Back in 2007, Infinity Plus Two (formerly known as Infinite Interactive) unveiled a Match-3 RPG hybrid that became a real hit. I’m referring to the incredibly addictive Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, which garnered such success that it spawned a proper sequel and numerous spin-offs. Given how it’s been over a decade since there was a new entry into the main series, the excitement levels are pretty high for the arrival of Puzzle Quest 3 on console.
Having already stormed onto the mobile and PC markets, Puzzle Quest 3 has had a decent amount of time to perfect its concept before making the leap over to Xbox. It’s also arriving without a price tag, enabling a whole new generation of gamers to explore its wares as a free-to-play offering.
So, can Puzzle Quest 3 recapture the addictive nature of its predecessors and create a memorable chapter in the series’ legacy?Â
Before doing anything else, there’s a fairly important decision to make in Puzzle Quest 3, which could shape the adventures ahead – picking a hero class. There’s an Assassin, a Berserker, a Mercenary, a Necromancer, a Paladin, a Shaman, and a Warlock. This determines the special gem ability possessed by your character and allows you to use class specific spells that complement it. Whichever is chosen, you’re stuck with said hero unless you set up alternate characters and start from scratch.
I went for the Minotaur Paladin as my main, whose ability creates damage reducing shield gems that destroy an entire column when matched. Some of the spells geared up for this class provide extra bonuses if used while shields are in-play on the board. It’s a similar setup for other classes too, and this ensures there’s a decent amount of choice to get started with. So, let’s dive into the actual gameplay.
Battles take place between you and an enemy on an 8×6 grid, with the aim of draining the opposition’s Life Points to win. Gems can be moved vertically, horizontally and diagonally, as long as the manoeuvre leads to three or more gems of the same type being connected in a line. Instead of sticking with the old format of each player taking a single turn to create a string of matching gems though, they both have a certain amount of Action Points (APs) according to their speed attribute. Hence, you can make numerous moves during a turn and any matches resulting from this will occur once you run out of APs.Â
Every match involving coloured gems earns mana, which powers up the spells in your arsenal, while the skull gems cause an attack to be actioned after the turn is finished. In a bit of a twist, the opponent is able to attack regardless of their matching exploits, and that sucks. Both competitors should play by the same rules, as it would lead to a more tactical approach. Currently though, whether skulls are ready for the matching, or not, you’re going to feel the pain.
As a match-3 veteran, with hundreds of hours under my belt over the years, I don’t find that the Puzzle Quest 3 gameplay has the same hook as its predecessors, nor its fellow free-to-play behemoth Gems of War. It’s decent enough, but performing multiple actions per turn just removes a lot of the strategic element and facing relentless attacks isn’t so enjoyable. Furthermore, Infinity Plus Two have implemented a strange system for mana distribution. Should you equip more than one of the same mana type spell, it shares out the mana earned between them, which is fine. The problem arises when a spell is fully charged, because it still attempts to split the mana, rather than giving it all to the empty spell. It’s really odd.
Fortunately, as long as you are having fun, there’s absolutely tons of content in Puzzle Quest 3 to work through, with a story mode available from the off and many more options opening up as you level up. Storywise, don’t expect a high quality tale – it’ll barely piqué your interest as a narrative – but it does feature a whopping fifteen chapters filled with dragons, spiders, ogres, wyverns, and other beasts aplenty. Plus, it’s a great way to earn XP, gold, and amass a load of gear to ensure your hero is kitted out properly.
Rather impressively, there are twelve gear slots to equip items to and these boost stats the more you upgrade them. There are helms, weapons, shields, boots, accessories, gloves and more to acquire, with bonuses given for wearing equipment from the same set. Ultimately, the gear is for improving damage power, resistance to elemental attacks, and armor protection. It’s easy to build up quite a collection of these, as well as new spells to try out, which means there’s always some freshness being injected through completion rewards and chest.
Everyone loves loot, right?
And loot plays an important role in luring you back to the numerous modes on offer in Puzzle Quest 3. Whether it’s to tackle a dungeon, partake in a skirmish, go on an adventure that’s always changing, try your hand at limited time events, or prepare for a hunt, you can. Heck, there are even Seasons in place to regularly deliver new story content and loot, as well as Quest Passes featuring objectives to complete in exchange for rewards.
Personally, the PvP Versus battles are the most satisfying because it sees you going up against other heroes – albeit controlled by AI. The hero has to follow the same core gameplay rules as you, therefore it’s possible to make matches and unleash spells that could actually be detrimental to their turn. For example destroying the majority of skulls and limiting the amount of particular gems they require for spells. There’s nothing quite like nullifying your foe.
The PvP encounters are also where the in-game minions become useful, bestowing yet more stat boosts as well as helping your hero during defensive conflicts. Having a collection of minions is handy – should you possess no keys – for opening chests too, as they will complete such tasks for you over time. Those players lacking patience however, can get instant rewards by spending premium currency. Which is where the microtransactions are thrust into the spotlight.
Yes, microtransactions are in place to acquire the premium currencies, which is ideal for anyone in a rush to progress, upgrade and unlock things. It is possible to enjoy the adventures of Puzzle Quest 3 without getting your virtual wallet out, thankfully, but my gosh the temptations are right there in your face fairly often. I suppose it’s to be expected with a free-to-play title.
Unfortunately, by the very nature of being free, that usually leads to a less-than-great UI. It’s certainly the case here as despite allowing use of a stick-guided cursor or d-pad navigation, the whole setup is clunky. As such, navigating sections which are quite cluttered, is a tad annoying. In terms of the rest of the visual presentation though, the gems are vibrant and the animated 3D models during battles are impressive. So, it’s give and take, I guess.
Overall, and while Puzzle Quest 3 might not deliver the top drawer gameplay of its predecessors, it compensates for this with a ton of content that should have you matching gems for hours. The sheer volume of lootable goods from the vast selection of game modes present is no doubt a real draw. Being a free-to-play offering, there are questionable ideas and features in Puzzle Quest 3, but nothing serious enough to put you off.
Thanks to the mass amount of content, and the lack of entry fee, it’s worth giving Puzzle Quest 3 a go. Just avoid the obvious temptations!
