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This thread has been linked to the game 'Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords'.
Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords (NDS)
When hardcore and casual gamers collide…
Call me cynical, but someone in the games industry must have been feeling immensely greedy when they went to develop a game. They must have stood and looked at the demographic of gamers and thought, “hmm…how can I maximise my profits from one single game? How can I have one game that will make casual and hardcore gamers line my pockets with gold?”
For days the developers had racked their brains to come up with something so ambitious that would appeal to all. Admittedly, it had been done before mixing genres to make a new exciting genre like action adventures. But to target 2 broad market groups in a highly competitive yet lucrative industry? That was going to be tricky. But they eventually came up with something. And that something was Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords.
Having played both PC and DS versions, it’s a pretty decent port onto the DS. Sure its not 100% perfect because of hardware constraints, like some of the minor effects are missing and its in a lower resolution, but unless you’ve played the pc or PSP versions its not particularly noticeable. Besides, graphically it isn’t that terrible, the colourful anime-like style is appealing and you’ll probably be so engrossed you wouldn’t care. So that’s all right. All the music and sound is present albeit at a slightly lower quality, not that the music or sounds was particularly outstanding to begin with. My real gripe (caused by hardware constraints) is the poor replacement for the tutorial. On the pc, the tutorial would ease you into the game, holding your hand for the first one or 2 battles, highlighting key information or objects as you played. On the DS, the tutorial isn’t particularly engaging and leaves you to fend for yourself.
The concept is simple enough; an RPG game with bejewelled elements. Just like any other fantasy set RPG; choose a class, get quests, explore the vast world, fight monsters, get treasure, level up, etc, But what sets this game out from the others is that all action takes place on a sort of bejewelled style board. Match 3+ of the same kind to receive RPG related stuff (Mana for spells, exp to level up etc) and use it to cast various spells to influence the battle. Depending on the situation (e.g. forging new weapons, capturing monsters and learn new abilities) players will play a variation of this. Such as matching a number of jewels for each colour, playing against the clock or wiping the board clean. Outside of the main quest, players can opt for instant action or multiplayer so players will have some reason to play on even after completing the main quest. Which needlessly to say, being an RPG, is very long and will last you sometime.
Gameplay is immensely addictive and engrossing. Rather then becoming some Frankenstein game that is hated by all, both hardcore and casual gamer elements go hand in hand complementing each other quite well. The RPG elements spices up the standard casual game adding depth and longevity that casual games can’t retain. Whereas the casual game elements makes the deep and complex rpg elements more accessible to gamers. So players get the best of both worlds whilst stripping away most of the nasty aspects of their genres. Genius.
Whilst the game is immensely addictive and entertaining, the main criticism is that it can be very unforgiving at times. The AI especially seems to be inhumanly good, almost… machine-like. It makes few mistakes and seems to think many steps ahead consequently being very taxing at times. It’s made worse when the replacing gems are frequently placed conveniently in its favour each time you make a move. It’s not helped either by the treacherous tips and suggested moves mechanic, as it frequently plays into the advantage of the opponent .The extreme imbalance of difficulty occasionally might therefore detract gamers from playing the game. Which isn’t good when this game could be a great way to introduce them to other exciting games and away from the simple casual gaming. Although still a decent port, the game suffers from some issues that impact play. Apart from being prone to the odd technical glitch, its major problem is that the board of gems that begins each battle aren’t entirely random. Granted, its not game breaking unlike the psp version whereby companion abilities didn’t work at all, it just leads to exploitation and repetition at times.
But the fact that the elements still work very well and all these issues just don’t matter the more you play it. It’s just that bloody additive. Its like a drug dealer selling crack cocaine to kids at the school gate. Kids take a dose of it and they’re hooked. They know its bad; they just want more and more of the deadly candy to feed their addiction. In puzzle quests case, the games negatives don’t outweigh the positives. With easily accessible addictive gameplay and longevity this is a worthy game people should at least try. Provided they get through the odd niggles here and there, they’ll find that they too will find this game enjoyable and well worth the bargain price that it goes for these days.
7/10
When hardcore and casual gamers collide…
Call me cynical, but someone in the games industry must have been feeling immensely greedy when they went to develop a game. They must have stood and looked at the demographic of gamers and thought, “hmm…how can I maximise my profits from one single game? How can I have one game that will make casual and hardcore gamers line my pockets with gold?”
For days the developers had racked their brains to come up with something so ambitious that would appeal to all. Admittedly, it had been done before mixing genres to make a new exciting genre like action adventures. But to target 2 broad market groups in a highly competitive yet lucrative industry? That was going to be tricky. But they eventually came up with something. And that something was Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords.
Having played both PC and DS versions, it’s a pretty decent port onto the DS. Sure its not 100% perfect because of hardware constraints, like some of the minor effects are missing and its in a lower resolution, but unless you’ve played the pc or PSP versions its not particularly noticeable. Besides, graphically it isn’t that terrible, the colourful anime-like style is appealing and you’ll probably be so engrossed you wouldn’t care. So that’s all right. All the music and sound is present albeit at a slightly lower quality, not that the music or sounds was particularly outstanding to begin with. My real gripe (caused by hardware constraints) is the poor replacement for the tutorial. On the pc, the tutorial would ease you into the game, holding your hand for the first one or 2 battles, highlighting key information or objects as you played. On the DS, the tutorial isn’t particularly engaging and leaves you to fend for yourself.
The concept is simple enough; an RPG game with bejewelled elements. Just like any other fantasy set RPG; choose a class, get quests, explore the vast world, fight monsters, get treasure, level up, etc, But what sets this game out from the others is that all action takes place on a sort of bejewelled style board. Match 3+ of the same kind to receive RPG related stuff (Mana for spells, exp to level up etc) and use it to cast various spells to influence the battle. Depending on the situation (e.g. forging new weapons, capturing monsters and learn new abilities) players will play a variation of this. Such as matching a number of jewels for each colour, playing against the clock or wiping the board clean. Outside of the main quest, players can opt for instant action or multiplayer so players will have some reason to play on even after completing the main quest. Which needlessly to say, being an RPG, is very long and will last you sometime.
Gameplay is immensely addictive and engrossing. Rather then becoming some Frankenstein game that is hated by all, both hardcore and casual gamer elements go hand in hand complementing each other quite well. The RPG elements spices up the standard casual game adding depth and longevity that casual games can’t retain. Whereas the casual game elements makes the deep and complex rpg elements more accessible to gamers. So players get the best of both worlds whilst stripping away most of the nasty aspects of their genres. Genius.
Whilst the game is immensely addictive and entertaining, the main criticism is that it can be very unforgiving at times. The AI especially seems to be inhumanly good, almost… machine-like. It makes few mistakes and seems to think many steps ahead consequently being very taxing at times. It’s made worse when the replacing gems are frequently placed conveniently in its favour each time you make a move. It’s not helped either by the treacherous tips and suggested moves mechanic, as it frequently plays into the advantage of the opponent .The extreme imbalance of difficulty occasionally might therefore detract gamers from playing the game. Which isn’t good when this game could be a great way to introduce them to other exciting games and away from the simple casual gaming. Although still a decent port, the game suffers from some issues that impact play. Apart from being prone to the odd technical glitch, its major problem is that the board of gems that begins each battle aren’t entirely random. Granted, its not game breaking unlike the psp version whereby companion abilities didn’t work at all, it just leads to exploitation and repetition at times.
But the fact that the elements still work very well and all these issues just don’t matter the more you play it. It’s just that bloody additive. Its like a drug dealer selling crack cocaine to kids at the school gate. Kids take a dose of it and they’re hooked. They know its bad; they just want more and more of the deadly candy to feed their addiction. In puzzle quests case, the games negatives don’t outweigh the positives. With easily accessible addictive gameplay and longevity this is a worthy game people should at least try. Provided they get through the odd niggles here and there, they’ll find that they too will find this game enjoyable and well worth the bargain price that it goes for these days.
7/10
7/10
tell me about it. I've had slightly better luck being the knight as i constantly spam stun and grab what i can. Although when enemies start to resist spells a little too often i watch in horror as a casacade of gems falls into their laps that allow them to chain +4 moves again, again and again.
In one battle i was defeated by an enemy on HIS FIRST TURN. It was a ruin keeper admittedly but my god did that make my blood boil. The same with how a wolf always have more cunning then me despite however much i level up.
In one battle i was defeated by an enemy on HIS FIRST TURN. It was a ruin keeper admittedly but my god did that make my blood boil. The same with how a wolf always have more cunning then me despite however much i level up.
ARRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
That pretty much covers my feelings about this game. I loved playing it at first, then I realised how the AI plays and how difficulty is governed in the game. Cheating piece of junk. :p It shall never darken my PSP again.
That pretty much covers my feelings about this game. I loved playing it at first, then I realised how the AI plays and how difficulty is governed in the game. Cheating piece of junk. :p It shall never darken my PSP again.
Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords (NDS)
When hardcore and casual gamers collide…
Call me cynical, but someone in the games industry must have been feeling immensely greedy when they went to develop a game. They must have stood and looked at the demographic of gamers and thought, “hmm…how can I maximise my profits from one single game? How can I have one game that will make casual and hardcore gamers line my pockets with gold?”
For days the developers had racked their brains to come up with something so ambitious that would appeal to all. Admittedly, it had been done before mixing genres to make a new exciting genre like action adventures. But to target 2 broad market groups in a highly competitive yet lucrative industry? That was going to be tricky. But they eventually came up with something. And that something was Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords.
Having played both PC and DS versions, it’s a pretty decent port onto the DS. Sure its not 100% perfect because of hardware constraints, like some of the minor effects are missing and its in a lower resolution, but unless you’ve played the pc or PSP versions its not particularly noticeable. Besides, graphically it isn’t that terrible, the colourful anime-like style is appealing and you’ll probably be so engrossed you wouldn’t care. So that’s all right. All the music and sound is present albeit at a slightly lower quality, not that the music or sounds was particularly outstanding to begin with. My real gripe (caused by hardware constraints) is the poor replacement for the tutorial. On the pc, the tutorial would ease you into the game, holding your hand for the first one or 2 battles, highlighting key information or objects as you played. On the DS, the tutorial isn’t particularly engaging and leaves you to fend for yourself.
The concept is simple enough; an RPG game with bejewelled elements. Just like any other fantasy set RPG; choose a class, get quests, explore the vast world, fight monsters, get treasure, level up, etc, But what sets this game out from the others is that all action takes place on a sort of bejewelled style board. Match 3+ of the same kind to receive RPG related stuff (Mana for spells, exp to level up etc) and use it to cast various spells to influence the battle. Depending on the situation (e.g. forging new weapons, capturing monsters and learn new abilities) players will play a variation of this. Such as matching a number of jewels for each colour, playing against the clock or wiping the board clean. Outside of the main quest, players can opt for instant action or multiplayer so players will have some reason to play on even after completing the main quest. Which needlessly to say, being an RPG, is very long and will last you sometime.
Gameplay is immensely addictive and engrossing. Rather then becoming some Frankenstein game that is hated by all, both hardcore and casual gamer elements go hand in hand complementing each other quite well. The RPG elements spices up the standard casual game adding depth and longevity that casual games can’t retain. Whereas the casual game elements makes the deep and complex rpg elements more accessible to gamers. So players get the best of both worlds whilst stripping away most of the nasty aspects of their genres. Genius.
Whilst the game is immensely addictive and entertaining, the main criticism is that it can be very unforgiving at times. The AI especially seems to be inhumanly good, almost… machine-like. It makes few mistakes and seems to think many steps ahead consequently being very taxing at times. It’s made worse when the replacing gems are frequently placed conveniently in its favour each time you make a move. It’s not helped either by the treacherous tips and suggested moves mechanic, as it frequently plays into the advantage of the opponent .The extreme imbalance of difficulty occasionally might therefore detract gamers from playing the game. Which isn’t good when this game could be a great way to introduce them to other exciting games and away from the simple casual gaming. Although still a decent port, the game suffers from some issues that impact play. Apart from being prone to the odd technical glitch, its major problem is that the board of gems that begins each battle aren’t entirely random. Granted, its not game breaking unlike the psp version whereby companion abilities didn’t work at all, it just leads to exploitation and repetition at times.
But the fact that the elements still work very well and all these issues just don’t matter the more you play it. It’s just that bloody additive. Its like a drug dealer selling crack cocaine to kids at the school gate. Kids take a dose of it and they’re hooked. They know its bad; they just want more and more of the deadly candy to feed their addiction. In puzzle quests case, the games negatives don’t outweigh the positives. With easily accessible addictive gameplay and longevity this is a worthy game people should at least try. Provided they get through the odd niggles here and there, they’ll find that they too will find this game enjoyable and well worth the bargain price that it goes for these days.
7/10
When hardcore and casual gamers collide…
Call me cynical, but someone in the games industry must have been feeling immensely greedy when they went to develop a game. They must have stood and looked at the demographic of gamers and thought, “hmm…how can I maximise my profits from one single game? How can I have one game that will make casual and hardcore gamers line my pockets with gold?”
For days the developers had racked their brains to come up with something so ambitious that would appeal to all. Admittedly, it had been done before mixing genres to make a new exciting genre like action adventures. But to target 2 broad market groups in a highly competitive yet lucrative industry? That was going to be tricky. But they eventually came up with something. And that something was Puzzle quest: challenge of the warlords.
Having played both PC and DS versions, it’s a pretty decent port onto the DS. Sure its not 100% perfect because of hardware constraints, like some of the minor effects are missing and its in a lower resolution, but unless you’ve played the pc or PSP versions its not particularly noticeable. Besides, graphically it isn’t that terrible, the colourful anime-like style is appealing and you’ll probably be so engrossed you wouldn’t care. So that’s all right. All the music and sound is present albeit at a slightly lower quality, not that the music or sounds was particularly outstanding to begin with. My real gripe (caused by hardware constraints) is the poor replacement for the tutorial. On the pc, the tutorial would ease you into the game, holding your hand for the first one or 2 battles, highlighting key information or objects as you played. On the DS, the tutorial isn’t particularly engaging and leaves you to fend for yourself.
The concept is simple enough; an RPG game with bejewelled elements. Just like any other fantasy set RPG; choose a class, get quests, explore the vast world, fight monsters, get treasure, level up, etc, But what sets this game out from the others is that all action takes place on a sort of bejewelled style board. Match 3+ of the same kind to receive RPG related stuff (Mana for spells, exp to level up etc) and use it to cast various spells to influence the battle. Depending on the situation (e.g. forging new weapons, capturing monsters and learn new abilities) players will play a variation of this. Such as matching a number of jewels for each colour, playing against the clock or wiping the board clean. Outside of the main quest, players can opt for instant action or multiplayer so players will have some reason to play on even after completing the main quest. Which needlessly to say, being an RPG, is very long and will last you sometime.
Gameplay is immensely addictive and engrossing. Rather then becoming some Frankenstein game that is hated by all, both hardcore and casual gamer elements go hand in hand complementing each other quite well. The RPG elements spices up the standard casual game adding depth and longevity that casual games can’t retain. Whereas the casual game elements makes the deep and complex rpg elements more accessible to gamers. So players get the best of both worlds whilst stripping away most of the nasty aspects of their genres. Genius.
Whilst the game is immensely addictive and entertaining, the main criticism is that it can be very unforgiving at times. The AI especially seems to be inhumanly good, almost… machine-like. It makes few mistakes and seems to think many steps ahead consequently being very taxing at times. It’s made worse when the replacing gems are frequently placed conveniently in its favour each time you make a move. It’s not helped either by the treacherous tips and suggested moves mechanic, as it frequently plays into the advantage of the opponent .The extreme imbalance of difficulty occasionally might therefore detract gamers from playing the game. Which isn’t good when this game could be a great way to introduce them to other exciting games and away from the simple casual gaming. Although still a decent port, the game suffers from some issues that impact play. Apart from being prone to the odd technical glitch, its major problem is that the board of gems that begins each battle aren’t entirely random. Granted, its not game breaking unlike the psp version whereby companion abilities didn’t work at all, it just leads to exploitation and repetition at times.
But the fact that the elements still work very well and all these issues just don’t matter the more you play it. It’s just that bloody additive. Its like a drug dealer selling crack cocaine to kids at the school gate. Kids take a dose of it and they’re hooked. They know its bad; they just want more and more of the deadly candy to feed their addiction. In puzzle quests case, the games negatives don’t outweigh the positives. With easily accessible addictive gameplay and longevity this is a worthy game people should at least try. Provided they get through the odd niggles here and there, they’ll find that they too will find this game enjoyable and well worth the bargain price that it goes for these days.
7/10