Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, the spiritual successor to D3's sublime mashup of matching puzzles and role-playing, is due sometime this spring. But if you number among the many Puzzle Quest fans who can't bear to wait any longer, take heart: Infinite Interactive has seen fit to bless us (or curse us, depending on your outlook) with a Flash demo.
If you're familiar with Puzzle Quest, you should be able to dive right into Galactrix without much trouble. Your goal is to match three or more gems and space mines to gain energy to power the equipment on your spaceship, and attack your opponent. In addition to a health bar, your spaceship is equipped with a shield that will soak up a bit of the damage you take, and can be replenished by collecting blue gems.
Galactrix also features a new hexagonal grid. We're in space, so gems gravitate towards the center of the board, instead of falling top-to-bottom. It seems like a minor change, but it dramatically alters the way the game unfolds. I, for one, am blaming the horrendous beatings I've taken on my unfamiliarity with the layout.
When the game is finally released (on PC, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360) players will also have to contend with customizable spaceships, shifting gravity, diplomatic relations with aliens, and a sprawling interstellar adventure worthy of the Puzzle Quest name. Consider yourselves warned.
Play Puzzle Quest: Galactrix [Infinite Interactive]
