It will take you several rounds before you start to notice all the ways matches can be made, leaving you frustrated that the computer just made a match where you could have sworn there was no move. Weapons for your ship take the place of the spells from the original; using the stated amount of stored colored gems each time you fire it. In addition to the general RPG elements allowing you to increase your statistics and ability to use the various colored gems, the game also provides additional ships to capture and use; with new ships adding additional weapons slots to use. There are only three colors to power your weapons this time around, with the fourth color, blue, assigned to refilling your ship’s shields. In addition to your ship’s main health meter for the hull, you also have a rechargeable shield that is refilled a bit each time you match blue gems.
The concept is a welcome addition that adds a new layer of strategy to the battles. The battles themselves are as frustratingly difficult as they were in the original, but fans of the series would not want it any other way. You will find many ships standing between you and the next galaxy that seem too tough to battle at your current level, until you finally power through and have a nice stroke of luck/genius on your tenth time retrying the battle. While your path between galaxies is a linear one, the routes you take when traversing inside the galaxy is completely up to you. The on-screen cursor tells your ship where to fly, but you can attempt to outmaneuver or outrun any impending encounters with ships you do not want to deal with. Most times they are a fair amount larger and faster than you, but if you only need to move to the nearest planet or jump gate, running is an option.
Like the original, the story is secondary to the gameplay. There is nothing necessarily wrong with it, but there is really no reason to avoid skipping through it to get to the next puzzle either. Despite the lack of voice actors, the characters do seem to have a fair amount of personality. The score was a highlight of the first game, but it feels a bit muted here. The placid tones of the hallowed-out sci-fi score swell up from time to time in battle, but there is not enough of the majestic fantasy and heroics that fuelled the first game. The game gets the job done in the graphics department. The color scheme does not pop quite the same way it did in the original, but the board is not so excessively oversized either.
They err on the side of bland with the art style, but you will not care much about the cut-scenes to pay much attention to them. The Live head-to-head battles make a return here, with the same option to bring your in-game character along for the battle. The on-screen timer keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, and finding a match never takes too long, thanks to the rabid fan base. At first glance, the $20 price tag for an XBLA title looks steep. Thankfully, Puzzle Quest Galactrix has a lengthy campaign and plenty of side missions and moon mining to warrant it. Galactrix is a must-own for puzzle game fans looking for an upgrade from last year’s sparkling debut.
