Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
How good is Puzzle Quest: Galactrix? So good it'll get you in trouble with your mom.
Pros
- Deep and addictive gameplay, worthy sequel to the original Puzzle Quest
Cons
- Limited presentation, AI still "cheats", initial quests require a lot of tedious work
Bottom Line
Tae can't come to The Final Word, right now, as he's too busy racking up points in yet ANOTHER round of Galactrix. I think it's safe to say that Tae dug this fast-paced, addictive puzzler.
-
Price
$ 49.95 (AUD)
How good is Puzzle Quest: Galactrix? So good it'll get you in trouble with your mom, as Reviews Editor Tae K. Kim recently found out.
From: Tae K. Kim
To: Mom
Subject: RE: You're a bad son
Hi Mom. It's your second-born son. You know, the one you wrote that hilarious 'article' about in the last family newsletter? The one you titled "Deadbeat son disappears off face of the Earth"? Yeah, that was real funny. Look, I'm sorry I haven't called you or come to visit in a while. I'm reviewing this game called Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and it's been eating up a lot of my time.
And yes, before you flip out, it is a Puzzle Quest game. I know I disappeared for like a year when I got hooked on the original. The bad news is that Galactrix is as addictive and as awesome as the original. I've been playing it for the past two weeks straight and it's got everything that the original Puzzle Quest had-engaging puzzle-based gameplay coupled with a deep RPG element. But the formula's been improved in a lot of ways. The biggest change is the fact that the direction you move gems now dictates how new ones enter the playing field; make a match by moving a piece down and the board shifts that way. It really adds a nice level of strategy and forces you to think about how you manipulate the individual gems. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
There's a main storyline you can follow as well as a ton of side missions to take on; if I did every mission, I probably wouldn't see you until Christmas at least. The majority of my time so far has been spent getting into battles against the A.I.; it's not the smartest opponent in the world and it wins more off lucky breaks than good strategy but it still puts up a decent fight, even if it does "cheat" every now and again. I'm not a big fan of the game's pacing, though; you have to put up with a lot of tedious leapgate hacking and backtracking in order to complete early quests. But the fact that I keep on playing probably says a lot about how deep and engaging the game is.
But you can stop leaving me angry phone messages because the good news is that I'm going to quit playing the game soon. It's really limited in terms of presentation; the graphics are nice but they're tiny and it hurts my eyes to stare at the DS for long stretches (and really, there's no way to play this game and not have it turn into a long stretch). The stylus controls are also a little stubborn and it sometimes registers the wrong move, which sucks. I also hated the intermittent pauses when the game loads something or saves my progress.
Unfortunately, the bad news is that I'm only quitting so I can move onto either the PC, Xbox 360 or PS3 version when it comes out later this year. After seeing the PC demo, I can tell you that the presentation is much better on one of the bigger platforms. The graphics are crisper, there are neat visual effects and it's probably going to be superior experience. Still, until those versions come out, I'm going to keep on playing the DS version. So I'll just apologize now for all the emails and phone calls I'm not going to return. I promise I'll make it up to you on your birthday. Can you send me a note and tell me when that was again? Just kidding. I love you Mom.
Your son,
Tae
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Fortnite returns to the iPhone (sort of) courtesy Xbox Cloud Gaming
- This real-life “aimbot” uses a physical mouse to cheat at shooting games
- Bethesda’s classic Elder Scrolls games arrive on Steam—for free
- We tested 22 different RPGs on the Steam Deck
- Steam Deck’s first major update adds a lock screen, Windows 11 support
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?