Puzzle Quest: Galactrix Multiplayer Preview

By Travis Moses
January 27, 2009 17:05 PM PST
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Multiplayer in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is a surefire hit.

As you flip through the next issue of GamePro magazine, you'll come across the official review for the DS version of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, but that's not what this is. What you're going to get here are my hands-on preview impressions of what it's like to play the multiplayer mode in Puzzle Quest: Galactrix for the PC. So let's load up our personalized space ship with super-powered weapons and hyper jump into battle!

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix Multiplayer Preview

Outfit your weapons from the ship loadout screen. As you can see here, the Multiphase Thruster requires a specific amount of red, yellow, and green gems to use.

Critical Hit

The basics of the gameplay are simple, but different from those in 2006's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix's multiplayer is similar to the single-player campaign in the fact that the core play style is based on swapping and matching three identical gems in a row to complete a move. On the playing field, which you share with your opponent, there are red, blue, green, yellow, grey, and purple hexagonal gems that when matched in a row of three or more increases your power and unlock special moves. Blue gems, for example, increase your ship's shields; Red gems contribute to your ship's arsenal of special weapons.

Multiplayer, however is more difficult than playing against a computer-controlled enemy in the single-player campaign, because in multiplayer you're dealing with a more intelligent foe, capable of bluffing, aggressive retaliation, and unpredictable behavior. We experienced all of these very human tactics in the span of an hour against only two other players. Imagine the depth of the strategies you'll experience after days upon days of playing Puzzle Quest: Galactrix...which, in all likelihood, will happen because this game is already as awesomely addicting as its predecessor.

Massive damage can be dealt by matching more than three identical gems in a row. Queue the futuristic laser sound effects.

I Know What Girls Like

My first battle was against someone who had played the game before and understood the match-three mechanic, but wasn't paying much attention to what gems were on the battle field. I dragged his face across the floor with his mistakes as he left the highly valuable and sought after "mines" widely available turn after turn. The mine gems cause instant damage to your enemy's ship's hull, much like the skull gems in Challenge of the Warlords, but are rarer than any other gem. He got up and left and a cute girl sat down to take me on.

Other than the concept of matching three identical gems in a row, she was unaware that each player has special abilities that can be activated if the sufficient amounts of red, green, and yellow gems are collected. These special powers range from massive amounts of direct hull damage (my favorite) to sweeping the field of all gems of a certain color in your favor. There are loads more powers than that, though, far too many to list here. Needless to say, I won the first match. "Round two?" she asked.

Before our second battle, one of the developers shared a few strategies for her to test against my galactic domination. Sadly, I lost the second round because of that troublesome human emotion called "cockiness." She utilized all of the mines on the battlefield and her ship's special abilities and the match was over even quicker than the first. The shame of defeat!

As you might be able to guess, I really love me some Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. And if you enjoyed reading my embarrassing multiplayer experience, then flip through the next issue of GamePro and check out our full review of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix on the DS - it'll give you a taste of sweet, sweet pleasures to come.