Tag: Puzzlequest »

If there's one thing I love, it's a good mystery. As an adult a child, I read every single Nancy Drew Hardy Boys book. Twice. Encyclopedia Brown and McGurk had nothing on me. Now, as the parent of an audacious 11-year old, my house is a swirling vortex of mystery and intrigue: Who ate these cookies? Who tracked mud all over the floor? Who spray-painted the hamster? I could go on, but I digress...

I also love iPhone games and, upon learning of 99Games Online's upcoming mystery/puzzle game, The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files, I must admit: I can't wait to get my hands on this game:

The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files centers around mysterious happenings in the town of Tinyville and leads its main characters, Jim and Frank, on an adventure-filled quest to uncover the mystery that is Blood River. In order to solve the mystery, players will be challenged to solve a series of challenging visual and analytical puzzles while advancing in the game.

The game features:

The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files appears to be a promising title in a relatively neglected genre. Look for it to hit the app store soon!

Screenshots:

[img id="media.0.jpg"]iPhone gamers who've been trawling the App Store for a while might remember when the first chapter of Puzzle Quest made it debut. The popular match-3 / RPG mashup has been a huge hit on the DS and PSP, but the initial iPhone port was sloppy, overpriced, and almost impossible to play. Thankfully, those problems were addressed after the release, and the second chapter was added as a free update to Chapter 1. However, Puzzle Quest is a three-chapter game...and now, a year after the second chapter's release, the full experience is finally available to play.

You can purchase the third chapter as an in-app purchase for $1.99 if you own the paid version, but I recommend you go with the lite if you don't own Puzzle Quest yet. Not only can you get a feel for the game, but you can purchase all three chapters for a bargain $4.99 in-app. Yes, you'll be stuck with "free" on the game's icon...but it'll save you two bucks!

Puzzle Quest is really a great title—despite its simplicity, the balance of light RPG elements like spells and attacks mixes very well with match-3 gameplay. Quests require you to "battle" certain monsters in match-3 face-offs, and if the plot is unimaginative, at least the game is addicting! If you're a fan of Bejeweled and its ilk, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Even if you don't particularly love match-3's, Puzzle Quest is still fun.