Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition - A Decent Remaster of the Best Match 3 RPG

Puzzle Quest is one of my oldest favourites, and it's a strange feeling returning to this match 3 RPG after all these years.

I was utterly gripped during my University years; I never got into its sequel Galactrix but I completely rinsed the first entry, the third game (aptly titled Puzzle Quest 2) and Square Enix's Gyromancer for good measure. Match 3 puzzlers had (arguably still have) a reputation for being more casual experiences thanks to Bejeweled, so putting in RPG elements was a surprise twist. 18 years later, Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition offers a decent but somewhat unnecessary revamp for this ageing experience.

Beyond its immediate sequel, Puzzle Quest remains the best take on this genre mashup even now, and that's only grown with subsequent re-releases. Immortal Edition unites the base game and various expansions, giving this a welcome artwork refresh alongside new quests and items. Our goal is to save the Kingdom of Etheria from the dastardly Lord Bane, a generic paper thin plot that's little more than an excuse for the action.

If you're unfamiliar, I'll give you a quick rundown. Puzzle Quest starts by choosing one of a dozen preset characters and a class with unique spells - ranger, druid, wizard, warrior, and plenty more covering the usual fantasy tropes. You’ll then move across a top-down map to complete various story missions and side quests, engaging in Match 3 battles where matching the same gems and making combos powers up your abilities, earning XP and money.

Nothing too complicated here, and it's this approachable structure that makes getting into Puzzle Quest so easy. I do wish the story had some actual flavour, yet the gameplay alone remains compelling. That's helped by a lengthy campaign that's both moreish and highly replayable. You can gradually level up your skills for greater mastery over each of the elemental gems, earning more mana and other bonuses as you advance.

It's not just gems that make up these boards, since you can connect skulls to deal damage or collect gold for buying new equipment or learning new rumours at the tavern. This creates some inviting strategy that punishes the careless, you need to be aware of the board's surroundings as best as you can; giving Puzzle Quest surprising depth that's pulling me back in all over again.

What's odd is that while Immortal Edition aims to offer a definitive take on the classic game, that's let down by the disappointing absence of multiplayer. Which, I'll be honest, isn't especially thrilling so that's not a major loss, but that's a strange omission if you're going for the definitive release. It's present in The Legend Returns re-release on Switch, which would make Immortal Edition a harder sell if, y'know, 505 Games hadn't delisted the older version.

I'm several hours into this campaign (hence why this is impressions over a scored review), but Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition doesn't offer much new compared to previous editions. New artwork helps modernise this with more vibrant designs, and some minor quality-of-life upgrades like swapping difficulty settings before a mission are always welcome.

This is still the great match 3 RPG game that once consumed all my spare time, and I'm pleased to see this back on modern platforms. However, if you already own Puzzle Quest in some manner, you don't really need the Immortal Edition as well.

Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition impressions were done on PC, and a review code was provided by the publisher. It's also available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.