Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

What is it?

The Puzzle Quest series was a bit of a surprise when it first appeared. This was a moderately deep match-three puzzle game with moderately deep fantasy RPG trappings. The combination was, unsurprisingly, phenomenally addictive. Puzzle Quest eventually found its way onto many platforms, both in its original form and the Galactrix sci-fi spinoff, and every version of it has been very good. Now Puzzle Quest 2 has stepped into these big shoes, bringing a deeper experience all around. Note that while this review covers the Xbox 360 version, the Nintendo DS version of Puzzle Quest 2 is identical in gameplay.

How does it play?

Think of Puzzle Quest as an RPG where the battle system is a match-three puzzle, the most famous example of which may be Bejeweled. You choose a class and then travel through the game, one mission at a time, completing puzzles along the way. Rather than just battles though, Puzzle Quest 2 also uses puzzles for other challenges and interactions. Fail to complete a puzzle, either by being defeated by your opponent or just running out of moves (breaking down a door must be done in a certain number of moves, for example, or you get tired out), and you have to try again. It keeps the frustration level down, which is a good thing, since even near the beginning of the game, the difficulty level gets pretty high.

It doesn’t just come down to puzzle skills here though. You get weapons and armor in the game, as well as special items. You can use them in battle, consuming a turn, once you’ve built up action points by matching a certain type of tile in the puzzle. The other colored tiles fill your various colored mana meters, which can be used for skills or spells in certain quantities. These interact with each other as well. For example, you might use a defense-boosting spell, which turns each of the purple gems on the puzzle field into five points of defense, then use a shield bash skill, which does more damage based on your then-enhanced defense. The combination of puzzle and RPG strategies is really unique, and sometimes dizzying.

At its core, Puzzle Quest 2 can be called “more of the same.” As much as I’d like to complain about that, I simply can’t. The sequel keeps everything that was right about the first, and adds more. Equippable items which can be used in a turn in battle appear, meaning you can strategically smack your opponent in the face with a sword or club when the time is right. New puzzles are here for breaking down doors, looting treasure, putting out fires, and more. Special items are used to great effect. A torch, for example, inhibits a troll’s regeneration abilities, taking what would have been an invincible enemy and making him much more manageable. Weapons and armor can be upgraded with specific NPCs, and experience levels are gained, making you more capable.

Each task becomes a segment of a mission, and the missions are kept in a log. You can switch between missions at any time, and the game will automatically guide you in the right direction. You point your cursor at the exit and press A, and your character walks across the screen to the destination. If there’s an enemy in the way, you will engage automatically. It was in the navigation that I found all the flaw with this game: completing a task triggers a string of notifications on what you’ve done and what you’ve earned. Until the game finishes feeding you all the text, which takes time, you can’t move on, even though your cursor is positioned and seems ready to go. Most of these don’t delay you more than ten seconds, but the lack of feedback on this makes it seem longer. This more interactive up-close navigation is, overall, handled very well. It is also new in Puzzle Quest 2.

How does it look and sound?

Outside of the actual puzzling, the look of this game is surprising. Hand drawn art on a console game is rare, especially on an HD console. The game looks pretty good and must have taken a great deal of time to make, though the animations are pretty stiff. The puzzles are bright and colorful and the spells show some nice dazzling effects. The sound is appropriate as well, with some good music and some great sound effects, like cackling goblins, screeching rats, and roaring polar bears. The writing is clever and a little silly, which is fine. A game like this shouldn’t take itself too seriously.

How’s the replay value?

Assuming you hit all the optional subquests on the first run through the game, most of the replay value is going to be tied directly to the multiplayer options in the game. There is local multiplayer, which requires pre-existing single player characters on separate accounts, and plays just like the battles in the single player quest. There is also online multiplayer over Xbox Live. The six non-battle puzzles (Bash, Pick, etc) are all available as minigames as well, which is great. I’m terrible at Bash, and this lets me practice.

One amusing note on multiplayer: I tried the local multiplayer against my wife. I had leveled up my character quite a bit, and hers was brand new because both had been created on my account, so she had to make a new one to play. I started out with a full clip of spells, weapons, armor, and twice her hit points, and yet it was a very, very close battle. Why? She played through the original Puzzle Quest start to finish on DS years ago, and all that skill stayed with her. In fact, I’d say the only reason I beat her is because I used the new features of the game: the items.

Is it worth it?

Puzzle Quest 2 adds just enough to the classic Puzzle Quest experience to make it worth the new episode, without breaking what made the first game so much fun. It’s a well-executed sequel with very little to complain about in the gameplay. Still, the graphics could have been nicer. I like hand drawn graphics a lot, but perhaps this could have been done either with a bit more style, or a bit more flash. I give it three and a half out of five.