AgtFox
03-04-2009, 06:16 AM
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix Review
Title: Puzzle Quest: Galactrixhttp://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=6336
Platform: PC (also out for DS, soon on XBLA)
Developer: Infinite Interactive (http://www.dice.se/)
Publisher: D3 Publisher (http://www.ea.com)
ESRB: Everyone 10+
MSRP: $19.99 (PC (http://www.amazon.com/Puzzle-Quest-Galactrix-Pc/dp/B001RBSOMW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1236006693&sr=8-2), also available on Steam and GamersGate), $29.99 (DS (http://www.amazon.com/Puzzle-Quest-Galactrix-Nintendo-DS/dp/B0016Y9Q5O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1236006693&sr=8-1))
Editor: Loren 'AgtFox' Halek
What's Hot: Highly addicting; more complex than original Puzzle Quest; character art is nice; story keeps you going
What's Not: Jumpgate hacking gets old quickly; computer still seems to have uncanny ability to know which gems are outside of play area; multiplayer would work if you didn’t need to know an IP address in order to play
Like many of you, I played a lot of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, the highly addicting Match-3 game from Infinite Interactive. Now they have come out with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, a game that is both better and worse than the original. The name of the game is the same, you match at least three of the same color in order to fill your abilities while also trying to match at least three bombs or use attack abilities in order to take out the shields and hit points of your enemy.
Unlike the original, the gems are no longer ruled by gravity unless you are in orbit of a planet, so depending on which direction you move the gem, the next gems fill in the same way you moved the original. This means the gems can move in six different ways (up, down, up-left, up-right, down-left and down-right) unless you gain the ability to use gravity, but even then it is only for a certain number of turns. It may take a few battles for you to understand the more complex machinations the base gameplay presents you with, but soon enough you’ll get the hang of it.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot1.jpg
The story this time around is that mankind has expanded into the universe and four corporations have taken control of the universe with some added specie factions here and there. One of these corporations are on the path that could spell doom for mankind as a whole You play a recently graduated MRI pilot who is given a small ship and simple missions that turn more complex as you continue through the story sections. Later on you can get bigger ships, add on special weapons, add a crew who can help you in various capacities, etc. Along with this your ship is also capable of mining on asteroids which will give you cargo you can then go and sell at bases or planets so you can buy more things.
The universe itself is rather large and this is where the first major annoyance rears its ugly head. In order to go traveling through the galaxies (which are mapped out with jump lines between them), you have to go through jumpgate portals. Every time you come up to a locked jumpgate you go into a mini-game where you have to complete a certain number of colored Match 3s in a row that are shown on the upper right of the screen. You are also timed on this, so you have to complete the sequence before the timer reaches zero. The first problem here is that if your color match turns into an avalanche of extra matches the timer continues to run until the matching is done, making you lose valuable time when trying to complete the upper right sequence. The second problem is that sometimes during the matching avalanche the game will not necessarily give you the next correct match if it happens. Not sure why this happens, but it does. Luckily for those that play the PC version of the game there are mods out there that can stop the timer while matches are happening and there is even a mod that you will need only one color match in order to proceed. The latter one is interesting, because you will run into Medium and Difficult jumpgates that you need more matches and have less time to complete them. Fact is you will probably be tearing out your hair trying to finish them. The jumpgates are a huge roadblock for you and the other problem is that, at random, jumpgates will go offline and lock up again, necessitating you to do another mini-game in order to open it again.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot2.jpg
With that out of the way we can talk about the battle situations. You will be attacked as you go through hostile territory and as you complete your missions. The game keeps track of your standing with the different factions in the game which is easily seen via the Mission Log button on the universe map. While you are completing your missions you will come upon some that will give you Psi powers that allow you to escape from the different sizes of ships. Granted, using this ability costs you Purple gems you’ve amassed, but sometimes you can find yourself greatly outclassed and have little to no chance of winning a battle with a ship one or more classes above yours. The gem colors this time around are: red, blue, green, yellow, purple and white. Red is usually required for special attack abilities, blue increases your shields, green is usually required for special abilities related to your ship, yellow affects the board, purple is used for Psi powers and white is used to increase your experience which allows you to level up and increase your four character sections: Gunnery, Engineer, Science and Pilot.
Much like the original game, there is a lot of strategy involved trying to take out your opponent’s shield and physical hull while also trying to stop them from doing the same to you. Your attacks are spread out between using the mines on the board that have hit point numbers attached to them as well as using special ship abilities that you craft or buy along the way. Shields are always important since they continue to recharge as long as you can get a blue match. This game is just as addictive as the last one even though it now has a sci-fi theme versus the fantasy theme of the first one.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot3.jpg
There is a problem I’d like to close out with. The PC version multiplayer aspect is a joke. Instead of giving us a lobby where everyone can connect, you have to either start a game yourself and give someone your IP address or you have to know someone else’s IP address. That’s right, you have to work out a game with a friend before you can actually play online. I’m not sure how the DS version works and I’ve heard there is a lot of slowdown in it, but it may be the better version that is out now for multiplayer. However the minus is that you can’t do any modifications on it for the jumpgate problems…d’oh! It may end up that the upcoming XBLA version is the best, although once again you will be faced with the jumpgate annoyance, but at least multiplayer will probably be competent.
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is an addicting and good game with a few problems that keep it from being fantastic. The base gameplay with the added complexity of zero gravity versus the first Puzzle Quest makes this game even more interesting than the original. The jumpgates, although an ingenious idea, can get rather annoying once you get into Medium or Difficult puzzles. However, with perseverance (or a mod) you should be able to continue beyond them. Once they lock up again though you may reach your limit. Lastly, the computer AI continues to be a sore suspect. The developer has come out saying that the computer does not have any advantage, but many people are already seeing an extremely lucky computer in battles. The argument will go on, but that still doesn’t make this game a bad pickup at $19.99 on the PC or $29.99 on the DS.
Score: 3.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3_5.png
Loren says, "Galactrix is a great followup to the original Puzzle Quest. The jumpgate annoyance and largely absent multiplayer on PC keep this game on the teetering edge of being scored lower, but the overall addiction and immersion of the game will keep you coming back for many hours."
- Review this title yourself (http://www.playitreviewit.com/reviews/write) over at Play It Review It (http://www.playitreviewit.com), part of the CoG Network
*Note - Review based upon PC version of the game
Title: Puzzle Quest: Galactrixhttp://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=6336
Platform: PC (also out for DS, soon on XBLA)
Developer: Infinite Interactive (http://www.dice.se/)
Publisher: D3 Publisher (http://www.ea.com)
ESRB: Everyone 10+
MSRP: $19.99 (PC (http://www.amazon.com/Puzzle-Quest-Galactrix-Pc/dp/B001RBSOMW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1236006693&sr=8-2), also available on Steam and GamersGate), $29.99 (DS (http://www.amazon.com/Puzzle-Quest-Galactrix-Nintendo-DS/dp/B0016Y9Q5O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1236006693&sr=8-1))
Editor: Loren 'AgtFox' Halek
What's Hot: Highly addicting; more complex than original Puzzle Quest; character art is nice; story keeps you going
What's Not: Jumpgate hacking gets old quickly; computer still seems to have uncanny ability to know which gems are outside of play area; multiplayer would work if you didn’t need to know an IP address in order to play
Like many of you, I played a lot of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, the highly addicting Match-3 game from Infinite Interactive. Now they have come out with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, a game that is both better and worse than the original. The name of the game is the same, you match at least three of the same color in order to fill your abilities while also trying to match at least three bombs or use attack abilities in order to take out the shields and hit points of your enemy.
Unlike the original, the gems are no longer ruled by gravity unless you are in orbit of a planet, so depending on which direction you move the gem, the next gems fill in the same way you moved the original. This means the gems can move in six different ways (up, down, up-left, up-right, down-left and down-right) unless you gain the ability to use gravity, but even then it is only for a certain number of turns. It may take a few battles for you to understand the more complex machinations the base gameplay presents you with, but soon enough you’ll get the hang of it.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot1.jpg
The story this time around is that mankind has expanded into the universe and four corporations have taken control of the universe with some added specie factions here and there. One of these corporations are on the path that could spell doom for mankind as a whole You play a recently graduated MRI pilot who is given a small ship and simple missions that turn more complex as you continue through the story sections. Later on you can get bigger ships, add on special weapons, add a crew who can help you in various capacities, etc. Along with this your ship is also capable of mining on asteroids which will give you cargo you can then go and sell at bases or planets so you can buy more things.
The universe itself is rather large and this is where the first major annoyance rears its ugly head. In order to go traveling through the galaxies (which are mapped out with jump lines between them), you have to go through jumpgate portals. Every time you come up to a locked jumpgate you go into a mini-game where you have to complete a certain number of colored Match 3s in a row that are shown on the upper right of the screen. You are also timed on this, so you have to complete the sequence before the timer reaches zero. The first problem here is that if your color match turns into an avalanche of extra matches the timer continues to run until the matching is done, making you lose valuable time when trying to complete the upper right sequence. The second problem is that sometimes during the matching avalanche the game will not necessarily give you the next correct match if it happens. Not sure why this happens, but it does. Luckily for those that play the PC version of the game there are mods out there that can stop the timer while matches are happening and there is even a mod that you will need only one color match in order to proceed. The latter one is interesting, because you will run into Medium and Difficult jumpgates that you need more matches and have less time to complete them. Fact is you will probably be tearing out your hair trying to finish them. The jumpgates are a huge roadblock for you and the other problem is that, at random, jumpgates will go offline and lock up again, necessitating you to do another mini-game in order to open it again.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot2.jpg
With that out of the way we can talk about the battle situations. You will be attacked as you go through hostile territory and as you complete your missions. The game keeps track of your standing with the different factions in the game which is easily seen via the Mission Log button on the universe map. While you are completing your missions you will come upon some that will give you Psi powers that allow you to escape from the different sizes of ships. Granted, using this ability costs you Purple gems you’ve amassed, but sometimes you can find yourself greatly outclassed and have little to no chance of winning a battle with a ship one or more classes above yours. The gem colors this time around are: red, blue, green, yellow, purple and white. Red is usually required for special attack abilities, blue increases your shields, green is usually required for special abilities related to your ship, yellow affects the board, purple is used for Psi powers and white is used to increase your experience which allows you to level up and increase your four character sections: Gunnery, Engineer, Science and Pilot.
Much like the original game, there is a lot of strategy involved trying to take out your opponent’s shield and physical hull while also trying to stop them from doing the same to you. Your attacks are spread out between using the mines on the board that have hit point numbers attached to them as well as using special ship abilities that you craft or buy along the way. Shields are always important since they continue to recharge as long as you can get a blue match. This game is just as addictive as the last one even though it now has a sci-fi theme versus the fantasy theme of the first one.
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/features/galactrix/shot3.jpg
There is a problem I’d like to close out with. The PC version multiplayer aspect is a joke. Instead of giving us a lobby where everyone can connect, you have to either start a game yourself and give someone your IP address or you have to know someone else’s IP address. That’s right, you have to work out a game with a friend before you can actually play online. I’m not sure how the DS version works and I’ve heard there is a lot of slowdown in it, but it may be the better version that is out now for multiplayer. However the minus is that you can’t do any modifications on it for the jumpgate problems…d’oh! It may end up that the upcoming XBLA version is the best, although once again you will be faced with the jumpgate annoyance, but at least multiplayer will probably be competent.
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is an addicting and good game with a few problems that keep it from being fantastic. The base gameplay with the added complexity of zero gravity versus the first Puzzle Quest makes this game even more interesting than the original. The jumpgates, although an ingenious idea, can get rather annoying once you get into Medium or Difficult puzzles. However, with perseverance (or a mod) you should be able to continue beyond them. Once they lock up again though you may reach your limit. Lastly, the computer AI continues to be a sore suspect. The developer has come out saying that the computer does not have any advantage, but many people are already seeing an extremely lucky computer in battles. The argument will go on, but that still doesn’t make this game a bad pickup at $19.99 on the PC or $29.99 on the DS.
Score: 3.5 out of 5 CoGs
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG3_5.png
Loren says, "Galactrix is a great followup to the original Puzzle Quest. The jumpgate annoyance and largely absent multiplayer on PC keep this game on the teetering edge of being scored lower, but the overall addiction and immersion of the game will keep you coming back for many hours."
- Review this title yourself (http://www.playitreviewit.com/reviews/write) over at Play It Review It (http://www.playitreviewit.com), part of the CoG Network
*Note - Review based upon PC version of the game