PuzzleQuest is out

[Cynicalone]

PuzzleQuest: Chapter 1 is out.

I've spent over an hour with it so far. It plays fairly well graphics are what you would expect, except for the text in some of the dialogue windows and menus is rather small. The sound and quest's seem to be the same as the pc/mac version. I've always enjoyed this game and it seems to be a perfect fit for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

 

[yegon]

I'm seriously tempted by this, but I'm waited for further impressions.

 

[mkrishnan]

Here's a brief review with screenshot:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172026

TransGaming's port of the ubiquitous tile-matching RPG Puzzle Quest recently surfaced on the iTunes App Store, where curious iPod Touch and iPhone owners can pick up the game for $9.99. From the looks of things, this portable version seems like a pretty faithful representation of the beloved original. Based on how great Puzzle Quest was on DS and PSP, that shouldn't be too shocking.

 

[err404]

I'm on the the fence due to some questions as to the quality of the port (that and I already own the DS and x360 versions). The comments on TouchArcade are very negative. The main complaints seem to be long start time, choppy animation, difficult to read fonts and incomplete story arc. In the end, it's the worst version of PQ yet.

Keep in mind that I have not played it myself.

 

[mkrishnan]

So out of curiosity, I've actually never played the franchise at all... knowing that it's an older, much more established game, is the concept generally vaguely similar to Aurora Feint's mixture of a block puzzle game with RPG-esque elements? What are the online play elements like? Are there any, and are they limited to play vs. other iPhone players or is there cross-platform compatibility?

 

[err404]

It's basically a two player turn based Bejeweled. The puzzles are the combat system for a simple RPG. Matching colors gives you mana to cast spells for damage or other effects. There is a good amount of character development and other RPG elements like spell research and item forging. Other versions have vs mode to play with friends online or locally, however this does not appear to be in the iPhone port yet.

Despite my comments above, if you have not played it before, I would recommend buying it. It may not be the most polished version, but it still is PQ at the core.

 

[rotlex]

Mmm, keeping an eye on this as I have been waiting for it a long time! I was almost ready to buy it, despite the early negative reviews, but I'm really wondering what the deal with this "3 part" purchase is going to be. No way I'm shelling out $30 total for the same thing you can by on other platforms for 10 bucks. Now, if the $10 buys you into the next two installments as well, I'll buy it.

 

[err404]

As far as I know, the next 2 chapters being 10$ each for a total of $30 is speculation at this point. They could easily release parts 2 and 3 for $5 each for a total of $20.

Either way, frankly I don't want three icons on my phone for one game.

 

[mkrishnan]

Either way, frankly I don't want three icons on my phone for one game.

This part sounds very Aurora Feint-like as well.

I really wonder how it would be justifiable to part a game like this out into three parts. It would be kind of absurd if Part II is basically just Part I with network play, but you have to pay a second time for it...

 

[Cynicalone]

Alright after more time with it a have few things to say…

This is a bad port of a great game. But it's still a solid game to play. The graphics look compressed maybe that's not the right word but they just are not very sharp and crisp. The controls are pretty spot on accurate though which is what really matters in a game like this. I 100% agree that they should have fixed the font some of it is so small it's almost unreadable. And this is one of those games that really kills the battery. You'll be dead in less than 3 hours from a full charge if you play this with a normal level of brightness and headphones on. I love the game for all it's faults but they could and should have done more with this. I still recommend it, but you should know it is probably the worst version of this spectacular game. I gave it 4 out 5 on iTunes since the core of the game remained intact.

 

[txa1265]

I almost 'impulse bought' this because it is one of my faves of recent years and I own it on Mac, PC, DS (x2), PSP, Wii and cell phone. It is wonderful ... except for the crappy Wii version. It sounds like I should skip this - or at least wait for it to be ~$5 or less.

 

[spacecadet610]

this game was like crack for me on the psp. no food or sleep for days.

 

[txa1265]

this game was like crack for me on the psp. no food or sleep for days.

And when people would remind me of the 'follower bug', I would say 'wuh? leave me alone, I have to match six potions!'

 

[Wihope]

impression

I played a little bit of it. I agree the text can be hard to read, and at times the gameplay lags. It is also easy to make mistakes since the sprites are extremely tiny, sometimes press the wrong one. But if it is updated, then this would be a solid title.