Puzzle Quest demo sneaks online

by John Bardinelli { Mar 19th 2007 at 8:34AM }

The genre-bending puzzle/RPG game for the Nintendo DS and PSP, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, hits store shelves tomorrow. Developer Infinite Interactive couldn't contain their excitement, so they released a PC demo of the game to make sure everyone was as giddy as they are.

Puzzle Quest is a cross between a casual tile-swapping puzzle game and a classic CRPG. You choose a character and explore a fantasy kingdom where you go on quests, shop for items, and manage a host of spells and statistics. Engaging in battle is a different story. Instead of slapping each other with pieces of sharp metal, Puzzle Quest uses the familiar Bejeweled formula. Swap tiles and make matches to gather mana points for spells, earn experience, and damage the enemy. You and your opponent take turns moving tiles, so quite a bit of strategy is needed to balance offensive and defensive postures.

Infinite Interactive is trying to bridge the gap between casual and hardcore gamers with a game that's easy to play in short bursts but can hold you for longer periods of time. The demo shows promise, but it's not without its faults. Does Puzzle Quest have what it takes to make both casual and hardcore players swoon?

Tags: demo, infiniteinteractive, puzzlequest

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Martin Austin @ Mar 19th 2007 11:28AM

I'm looking forward to this game very much. I'll have to give the PC Demo a crack, as that's always welcome before plopping cash on the counter.

Jack of No Trades @ Mar 19th 2007 9:05AM

I hate mondays!

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Mar 19th 2007 10:43AM

This game seems completely awesome. I love Bejeweled and I love Final Fantasy, so, sign me up?

Crono @ Mar 19th 2007 11:28AM

I hate slow news days...

idioteraser @ Mar 19th 2007 11:51AM

Get the DS version if you want the best version.

WexusNexus @ Mar 19th 2007 12:24PM

I've been playing the demo for about 30 minutes... i like it... it's hard to get a complete feel for how it will play on the DS, but the game play seems compelling enough... not sure if this is a demo-only thing, but you can play the "dummy" opponent as often as you want, building up money and experience, jacking up your character and making you darn near invincible in the early battles... i'm planning on getting it tomorrow anyway

rinks @ Mar 19th 2007 12:47PM

This looks pretty cool. I need a good DS game, the last one I played was Lunar Knights and it's not quite my cup of tea...

billychaos @ Mar 19th 2007 3:27PM

Wow, I just played the pc demo for this. I'm very much impressed. This the kind of game i've been waiting for to be released on the DS. It's very innovative. It takes 2 general genres and meshes them in a very intellengent manner.

No matter which version you get, I highly recommend at least playign the demo. The game is amazing in my opinion. I will get it for the DS, however i'm disapointed that it will not take advantage of the nintendo wifi. The PC version of this game does play online agains real opponents. It sucks this was left out of the DS one.

Taltos @ Mar 19th 2007 3:03PM

I admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the demo. I thought it was a gimmick, but its twist on battles actually works out. Convinces me to consider getting the DS version.

Raymond @ Mar 19th 2007 5:41PM

sounds a little like puzzle pirates to me.

i pwn at bilging. :)

John B @ Mar 19th 2007 6:05PM

I think the demo is pretty darn good, although some of the battles wage on for a bit too long. The CRPG portion of the game feels awfully thin, and the dialogue/story are in desperate need of help. That said, though, it IS a casual game reaching out to the "regular" gamer, and I still think it's a great title. DS version purchase!