When Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords launched back in 2007, it made waves by fusing the addictive pull of match-3 puzzling with the depth of role-playing systems. Nearly two decades later, Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition lands on PlayStation 5 and other platforms with all that content bundled together, polished up for modern audiences. Developed by Infinity Plus 2 and published by 505 Games, this collection doesn’t just feel like a nostalgia trip – it also serves as a reminder of why the formula worked so well in the first place. But while the core is as engaging as ever, not everything about this package has aged equally gracefully.
The appeal starts with the hybrid gameplay loop that made the series famous. You’re still swapping gems across a board to line up matches, but every move also fuels mana reserves, powers spells, or chips away at enemy health. That constant tug-of-war – do you make a safe match, deny your opponent a combo, or set yourself up for a devastating spell – remains as compelling as it was back in the DS and PSP days, a few handheld generations ago. On PS5, the pace is smooth and load times are practically non-existent, which makes dipping into “just one more battle” dangerously easy. The sheer breadth of content, combining the original game with Revenge of the Plague Lord and The Legend Returns, ensures dozens of hours of quests, side stories, and battles to lose yourself in.
At the same time, the narrative wrapper around all these battles shows its age. The fantasy world of Etheria is a serviceable backdrop, with companions, spells, and citadel upgrades offering plenty to do, but the storytelling itself feels stiff compared to today’s RPG standards. Dialogue is brief and functional, while quest structures often boil down to moving from one battle to the next with little flair in between. For returning fans, that stripped-back presentation might be part of the charm, but newcomers expecting sweeping drama or cinematic delivery could find the writing underwhelming (for a console platform).
The strategic layer still shines, though, thanks to the citadel system and monster capturing mechanics. Building out structures that grant bonuses, crafting items, or experimenting with new spells through research adds depth beyond the gem board. This progression helps stave off repetition, even if the core puzzle gameplay doesn’t evolve much over time. The downside is that the interface and menu-heavy nature of managing your hero and citadel feel a bit clunky compared to modern equivalents. Controls on PS5 work well for the puzzles themselves, but some of the menus betray their origins and can feel dated.
Visually, Immortal Edition sits in a strange middle ground. The art has been touched up with sharper resolution and smoother animations, and the gem-matching board looks clean and vibrant in 4K. Yet the hand-drawn character art and map design remain firmly rooted in their mid-2000s aesthetic. It’s pleasant, but it won’t wow anyone who’s been spoiled by the flashier look of today’s RPGs. Audio fares a bit better, with a nostalgic soundtrack that complements the gameplay well, though repeated battle themes can start to grate during long play sessions.
In the end, Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition succeeds in what it sets out to do: it preserves and refines a classic, making it widely available again with a mountain of content. The combination of puzzles and RPG systems remains surprisingly fresh, and fans of the original will find a lovingly compiled collection here. On the flip side, the dated narrative, repetitive battle flow, and occasionally clunky presentation keep it from fully standing shoulder-to-shoulder with today’s puzzle-RPG hybrids. Still, for anyone looking to revisit – or discover – the game that started it all, this edition offers the best way to experience it.
Score: 8.0/10
Press Play Media 