though I'm no where through with beating the game a first time, there's at least enough here to make me think the dialog might appear different should I make different decisions. But in Challenge of the Warlords, it doesn't seem like any of the decisions made would result in anything other than slightly different battle conditions, if anything.
Should a sequel game which tells a branching player guided story with a world which amounts to more than menus with some Photoshop backgrounds not only be requested advancements, but required?
Cody Musser: Alright guys, I suppose we should probably wrap up this Puzzle Quest love festival. Any last words to contribute before we call it quits?
Robert Falcon: "If you don't own this game, something is seriously wrong with you...unless you can't find it."
Box quote!
Elmer Concepcion: It's more addictive than air. And I NEED air.
posted April 10, 2007