Puzzle Quest 3

About

Embark on a heroic journey across Etheria to discover the meaning behind the ancient Red Dragon's dying words. Prepare for a new Quest!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 325 reviews

story54 positive mentions

monetization19 negative mentions

The character banter is witty and entertaining, adding charm to the gameplay.
The graphics are interesting and ever-changing, making it visually appealing.
The game is easy to learn and can be addicting, providing a fun experience for casual players.

Progression is heavily gated behind loot chests, which require keys that can be expensive or time-consuming to obtain.
The game has a frustrating pay-to-win model, making it difficult to advance without spending real money.
The user interface is cluttered and convoluted, making navigation and gameplay less enjoyable.

story
225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The story in Puzzle Quest 3 has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it weak, linear, and lacking the engaging depth of its predecessors. While some appreciate the nostalgic references to earlier games, others criticize the dialogue and character development as forgettable and uninspired. Overall, the narrative feels like an afterthought, overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and monetization strategies, leading many fans to recommend revisiting the original Puzzle Quest titles instead.
- “Every story progression point involves moving to a new part of the map, engaging with conversation and continuing forward.”
- “The story is quite nice and captures the spirit of the original.”
- “The story is not very interesting.”
- “The story is weak, the characters are forgettable, and the peripheral gameplay - upgrades and comparable - are built around a terrible grind and timed check unlocks that are built to force you to wait to play or spend premium currency to proceed.”
- “The story missions become too hard to move forward, and then you're just stuck in a loop of doing these pointless loot missions.”
gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The gameplay of Puzzle Quest 3 features a fast-paced gem-matching mechanic that some players find enjoyable, though many criticize the introduction of time limits and a convoluted progression system filled with various currencies and upgrades. While the core mechanics are solid and reminiscent of previous titles, the freemium model and grind-heavy elements detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed reviews on its enjoyment and strategic depth. Overall, the game offers a blend of fun mechanics but is hampered by monetization practices and design choices that some players feel undermine the gameplay.
- “The matching gameplay is cool, it's fast, tight, and there is some skill, especially in spell usage, but nothing too hard to understand.”
- “The core gameplay loop becomes increasingly strategic and thoughtful as you gain spells and abilities.”
- “The core gameplay is sound, and the character classes, colorful gem-matching, and decent game mechanics will pull you in.”
- “The tutorial puts a lot more effort into teaching you the monetization systems than the actual gameplay elements.”
- “The story is weak, the characters are forgettable, and the peripheral gameplay - upgrades and comparable - are built around a terrible grind and timed check unlocks that are designed to force you to wait to play or spend premium currency to proceed.”
- “It's too simplistic, generic, boring, repetitive, rinse & repeat, just sucks, lacks a soul, lacks purpose, lacks strategy, lacks compelling mechanics, lacks everything.”
monetization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
45%
48%
The monetization model of the game has been widely criticized as predatory and overly aggressive, with many reviewers labeling it a "shameless cash grab." Players express frustration over the excessive reliance on microtransactions, convoluted currency systems, and time-gating mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge that the game can be enjoyed without spending money, the pervasive monetization strategies have left a negative impression, particularly among long-time fans of the series.
- “The microtransactions part can be completely ignored by people who don't want to spend money without it affecting how fun the game is.”
- “Warframe is one of the rarest examples of in-game microtransactions that is done the best it could ever be done.”
- “Well, it appears they listened to some of the feedback and they fixed some of the monetization as well as adding a turn-based, action point system to matches instead of a timer.”
- “Stay away from this shameless cash grab.”
- “This game employs every predatory monetization strategy in the metaphorical 'why free-to-play games are evil' book.”
- “The amount of monetization is beyond anything you would expect from a game on Steam.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the modern, colorful aesthetic and action-packed visuals, while others criticize the 3D designs as distracting and less appealing compared to previous iterations. Many users express a preference for the simpler, old-school graphics, noting that the current visuals can detract from gameplay and lead to technical issues. Overall, while the graphics are considered decent for a mobile-friendly game, they fail to impress universally and have sparked debate among fans of the series.
- “Good game to play in the background, interesting, ever-changing graphics.”
- “The graphics are fairly nice and on the higher side for a game with a primarily mobile-friendly build.”
- “I like the slightly cartoony graphics style.”
- “The 3D graphics illustrating 'combat' serve literally no purpose apart from slowing down loading times.”
- “The harpy enemy is particularly aggravating in this department as it not only provides no value or entertainment to have these graphics, the camera is also following the flight animation of the harpy, constantly moving part of the viewport up and down, which quite frankly is nauseating and distracting.”
- “I don't know how they managed to make it look worse than the second game; somehow, they went from a dark theme and styled graphics to 3D ugly characters.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players finding it tedious and overly reliant on microtransactions and energy systems. Users express frustration over the lack of rewarding gameplay and the need for extensive grinding to unlock items, often leading to a sense of monotony and dissatisfaction. While some players appreciate the challenge, the consensus suggests that the grinding mechanics detract from the overall experience, calling for a more balanced approach to gameplay and rewards.
- “It's clearly not the old Puzzle Quest that we were used to, and I don't think that changes are necessarily bad, but when it comes to a game like this, sometimes we would like more of a story, less grinding, and more rewarding immersion.”
- “This is one of the worst monetization models that I've seen - there's like seventy different kinds of currency, and although you can earn it all for free, the game was already feeling very grindy after three or four hours of play.”
- “It's just mobile multi-currency microtransaction lootbox time-gated grindy uninteresting generic trash wearing the skin of its better predecessors.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, freezing, and unresponsive controls, which detract from the overall experience. Despite attempts at troubleshooting, players report that these problems persist, indicating a lack of polish typical of early access titles. However, there is hope that future updates will address these concerns.
- “The game is not very polished and has some bugs and glitches that need to be fixed.”
- “This is more buggy than you would expect from an early release version; the mouse often freezes at the start of a battle, and you have to stop the game and restart.”
- “Loading errors, spells and gear not applying effects they are supposed to, display glitches... the list will go on and on.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music and soundtrack are highly praised for enhancing the game's excitement, akin to an action movie, while also providing a comfortable auditory experience. Overall, the combination of cool music and good animation contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “The music and soundtrack bring the game to life with all the excitement of an action movie.”
- “The music is cool, and the animation is good.”
- “The sounds and music are comfy.”
- “The music and soundtrack also brings the game to life with all the excitement of an action movie.”
- “The music and soundtrack also brings the game to life with all the excitement of an action movie.”
- “Also, the sounds and music are comfy.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Puzzle Quest 3 is highlighted by the ironic frustration players feel regarding the game's monetization strategies, particularly the grind for gear and the abundance of in-game gems. This blend of humor and critique adds a lighthearted touch to the overall experience, making the game's free-to-play model both amusing and exasperating.
- “The funny thing is, the gems you earn in-game are actually reasonably plentiful (I have around 1,700) even if you use them for a periodic unlock or revival.”
- “I'm sure this call was made to try to pillage the player wallet, and it's kind of hilarious how bad the gear grind immediately is.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from notable bugs and performance issues, suggesting it may be a poorly executed mobile port that lacks proper optimization for PC.
- “The game also has some bugs and performance issues that need to be fixed.”
- “I assume it's a poorly done mobile port that was never optimized for PC.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players find Puzzle Quest 3's replayability appealing, particularly due to its free-to-play model on mobile and Steam, which encourages experimentation with various strategies and content. The inclusion of chests and minions adds depth, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.
- “Puzzle Quest 3 offers a wealth of chests, minions, and replayability that keeps the game fresh and engaging.”
- “The replayability in Puzzle Quest 3 is impressive, making it easy to dive back in for more fun.”
- “With its free-to-play model on mobile and Steam, there's no reason not to experience the replayability of Puzzle Quest 3.”
- “Puzzle Quest 3's replayability feels lacking; once you've completed the main content, there's little incentive to return.”
- “The game offers minimal variety in gameplay, making it hard to stay engaged after the initial playthrough.”
- “After a few rounds, the repetitive nature of the quests and battles makes it difficult to find motivation to keep playing.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the strategic use of support and curse spells, which allows players to engage with the game on a deeper level without direct interaction with the board, enhancing the overall emotional experience.