I had been waiting for the new installment of the Puzzle Quest series that didn’t involve the abomination that was Puzzle Quest: Galactrix for some time. It dropped a few days ago on Xbox Live Arcade and I snatched it up, already drooling at the prospect of more digital crack.
The art and styling has received a good polish and the map layout changed. Like its predecessor, Puzzle Quest 2 combines RPG elements like casting spells, leveling up, and loot with good old fashion colored jewel matching. As you match each colored jewel (red, blue, purple, green) you receive that amount of colored mana for your various spells and skills. These spells and skills can then be used to gradually wear down the HP of your opponent. Alternately, you can match skulls which also wear down your opponents HP. Once you or your opponent’s HP reaches zero, the match is over and you move on. The core gameplay that made the first one so addictive is here. There have been some additional mini games added like a small game to loot chests, bash doors, and find traps/hidden treasure. As I mentioned previously, the map layout has changed. In my opinion, I liked the old map style a lot better.
Overall, I’d say Puzzle Quest 2 is worth checking out if you’re interested in some mindless fun that you can pickup and put down very easily without really losing your place. The additions are nice, but the ‘new’ factor isn’t going to blow your socks off.
