Puzzle Quest 3 coming to tease brains on PC and mobile

Fantasy puzzle adventurer returns

505 Games has announced that the third iteration of its fantasy-based brainteaser, Puzzle Quest 3, is headed to PC and mobile platforms next month. The free-to-play sequel will land on Steam, Android, and iOS stores on March 1, with pre-registration now live on the game’s official website.

Puzzle Quest 3 will guide players through the dungeons of Etheria, picking their way through labyrinths and catacombs on a mission for loot, gear, and glory. Choose from one of five distinct classes — Paladin, Berserker, Shaman, Assassin, or Necromancer — each with their own unique gear and weaponry before laying waste to armies of monsters in classic Puzzle Quest “Match-3” gameplay.

A selection of multiplayer modes will let players battle against each other in lightning-fast one-vs-one gameplay, or team up in teams of four for cooperative adventures. All of this action plays out against a brand new storyline, punctuated with cinematic sequences and animated battles. Like most free-to-play releases, players can expect weekly challenges, limited-time events, daily quests, and probably a catalog of microtransactions.

Chris Carter checked out an early Android version of Puzzle Quest 3 last year and thought it was worth a download. “Instead of operating in a turn-based manner, knocking heads against a CPU, you’ll do your thing, the CPU will attack (off-board) and then you’ll do your thing again. It creates a more hectic, and in some ways, less engaging environment. It’s very cool to frantically try to be like ‘OK I need to regenerate mana for this ability, so I need to match this. Then I should do some damage. Then I should create as many combos as possible with the few seconds I have left.’ But at the same time, having the CPU not directly battle you makes individual encounters a little less interesting.”