Puzzle Quest 2
Encyclopedia
Puzzle Quest 2 is a video game developed by Infinite Interactive
for the Nintendo DS
, Xbox Live Arcade
, iOS, Windows Phone 7
and Microsoft Windows
. It was released on June 22, 2010 by D3 Publisher
. It is the sequel to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
, and like its predecessor, it combines role-playing
with strategy and puzzle elements. It uses a competitive, Bejeweled
-style, "match three game" playfield to simulate combat and other activities common to role-playing games.
from a weapon and the amount of bonus damage that matching Skulls do. Agility (Yellow) increases the chance of blocking an attack and the amount of bonus points gained from matching action gems. Intelligence (Blue) increases the amount of extra turns that character has when playing mini-games and the maximum amount of mana a character can store. Stamina (Green) increases the chance of Critical Blocking
and the amount of life points a player has. And Morale (Purple) increases the chance to resist an opponents spell and the amount of damage a weapon does. Different types of characters can earn attributes faster than others. Increasing an attribute will increase that colors utilization in combat. For example, increasing Strength increases the amount of Red mana a player can hold, start with, and collect.
. Each player takes turns trying to match at least a set of three gems to gain mana, action points or damage the enemy. If they player has enough mana they can use a spell instead, or if they have enough action points they can use an item which can consist of a weapon (which damages the enemy, a shield (which increases defense for a limited time), or a potion (which adds an amount to a mana reserve or life points). The tiles have changed from the last game. There are Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Purple gems, which when collected adds a certain amount to that specific mana reserve. When skulls are matched they damage the enemy based on the amount of skulls matched and what that players skull damage bonus is. When the action gems are matched (which look like gauntlets) they are added toward that players action reserve so that player can use specific items. Wildcards can appear with a multiplier like the last game. Gold and Experience are obtained after battle along with loot items. Certain mini-games have different sorts of tiles. Matching a set of four gives the player an additional move, while a set of five also generates a wildcard. Illegal moves are no longer penalized. If there are no moves available on the board, all the mana reserves of each player are lost and the board is reset.
score of 81% for the Xbox 360 release and 74% for the Nintendo DS release. IGN
's review praised the game's combination of casual puzzle gameplay with added layers of depth and extensive single- and multiplayer modes. In his review for Eurogamer
, Christian Donlan called the game's puzzle mechanics "flavourless" and its fantasy setting "bland," but stated that the game remains "frighteningly talented when it comes to targeting your compulsions." Giant Bomb
's Brad Shoemaker identified the game as a return to form for Infinite Interactive after what he identified as missteps in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
and Neopets Puzzle Adventure
. The PC version received positive reviews from GameSpot, which praised the addictive gameplay and from 1UP, whose review states that the game "improves on the original in almost every way."
Infinite Interactive
Infinite Interactive was a video game developer with headquarters in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded by Steve Fawkner in 1989. After a long alliance with SSG, resulting in the development of the Warlords series of games, Steve moved on to make Infinite totally independent in...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
, iOS, Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was released on June 22, 2010 by D3 Publisher
D3 Publisher
D3Publisher is a Japanese video game publisher founded on February 5, 1992. Current CEO and president is Yuji Ito, and It is known for its Simple series of low-priced console games. Their games have been released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2,...
. It is the sequel to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a game developed by Australian company Infinite Interactive and published by D3 Publisher. The game combines role-playing with strategy and puzzle elements...
, and like its predecessor, it combines role-playing
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
with strategy and puzzle elements. It uses a competitive, Bejeweled
Bejeweled
Bejeweled is a puzzle game by PopCap Games, first developed for browsers in 2001. Three follow-ups to this game have been released. More than 75 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 500 million times....
-style, "match three game" playfield to simulate combat and other activities common to role-playing games.
Attributes
Each character has five basic attributes. Strength (Red) increases the chance of Critical hitCritical hit
In many role-playing games and video games, a critical hit is a successful attack that deals more damage than a normal blow.-Origin:The 1975 role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne introduced the concept of critical hits...
from a weapon and the amount of bonus damage that matching Skulls do. Agility (Yellow) increases the chance of blocking an attack and the amount of bonus points gained from matching action gems. Intelligence (Blue) increases the amount of extra turns that character has when playing mini-games and the maximum amount of mana a character can store. Stamina (Green) increases the chance of Critical Blocking
Critical hit
In many role-playing games and video games, a critical hit is a successful attack that deals more damage than a normal blow.-Origin:The 1975 role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne introduced the concept of critical hits...
and the amount of life points a player has. And Morale (Purple) increases the chance to resist an opponents spell and the amount of damage a weapon does. Different types of characters can earn attributes faster than others. Increasing an attribute will increase that colors utilization in combat. For example, increasing Strength increases the amount of Red mana a player can hold, start with, and collect.
Classes
There are four character classes to choose from at the start of the game. The Barbarians grow in Stamina and Strength and are considered to be an "all-rounded" class. Barbarians can use very powerful weapons. The War Mages or Sorcerers grows in Intelligence and Morale, they use spells for all situations and can use "Mana Tonic" which allow the user to gain more mana for a match. The Assassins grow in Agility and Morale, they start the game being weak but have powerful spells than can cause high damage combos, they can utilize powerful poisons. The Inquisitor or Templar grow in Morale and Stamina and have high levels of defense and life points, they can use strong armor and shields.Combat
Gameplay is similar to that of Challenge of the WarlordsPuzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a game developed by Australian company Infinite Interactive and published by D3 Publisher. The game combines role-playing with strategy and puzzle elements...
. Each player takes turns trying to match at least a set of three gems to gain mana, action points or damage the enemy. If they player has enough mana they can use a spell instead, or if they have enough action points they can use an item which can consist of a weapon (which damages the enemy, a shield (which increases defense for a limited time), or a potion (which adds an amount to a mana reserve or life points). The tiles have changed from the last game. There are Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Purple gems, which when collected adds a certain amount to that specific mana reserve. When skulls are matched they damage the enemy based on the amount of skulls matched and what that players skull damage bonus is. When the action gems are matched (which look like gauntlets) they are added toward that players action reserve so that player can use specific items. Wildcards can appear with a multiplier like the last game. Gold and Experience are obtained after battle along with loot items. Certain mini-games have different sorts of tiles. Matching a set of four gives the player an additional move, while a set of five also generates a wildcard. Illegal moves are no longer penalized. If there are no moves available on the board, all the mana reserves of each player are lost and the board is reset.
Reception
Puzzle Quest 2 received generally positive reviews, garnering a MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score of 81% for the Xbox 360 release and 74% for the Nintendo DS release. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's review praised the game's combination of casual puzzle gameplay with added layers of depth and extensive single- and multiplayer modes. In his review for Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
, Christian Donlan called the game's puzzle mechanics "flavourless" and its fantasy setting "bland," but stated that the game remains "frighteningly talented when it comes to targeting your compulsions." Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
's Brad Shoemaker identified the game as a return to form for Infinite Interactive after what he identified as missteps in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, or Galactrix, is a puzzle video game developed by Infinite Interactive for the PC, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network service....
and Neopets Puzzle Adventure
Neopets Puzzle Adventure
Neopets Puzzle Adventure is the latest Neopets video game. Published by Capcom, the Nintendo DS version of the game was developed by Griptonite Games and the other two platforms were developed by Infinite Interactive...
. The PC version received positive reviews from GameSpot, which praised the addictive gameplay and from 1UP, whose review states that the game "improves on the original in almost every way."