Puzzle Quest 2 is out

...And it's good. I've played to level 5 so far. The basic puzzling is similar to the original - match three or more symbols. But there is a wider variety - not just gems and money, but action points as well, which are used to activate weapons and items. There are also a wide variety of what seems to be ingredients, but I have not yet done any crafting or buying.

The game looks more like a traditional JRPG, where you are moving around on a local screen. It's still point to point but it feels more tactical than before - the scale is an area of a town, a room, or similarly sized areas.

The game graphics are quick, there are several levels of difficulty and about 5 classes to choose from. Oh, and new minigames, and more of them.

Just some first impressions. DS only, I think.

I read someplace that it will be coming out for XBLA on June 30th for 1200 points.

I recently downloaded the iPhone version of the first 2/3 of the first game for free, and was pleasantly surprised by all the new classes (I'd played the DS game originally).

So why the regression back to only 4 or 5 for the sequel?

And yeah, it's gonna come out for all the major platforms eventually.

I'm enjoying it as well. The "saving" pause when coming out of inventory/spell & quest book screens is getting quickly old, however.

So, these new, more minigames... Is it safe to wager a guess that they are based on match-three puzzles?

Man what great news! DS only though... I wont make the same mistake as I did w/ the first one. Bought a PSP just for this game, then bought it for PC and then bought it again off XBLA. I'll just wait for the XBLA version.

Thanks for the heads up Robear!

PAR

XBLA version drops on the 30th.

Brad & Ryan say pretty much what I would say about PQ2 in this video.

Can anyone tell if it's possible to save in the middle of a battle? One of the biggest problems I had with PQ1 was at the higher levels the matches could get a little long. That isn't always convenient when you're playing on a portable and your bus ride is about to end as you get to work.

Grar. I keep seeing this thread title and thinking it means it's out for a platform I actually own. *gnashes teeth*

I have not tried saving in the middle of a battle.

Yes, the minigames are also the same "style" as the main game, but with turn limits, destruction of the game field and other gimmicks to separate them from the main game. Hey, if you don't like that kind of puzzle....

I watched the quick look, and is it just me or does this game look and sound significantly worse than the original? The visuals are really low res, the puzzle animations are simplified to a fault, and the sound is all horribly compressed. Is this the case, or just a symptom of watching it in video form?

ahrezmendi wrote:

I watched the quick look, and is it just me or does this game look and sound significantly worse than the original? The visuals are really low res, the puzzle animations are simplified to a fault, and the sound is all horribly compressed. Is this the case, or just a symptom of watching it in video form?

Did you play it on DS? It all looks about the same to me.

I did play it on DS, recently in fact, and the artwork was much better. Perhaps this is just a style change that I don't like, but the art in PQ was really good, and the art in this looks worse to me. I'll know for sure when the XBL version comes out and I can try the demo.

So is this officially out today on XBLA?

Hope so!

PAR

Yup its out, I downloaded the trial and haven't played it yet, it should be good

par wrote:

So is this officially out today on XBLA?

Hope so!

PAR

Played a little way in. Liking all the changes so far - with the possible exception of navigating around areas - it looks like it would work fine on a touch screen (or mouse, when it eventually comes to Steam), but moving a sluggish pointer around with the 360 pad could get annoying after a while.

Love the game. There are things like both better and worse then the original. Some thoughts:

* The flow of the game is improved - the puzzle mechanics are the same, but it feels more responsive, and the puzzle pieces seem easier to distinguish for me.

* The isometric view doesn't really do it for me, but I have no problem with it. I think I liked the world view from PQ1 better, but I'm still having a blast.

* I don't think the new mini-games are a big plus - I liked the old ones better, with the exception of lock-picking, which I think is great. The treasure hunting puzzle is stressful, and pisses me off.

* The new classes are fun to have - there seem to be some interesting new strategies.

* At first, I thought the addition of action points were a bit too much, but as I've played more, I think it actually works pretty well. Things like AP immunity to mana drain makes for some cool tactical choices, and there are things like potions and shields in addition to damage dealing weapons.

Overall, if you liked the first one, you'll like this one, but if you didn't, don't bother.

Also, for those of you waiting on a PC version, Puzzle Kingdoms is $1 on Steam right now.

Why the heck isn't this game on PSP? It was the lead platform last time out and I spend a bazillion hours playing it there.

I want to play PQ2, but my only option is XBLA and based on my experience with the first, Puzzle Quest is the penultimate on-the-go title.

Maybe I'll wait and see if they release it on PC.

Any word on if/when this will be coming to the iPhone/iPod Touch? My g/f and I are addicted to the first game.

EriktheRed wrote:

Any word on if/when this will be coming to the iPhone/iPod Touch? My g/f and I are addicted to the first game.

Exactly, I'm just waiting for it to come out for iOS.

I'm looking at puzzle quest and puzzle kingdoms on steam. I'd like to try this kind of game. But puzzle quest (and galatrix in particular) has a reputation for being buggy. And though puzzle kingdoms looks different it says "from the makers of puzzle quest". So is it part of the same series? I'm confused.

Tamren:

I think Puzzle Kingdoms was kind of a 'use some leftover assets to make another PQ clone until we get Puzzle Quest 2 finished' game. It's actually pretty fun, and certainly worth the ridiculous $1 it's going for now on Steam. Puzzle Quest is superior, but Puzzle Kingdoms does feature some neat touches and so far the mini-games have annoyed me less than Puzzle Quest. Instead of 'spend nearly an hour on a scroll-hunting mini-game to build a +2% damage crappy dagger', it's 'spend ten minutes on one in Puzzle Kingdoms to get a staff that gives +15% experience' - less frustration and greater rewards. At least, so far that's my experience.

Puzzle Kingdoms has crashed once one me so far in about three hours of play; acceptable in my book, though I was a bit annoyed that it was right after a fairly long battle. I do make it a point to save after every couple of battles, just to be on the safe side.

Puzzle Kingdoms is $1...I mean, come on I wish Steam had a bulk buy, because I literally bought 6 copies for people at that price.

The PQ and PQII are both excellent games, in my opinion. I honestly did not care for Galatrix very much. I think all are better then Gyromancer, from my recollection.

Okay I'll bite. Puzzle Kingdoms here I come. But do you think its worth getting Puzzle Quest 1 if it goes on daily sale?

Tamren wrote:

Okay I'll bite. Puzzle Kingdoms here I come. But do you think its worth getting Puzzle Quest 1 if it goes on daily sale?

Play Puzzle Kingdoms for an hour; if you're still having fun and want to play more after that I would wager you'll love Puzzle Quest.

Puzzle Kingdoms is pretty good on its own. Its nothing at all like the "match 3" I was expecting. My only real gripe right now is that when you get a new hero and level him up, you have to complete the entire current game chapter before you can back out and equip him with spells.

It is so incredibly evil however when it comes up as your turn and there are no matches available. I can spend 30 minutes staring at the board, trying to find a move that WON'T set up my opponent for an easy match. Only to make a seemingly random move and have the computer say "thanks sucker!" and snatch a giant 4 step combo. Irritating.

I might check out puzzle quest too, if it goes on sale. I definitely want puzzle quest 2 when it arrives for PC.

Also been playing Puzzle Kingdoms PC all week, $1 was too good not to try.

Has crashed 3 times. Otherwise pretty fun. Been backing up my saves every 20 min or so to make sure I don't lose too much.

Saw PK for $10 at walmart on DS yesterday and just laughed.

Haven't tried PQ or PQ2 yet. Maybe someday when they are cheap.

For me Steam shows that Puzzle Quest 2 is going to unlock within an hour; on another page is says it's not releasing until Aug. 17th. Does anyone know the true scoop on Puzzle Quest 2's PC/Steam release date?

Puce Moose wrote:

For me Steam shows that Puzzle Quest 2 is going to unlock within an hour; on another page is says it's not releasing until Aug. 17th. Does anyone know the true scoop on Puzzle Quest 2's PC/Steam release date?

According to the store page, I see it as releasing today.

Release Date: Aug 12, 2010

Yippee, mine just unlocked on Steam; downloading & installing now.