Puzzle Quest 2 Preview

The editors at GameInformer are offering up their own preview of Infinite Interactive's Puzzle Quest sequel, and once again it's based on the information being disseminated during this week's Game Developers Conference.
One of the biggest changes to the game is the way you view it. Previously, Puzzle Quest was just a simple, overhead map that had the player moving from town to town on paths and fighting whatever came along. With Puzzle Quest 2, developer Infinite Interactive has given the game a complete graphical makeover. The out of combat experience much more resembles an action RPG rather than an old school strategy title. While the game still retains the classic gameplay, the rest of the experience will be much more geared towards drawing the player in.

The core gameplay from PQ1 returns with a few subtle changes. Players will still be playing the same basic puzzle mechanic and collecting the mana gems for skills and spells but the different number of types have increased from four to five. Skulls also return to deal damage to the enemy and is the primary way to win a battle. The big changes come with the removal of experience and gold collecting in the actual battle. Infinite has streamlined this to just become a result of winning the battle. Taking their place on the board are the new action points, which are represented by fist-shaped gems. Collecting these will act like the mana gems but will build towards dealing direct damage with your equipped weapon.