Marvel Puzzle Quest

Overview

Marvel Puzzle Quest is a puzzle game developed and published by D3 Publisher (with help from Demiurge Studios) for the iPhone, iPad, Android and PC platforms. The game features a free-to-play model with microtransactions in the form of Hero Tokens and Isotope-8, both of which can be used to recruit new superheroes to the player's team (and to buy a slot to use the recruit), level up powers and characters.

Marvel Puzzle Quest features a short single player campaign and asynchronous player-vs-player combat. If the player is defeated or heroes are "downed" mid-battle, they can be healed outside of battle with a health pack or by waiting for them to revive on their own. Other in-game events are held based on the events on the Dark Reign storyline and are used as opportunities for public quests and sales for the game's two currencies.

Gameplay

Similar to the original Puzzle Quest, Marvel Puzzle Quest is a Match-3 style game where the player matches colored gems to perform attacks. However, instead of controlling one character, the player can control three superheroes in a battle and fight up to a team of three opponents. Instead of collecting gems for spells, superhero powers can be used (with the appropriate gem collected) with effects ranging from damage to stunning the opponent for a number of turns.

New for this version of Puzzle Quest is icons depicting heroes on the gems, determining which hero will swap in for an attack and will stay as the lead while the opponent deals damage. For example, matching three red lightning bolt gems will have Storm attack, just as three green lightning bolt gems, or three yellow lightning bolt gems will. The board gems' icons change depending on the superheroes used, adding another layer of strategy.

In battles against opponents with multiple characters on the opposite team, the player can choose which enemy to target by tapping/clicking on the opponent's picture at the top of the screen. Downed opponents/heroes cannot use their abilities for the remainder of the battle.

Environmental tiles also play a part in the game's strategy. Not bound by character and colorless, these tiles don't deal damage but fill up a meter for a special ability when matched. One of these is the "Hot Dog Stand" which heals all players on a team.

System Requirements