GameSpy
Review
of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Puzzle Quest is a fascinating example of experimental genre-splicing in videogames done right. 2007's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords took Bejeweled-style gameplay and dropped it into the fantasy milieu, complete with Orcs, D&D-styled character classes and an engrossing XP-based leveling system. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix takes a similar approach, starting with Hexic-style gameplay and dropping it into the realm of science fiction, complete with space pirates, ship customization, and interstellar exploration. If you enjoyed the original Puzzle Quest, you'll undoubtedly fall in love with the series' latest permutation.
The function of the science fiction setting in Galactrix is to put all the different game varieties into context. Space combat, the default game type, takes ship statistics and special items into account, which includes various lasers, bombs and other game-modifying powers.
As your character progresses in levels, you'll be able to allocate skill points to gunnery, engineering, science, and piloting. Gunnery provides bonuses for red energy, engineering yellow, science green, and piloting blue. The red, yellow, and green energy types are used to power your different weapons and items, while the blue resource restores your ship's shield defenses. The objective in these space battles is always the same: Match the space mines to deal damage to the opposing ship's shields and hull, complement your attacks with your carefully selected weaponry, and blow the enemy to bits.
Other game types mix things up nicely. You'll mine asteroids for different types of cargo by matching different icons without locking the board. You'll play the economy with this cargo to buy new gear and even new ships. The demand for various cargo types changes based on what system you're visiting, so you'll often be schlepping goods all across the galaxy for the best deals.
You unlock "leap gates" which allow you to travel to other parts of the galaxy map by matching different colors in a timed game. Haggling for better prices at various space ports is accomplished by clearing a certain number of tiles on a fixed board that doesn't bring new tiles into the playfield. Acquiring plans for new item types allows you to play a construction game, where you create parts by matching specific colors, and then match those parts together to meet a minimum requirement. The variety of game types is easily as rich and entertaining as the selection from Challenge of the Warlords.
I was able to play the game on the Nintendo DS and on PC using the Direct2Drive download. The PC version is far more attractive, especially at a gorgeous 1920x1080 resolution. I wasn't able to get it working with my current setup at the 1920 x 1200 resolution, which is my monitor's native resolution, though the dropdown box in the screen resolution settings implies that it's supported.
The DS version isn't nearly as sharp, as can be expected, and navigating the galaxy map by touching the screen with the stylus and dragging to scroll makes the interface a little tougher to deal with. Basic gameplay is almost as smooth with a stylus as it is with the mouse, though the game would occasionally register a move that I didn't intend. If you can deal with that occasional bit of imprecision, you won't have a problem with the DS version. The auto-saving functionality and the flow of the game make it ideal for portable gaming, so either version comes highly recommended.
If you're looking for multiplayer, however, you may be a bit disappointed. I was unable to find a way to create games on the PC version, and finding games requires you to enter a player's IP address. If Galactrix is meant to appeal to a casual audience, this is a frustrating misstep on the developer's part. I personally enjoy playing Puzzle Quest as a solo experience, but it's hard to find excuses for making multiplayer hard to engage in. Local multiplayer over the Nintendo DS version looks like the way to go, if that's your thing.
I spent many, many hours on Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, and I'm predicting that Galactrix will live in my DS and PC for just as long. Like peanut butter and chocolate, the combination of classic puzzle gameplay and RPG game mechanics results in something greater than the sum of its parts.
©2009-02-26, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
