Review by Dave LeClair
If you have listened to our podcast than you are more than likely familiar with my love for PuzzleQuest. (If you haven’t listened to the podcast, than you should.) I had vowed to mention PuzzleQuest every week until it came out, and it finally has, but did it live up to all the hype I had put down? Well obviously I’m not going to answer that until you click through for the full review, so get on it!
I more or less had this review written, and than an update was announced, I thought long and hard and decided to hold off on my review until after the update was released. It was a hard decision, but considering that the update was supposed to be a complete game changer, I held off. So I’ve had a little time with the update, and now it’s time to lay down the final word.
At first the graphics in the game were completely broken. The text was unreadable, and the framerate was like a half a frame a second whenever anything was happening on the screen. The text has now been fixed and is fully legible. However the framerate is still not awesome. It’s not the worst I’ve ever seen but it could still be better. It’s not a deal breaker, but when you make a big chain, it’s hard to tell exactly what is happening. Still though, the game looks pretty solid.
The game is just as fun to play as it ever was. The compelling mix of RPG and puzzle game is just perfect for the iPhone. I’ve already played all the way through PuzzleQuest on the Ds, and it was still just as fun the second time as it was the first time.
Before I sit here and gush about how great the game play in PuzzleQuest: Battle of Gruulkar is, it would be helpful if explained just how PuzzleQuest works. It’s a basic RPG, mixed with match 3 puzzles. So you walk around the game world taking on quests, and whenever you get into a battle you are put into a match 3 battle. Different items on the board have different effects. Colors give you mana to cast spells and skulls directly damage your opponent. There’s a lot more depth as well, such as the ability to capture enemies and learn their spells, or laying siege to cities to make money from them. Overall, there is a ton to do, and it never gets old.
I’ve sunk more hours into PuzzleQuest than any game on my iPhone by a long shot. In fact, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that, between all platforms, I have probably sunk more hours into PuzzleQuest than any game ever made for any platform. There is just something about the gameplay that feel so fresh and new, even after I’ve beat the game multiple times.
I was a little upset when I found out that they were not releasing all of PuzzleQuest in one shot, rather, they are dividing it into three parts, which frustrates me a little, but there is still hours and hours of game in the first part that I can’t really complain. The value is still there compared to most other games on the app store. If you are looking for a very long game to keep you busy for a good long time, than this is where you want to look.
Overall, with almost every complaint being addressed in the update, there is no reason for me not to recommend PuzzleQuest, as it is an incredible gaming experience. I think it’s one of the deepest games on the iPhone right now, and if you still haven’t bought it, than you should, because other than some framerate issues the game is amazing.
Presentation & Graphics
With the update the graphics are very good, but the framerate still suffers a little and that keeps it from being perfect.
Sounds
Nothing special, no voice acting but nothing wrong with the sound.
Gameplay
The most fun I have ever had in a game. Period.
Gamelife
There is easily 20+ hours of gameplay in PuzzleQuest. One of the deepest games on the iPhone by far.
Gamescore
It’s so close to perfect it’s sickening, if they just had the framerate down it would be a five out of five no question. Even still, this is my favorite game on the iPhone by a mile.
