Screens are from the PSP version
If you haven't played it yet, as mentioned above Puzzle Quest is a pretty standard RPG in structure, with quests, monster fighting, towns, equipment, spells and attacks. The only difference is that the archaic Dungeons and Dragons battle system of most RPGs has been replaced with compelling modern puzzle gameplay. You still fight monsters and bosses, it's just that you fight them in what amounts to a board game. At first it seems a little obtuse – as if a goblin would sit down and play a game of chess with the hero, but in reality it's no more abstract than the rules of most strategy games. Most other RPG conventions remain intact - such as character classes, equipping items for offence and defence, and using magic – and they have been seamlessly integrated into the 'connect four' (or three in this case) puzzle grid gameplay.
You begin the game by selecting a character class such as Knight, Warrior or Wizard as well as a limited selection of what they look like, and as with most RPGs each class have obvious advantages over each other in either strength or magic. Despite the different characters available, there is only one story to play through, but it can be a pretty long game to play through. Most of the non-battle part of the game takes place in an overworld, where you can travel to the various locations you have available to you, take quests from various kings and wizards to free the land from generic fantasy evil. The story won't win any awards, but the still-frame and large reams of text cut-scenes (a function of the game's DS origins) look nice due to some decent art, and keep it all going along. Soon you'll be able to establish your own base where you can do such things as keep monsters and eventually even raid other towns.
Build up your 'citadel' to have a solid base of operations
But the meat of the game is the puzzle based battling. The basic idea is to move jewels in an 8x8 grid to form lines of three, which makes the jewels disappear and those above fall down to take their place, and making three skulls disappear constitutes and attack on the enemy. Between skull opportunities, you match other colors to gain mana (which powers your spells), money to build up your stock of cash, or experience points. Even before spells there is strategy to 'combat', as you look for opportunities to get four in a row or combos (where the fallen jewels from one move create another line-up of three). Add in strategy from spells and from equipping gear, and you've got a compelling system.
Just like in regular RPGs, enemies have various weaknesses that you can exploit by equipping the right tools. You can equip six spells, which have effects such as making your opponent skip a turn, as well as four pieces of equipment that could either cut through an enemy's defences or defend against their strengths. At the end of a battle you gain experience just like a regular RPG. Fights with regular enemies that are usually boring because you'll easily win are made worthwhile in Puzzle Quest because of secondary goals such as experience bonus gems and the aforementioned cash.
There are still some problems with the gameplay that haven't been fixed for this release. When combos occur it can be hard to see what's going on, as the animation is too quick, leaving you without your bearings. There is so much information on the screen it can be hard to keep track of everything, including basics such as whose turn it is.
There's plenty of generic fantasy stuff, but it's all decently written
The game looks and sounds great on the PS2, especially though component cables. Seemingly a port of the PSP version, it has the superior art and music of that version, but obviously not the superior touch screen controls or the DS version. The screen layout is probably better than in either portable version, as a large 4:3 screen fits the game well, with plenty of room for the grid and all stats with no wasted screen space. Load times are decent, but it does that annoying 'check the memory card and tell you about it every time' thing many PS2 games do, which can get on your nerves. The game's difficulty has supposedly been evened out in the console versions, and it is certainly more difficult in the early stages than the DS version, but these changes are minor. The soundtrack could use a few more tracks considering the game's length, and you'll want to be a fan of medieval-style music, but it's still quite pleasant throughout. Overall, it's a good port.
PSP or DS are still probably the best places to play Puzzle Quest, but if the concept appeals to you and you only own a PS2, it's a good version of the game, so grab it at the budget price point today.
*Note: Screenshots used in this review are from the PSP version of the game.
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