by Rob Lamb

Created on: July 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 05, 2010

On the sea of downloadable games drifts much flotsam and jetsam. They come, they go and in between tides we see lots of trash wash up on our desktops. But every once in a while a little bit of treasure washes up on shore.

Puzzle Hero by Genimo Interactive is a combination RPG and puzzle game that follows the quest of a young village girl to find her brother who has kidnapped. Progress is made by defeating enemies one at a time with boss levels at the end of each quest segment. You attack the enemy by manipulating a puzzle board below the battle action to match symbols which disappear allowing more to drop. You can match swords to attack or potions to heal along with gold, experience and shields and bulls which can increase your attacks and defense. Match four or more and you get to move again.

In between battle sequences you can choose to enter the shop where you can purchase new items and sell off the old. An assortment of weapons, clothing, armor and other magical items are available with the variety and power increasing as you gain more gold. The ability to enhance ones character is an aspect of gaming that always pushes you on to play more. But the folks at Genimo Interactive didn't leave it there. There is also a salon where you can also choose to spend your gold on hairstyles and other physical enhancements to customize and make your cute little avatar even cuter. There`s always something attractive about a strong female.

The graphics were very good for what some would call a puzzle game but it`s all justified by the battle actions and characters as they interact on screen. Motions were smooth and there were some nice effects for the various events that happen during game play. And I really thought the way they brought together the quest and puzzle genres was pretty innovative. Genimo succeeded in bringing story line and incentive to a puzzle game and brought a fresh brain challenging aspect to hack and slash questing.

To sum it up I gave Puzzle Hero a 5 out of 5 for downloadable computer games. Fresh, habit forming and fun to play. The time went by all too fast while playing trial. A sure sign of a good game. I think we will conclude here so I can go buy the full version.

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