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Review - Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (DS)
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Puzzle Quest: Galactrix was a sequel that many Puzzle Quest fans, including myself, had very high hopes for. The original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the Nintendo DS swept us away for hours upon hours of addicting gem-matching gameplay, and fans of the series could only hope that Galactrix would continue the magic and absorb more of our gaming time and attention. Let's find out if the new sci-fi, galactic theme, can carry this game into the future as a great sequel we all hoped for.
Fans of the Puzzle Quest series will have some background knowledge of what to expect, but for gamers that are new to the series, lets start by introducing you to core puzzle mechanic behind Puzzle Quest. The general idea behind the Puzzle Quest formula is taking the addicting, gem color matching concept from Bejeweled, and adding a battle system to it. In matching colored gems, players are then given different resources that aid in various functions, such as using items, causing damage, or gaining experience. Galactrix takes that gameplay formula and throws players into space, giving them the ability to travel to different galaxies, build and construct ships, equip a variety of items, and level up their character.
Aside from the new sci-fi theme, the big change that Galactrix brings to the table is the hexagonal-shaped board and gem pieces. Unlike Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlods, the hexagonal gem pieces in Galactrix allows the pieces to be swapped in 6 directions instead of 4. This actually adds a whole new element to the gameplay, as more color matches are now possible. And being able to swap gem pieces in 6 different directions also change how new pieces come onto the board. Instead of having new pieces come in from just the top of the board, they now enter the board in the direction you shifted your piece. So, if you moved your gem piece to the left and made a match, a new set of gems will come in from the left hand side. It’s a nice addition that adds a bit more depth and color matching possibilities.
The character class, which was present in Challenge of the Warlords, has been removed from Galactrix and replaced with the ability to build ships and equip different weapons. I wasn’t too fond of the idea when I first heard about it, but after putting some time into the game I found that this was a great addition. Being able to build and use different ships and weapons allows for gamers to try out new strategies as well as approach battles differently throughout the game. In Challenge of the Warlords, you were stuck with the character class you chose, along with the spells and abilities that came with it. In Galactrix, changing ships and weapons allows you to mix things up if you feel like the same strategy is getting old or stale, or just want to try new things but don’t feel like starting over.
Aside from the main battles you will fight in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, you will also often encounter a few non-battle mini games. The main mini game that you will often encounter is “leapgate hacking”, which requires players to match specific amount of gems before the timer runs out. Completing these mini games will allow you to travel from one galaxy to another, and this is where I run into my first major issue. You'll notice soon enough that these mini games are not necessary, and can be really frustrating as you will have to make so many matches in a short period of time. In general, many of the mini games required several replays to beat them, and unfortunately the "leapgate hacking" games must be completed to move on and progress the story.
And now the issue's start to pile up. Another annoyance that you'll notice only minutes into Galactrix is the incredible amount of “accessing data” screens. Although the load times are only a few seconds long, they are so frequent and seem to appear whenever something changes. I don’t remember Challenge of the Warlords to ever have long load times, if any. It feels like that a quarter of the game was wasted away watching the "accessing data" screen.
The next issue that will only take a few minutes to discover in Galactrix is the inaccuracy of the stylus. Selecting an item on the screen with your stylus won't always register correctly, and you'll find yourself selecting the wrong item or being shipped to the other side of the screen. What's worse is that this problem has leaked into the puzzle battle action we all were hoping to enjoy. I can't tell you how many invalid moves I made because the game didn't recognize my stylus input correctly. The frustration level really grows as the A.I. proceeds to chain 3 or 4 combo's the following turn.
Continuing on with the A.I., I've felt cheated more times in this game than any other puzzle game. When I'm struggling to find a decent match or even a combo of any sort, the A.I. fires back with a silly combo that takes away half my HP and gives them +5 of each resource. It's hard to enjoy the game when this can happen 4 or 5 times in a single round.
The sci-fi story and theme is a love it or hate it kind of thing. Personally, I felt that it took too long for the story and characters to really capture me, and when it did, I wasn't blown away or amazed. I felt things were a little bland at times as well as not wanting to actually care about the story. Maybe I went into Galactrix expecting an epic story? I've learned my lesson.
Many fans of the original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords game for the Nintendo DS have had high hopes for the Galactrix sequel - we were all expecting to find the same, enjoyably addicting, gem-matching gameplay that Challenge of the Warlords offered. But unfortunately, Galactrix wasn't the spectacular sequel fans and gamers had hoped for. Putting aside all the glitches and issues I've mentioned, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix does offer some addicting puzzle action. Combining the sci-fi theme with the ability to build and customize ships was a fresh take on the series, and true Puzzle Quest fans could find some joy and entertainment in this sequel. It's unfortunate that the glitches and issues I've mentioned happen more frequently than I would want them to - they really took away the "addictive gameplay" Challenge of the Warlords offered many gamers.
Overall Score: 6.5/10
[Check out the official Puzzle Quest: Galactrix website to play an online demo of the game]
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