Three years ago, developer Infinite Interactive recognized the potential of Bejeweled and added a bunch of hooks that gamers wouldn't be able to resist like monsters to battle, experience points to earn, and quests to complete. They basically locked a soccer mom and a dungeons-and-dragons nerd in a love hotel to see what would happen. The experiment was a complete success and the result, Puzzle Quest, won over the hearts of gamers everywhere. A successor, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, was released last year, but it was a pretty significant departure from the original and didn't resonate the same way with many of us. Now we have the true sequel in Puzzle Quest 2, and I'm happy to report that it's the real deal. Clear your calendars -- you're going to be matching gems and customizing your little puzzle person for the foreseeable future.
Puzzle Quest 2 plays very similarly to the original; you travel around doing odd jobs for people while hunting down the root of a mysterious evil, and all of your battles play out on a match-three puzzlefield. But the sequel does change things up a bit. First of all, you'll notice that this game looks dramatically different outside of battles. Whereas the first Puzzle Quest showed you traveling around a world map, the sequel zooms in for a closer view of your surroundings and sends you dungeon exploring one room at a time. Most of the game takes place in the catacombs beneath a cursed town and it's a change that keeps Puzzle Quest exciting. As you move from room to room, you'll find treasure to be looted and enemies to do battle with.
As in the first Puzzle Quest, should you decide to engage the enemy the game will switch to puzzle mode. Each color of gem represents a different type of mana, the energy you need to cast spells. Skulls on the field can be matched to damage your opponent. A major new addition in Puzzle Quest 2 is the ability to equip weapons, armor, and items and then use them in battle. Gauntlets on the puzzlefield can be matched to build up action points, which can then be spent to use your equipped items. This mechanic provides new ways to attack, defend yourself, and heal your wounds during a battle. It's a very cool, very welcome addition to Puzzle Quest.
From the simple Bejeweled formula of matching gems comes many variations that show up in mini-games. When looting booty, you attempt to create treasure chests by matching four or five gems at a time (four for regular items, five for valuable rare goods). When breaking down a door you have to first create "door gems," then match the door gems to whittle down the door's health. When searching a room for secrets you have to cover a certain amount of the puzzlefield with matches. Puzzle Quest 2 is a slow-paced game, but there is a lot to do and the variety keeps it from getting monotonous.
There are four character classes to choose from, each with male/female versions and their own roster of spells to learn. The different spell suites make for some wildly different combat styles. A barbarian will utilize mostly offensive spells, for instance, while an assassin can use powerful poisons to weaken their opponents. The beauty of the new item system is that the barbarian can make up for his loss of healing spells by equipping a healing potion in one hand. This is a game for people who enjoy tweaking their characters in order to find the combination of spells and items that works for them.
The same head-to-head multiplayer mode from the first game is retained, but Puzzle Quest 2 offers a new, delightful Tournament Mode. Here, each side chooses four monsters from the game and pits them against each other until only one is left standing. Lose a round and you have to bring in your next monster, while the victor fights on without regaining its health. Tournament battles last significantly longer than head-to-head bouts and make for more dramatic puzzle wars. Unfortunately, we only seem able to play Tournament Mode against the computer in the PC version of Puzzle Quest 2.
Verdict
Like the first game, Puzzle Quest 2 takes a simple casual affair and adds layers of depth you won't be able to resist. Even though the quest is long and your customization options seem to be limitless, it still works as a game you can pick up and play for short sessions. This is the Puzzle Quest you fell in love with, and the new dungeon exploration and usable items only sweeten the deal. If only all of life's problems could be solved by matching colored objects together.
