Anyone playing Puzzle Quest 2?

[paperfist]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/47540/

I played the first and it was cool for what it was, never finished it but I spent hours on end with it.

I see there's a new one out with a major graphic and zoomed in adventure infusion going on. Mechanics look the same to me.

The reviews I've seen so far and user comments are all over the map, so I'm wondering if anyone here is playing yet and can offer some feedback?

 

[I4AT]

I got a free copy from their Facebook page, the first one was better IMO, but if you've already played it to no end then PQ2 offers more content.

The first one was a bit more streamlined, having the Civ style overhead map ushered things along, compared to PQ2 where it's more like a mix between a classic point and click adventure game and Diablo. Instead of just having a drop down list at each town you actually have to move your character from screen to screen and interact with NPCs when getting quests/shopping etc.

It's slower moving, and it becomes even worse when you have to wait for notifications before being able to interact with anything. For example, when you finish a quest you have to wait for 5-10 seconds for the game to tell you: quest completed, + xp rewarded, + gold rewarded, new quest received (sometimes you can get 3-4 quests at a time which delays you even longer), before you can even move your character.

There's a lot of new additions to the game though, new classes, new battle mechanics, different puzzle challenges you have to complete throughout the game to give you a break from match 3 battles. The battle system is more or less the same with some revisions. It still has the same mana types with the addition of purple mana, same spell casting mechanics, skulls to deal damage. Changes include removing XP and gold tiles, now you get a set amount of XP and gold after every battle, and they added a new tile for "action points". You can now equip up to two items (or one 2-handed item) including various weapons, shields, and potions. Using the items requires that you build up action points, and they can do different things such as deal direct damage, raise defense, or build mana. It's a nice addition to the game, you can develop new strategies that are more focused on using your items rather than spell casting.

Overall I like it, I can play it for hours at a time just like the first one, despite the fact that it's slower. For people that have never played PQ I recommend the original, but when you're tired of that PQ2 offers something familiar but new.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

PQ monkey stomps this one.

This one is SLIGHTLY better than Galatrix. Worse story (pretty much none) and not as "neat" as the original.

Not worth $20 imo. Maybe worth $5.

Like noted above, the delays are infuriating.

Every time you go into battle it gives you a list of your spells and weapons, same for the enemy. STOP DOING THAT.

Annoyances abound.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

Well, so far it's main problem is the overly long delays.


That said, so far it hasn't crashed to 'not at all fun' like the original did towards the end - spell resistance is now, thankfully,a single accurately reported number.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Thanks for the reviews...sounds like it needs a few patches to bring performance up to snuff and get rid of those delays. Will wait for the next supersale.