Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (Sucks?)

[geldonyetich]

Well, the demo is out [http://www.fileplanet.com/196233/190000/fileinfo/Puzzle-Quest:-Galactrix-Demo] (even a flash version [http://www.playpuzzlequestgalactrix.com/]), and apparently the game [http://www.puzzle-quest.com/galactrix/index.html] is to be released February 24th.

The original Puzzle Quest was renowned by a number of reviewers [http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/934597.asp], fetching a remarkably high review index. However, after playing the demo of Galactrix, I have to say, I absolutely loathe this game.

Nevermind that they won't let you save your game in the demo (though that is a pain). Galactrix has the same problem as the original Puzzle Quest in that luck is too much a factor. In the original Puzzle Quest, there was a possibility that a nice chain of skulls that pop out from the sides of the screen and, and through a terrible twist of inexplicable fate, wipe you out from full health in the very next turn.

What bothers me about Galactrix is that, perhaps as a function of the hexagonal system, this seems to happen more than ever. I cringe every time it's the enemy's turn, because I know I'm about to get wiped out by a half-dozen mines (the skull equivalent in Galactrix) that weren't there before.

Maybe I just really suck at this game. Is there any way to prevent this - any discernible tactic to improve your odds? Probably not - it has a lot to do with random circumstance (for one thing there's a massive difference between a 1 pt mine and a 10 pt mine but which will appear is completely random).

It's a pity, because I love a space opera backdrop, and I worry that Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is going to drag this already rare genre further out of the spotlight because it plays so poorly.

 

[Same River New Water]

Has anyone played Hexic? And then played Hexic II? The sequel lost everything that was good about the original - simplicity, clarity, appealing sound effects - and replaced it with a confusing, joyless, over-complicated, visually obtuse sci-fi-themed mess. Sound familiar?

 

[Kermi]

I never finished puzzle quest for exactly the luck factor you described - because it didn't seem so much like luck as the computer knew exactly which pieces to move to make a cascade of fuck-me-in-the-ass happen at the most critical moment.

I'm interested in Galatrix because Puzzle Quest was addictive and fun and I could seriously play it for hours at a time. I haven't played the demo yet (I plan to), but it seems like they've kind of ignored one of our chief complaints.

Edit: Ugh, just played the demo. I will not be buying this game. It's completely unpredictable, only the computer AI gets lucky cascades, there only ever seems to be mines available on his turn... everything that made Puzzle Quest frustrating at later stages has been ramped up tenfold and there's no charm whatsoever.

I do like the shield system, but once again, the computer AI gets all the lucky breaks and always has more than enough energy to ensure whatever damage you inflict to reduce his shield levels is immediately rectified.
The game isn't hard, that I wouldn't have a problem with. It's broken.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Yeah, also, it seems you can win or lose in like 2 turns most of the time, I don't want to be able to link some mines, fire a laser and I win, needs some build up

Puzzle Quest, strangely, actually felt like 'epic battle' sometimes, this just feels like who's gonna get in first?

 

[Ralackk]

I didn't have any of these problems that you guys are describing. I think I lost a single fight on skirmish and the story mode was to easy. I had a couple of unlucky cascades or lucky ones for the computer but they did 25 damage tops. A tip that may help is that when you move that hex onto another to make your 3 or more, picking which one you move affects which side drops onto the board(for lack of a better word). So each move actually has two possible cascades. Perhaps I was just lucky though as I only played the demo once in story mode and had maybe 10 skirmish battles.

The problem I had with the game is that the Jump gates are time based challenges. Even the ones labeled easy took me a couple of tries. The fact that you have to hack these gates to jump to each system is what may make me decide not to buy the game.