Marvel Puzzle Quest

 iOS
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 26
  3. Negative: 12 out of 26
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  1. Watersson
    Jan 15, 2014
    2
    Microtransactions everywhere! This is the motto of this game. It is impossible to derive pleasure if you do not pay! I would rather pay $ 5 for the entire game than pay for unlocking each item. Because MPQ: DR is in itself good. But microtransactions ruined this game.
  2. Type4101
    Dec 8, 2013
    0
    An atrocious microtransaction rip-off of epic proportions. This game costs $170 to unlock all content. That should cost about $19.99 at most, given the modest cost of a simple match-3 game. This game is one of the worst values I have ever seen, and both Marvel and the makers of Puzzle Quest should pull it off the shelves before its obscene price scheme alienates fans.
  3. SaveMeBarry
    Dec 20, 2013
    8
    As far as ftp's go this game requires less purchase for success than most. I have currently spent 5 bucks on the game and I am satisfied playing it.
    As far as puzzle quest goes, this game has more spells and spell combos and spell upgrades than other puzzle quest games. Continued content updates also makes the game have a lot more to it. When reviewers reviewed this game they were    As far as ftp's go this game requires less purchase for success than most. I have currently spent 5 bucks on the game and I am satisfied playing it.
    As far as puzzle quest goes, this game has more spells and spell combos and spell upgrades than other puzzle quest games. Continued content updates also makes the game have a lot more to it. When reviewers reviewed this game they were essentially reviewing a demo.
    As far as marvel story lines go. This story leans more on the corny side and less on the depth that can be seen in some marvel comics.
    This game can be a money trap but does not have to be. The story could be better. The game play is pronominal. Could use live pvp.    … Expand
  4. thestorm529
    Apr 19, 2017
    10
    This is my favorite online game and it has been for several years now. I play a lot of online games, and this is probably the most well run one based on the structure of the game, and the frequent updates and new characters which continue to cause the gameplay to evolve.

    Its a great portable game because it is turn based. I go through my life with my phone out while I walk, or between    This is my favorite online game and it has been for several years now. I play a lot of online games, and this is probably the most well run one based on the structure of the game, and the frequent updates and new characters which continue to cause the gameplay to evolve.

    Its a great portable game because it is turn based. I go through my life with my phone out while I walk, or between shifts of my jobs and make moves throughout the day. The powers of the over 125 different Marvel characters affect the game such that they feel right for the corresponding hero. Wolverine has an auto heal feature, Black-Suit Spiderman can hide in the shadows, and Thanos does extra damage when an opposing hero is killed in homage to his love for Death, so the designers really did their homework and made the characters "feel" like the actual characters.

    Choosing your team is important, and its important to have as many of them as possible, because they interact which each other in beneficial ways. During different events in the game, which typically last 3 days each, different heroes will be powered up, so you will have to learn how to use all of them in order to maximize your success.

    It takes the match-3 genre to the highest level of strategy, and they have manage to create a game which continuously evolves, yet rewards the players past work. Definitely Time Well Spent! - S.    … Expand
  5. DeDorgoth
    Mar 3, 2019
    10
    It's been more than 5 years i'm playing this game and I continue to enjoy a lot.
    Because devs have put a lot of new mechanics, successfully reworked characters, varied missions between pvp and pve.
    Ok it needs a lot of grinding and sometimes you have to go in the cash shop. But to me, it totally worths it. Cause you can play wherever you want, I can't take the bus without playing it.
  6. Psyclerk
    Nov 7, 2014
    2
    Unfortunately, this game has gone from 'lots of microtransactions available' to 'pay to win'. This game puts a Marvel theme to the tried and true 'Match 3' formula. It starts off innocently enough, giving you a few heroes to play around with. However, being able to make any progress in the periodic story events or the player vs player tournaments requires more and more heroes, which inUnfortunately, this game has gone from 'lots of microtransactions available' to 'pay to win'. This game puts a Marvel theme to the tried and true 'Match 3' formula. It starts off innocently enough, giving you a few heroes to play around with. However, being able to make any progress in the periodic story events or the player vs player tournaments requires more and more heroes, which in turn requires that you purchase roster slots. Early on, you are forced to buy roster slots in batches, as opposed to single slots, and the price-per-slot goes up as you buy them. Late game play has roster slots costing nearly $6 each.
    Powering up your heroes requires you to obtain new comic book covers for them, and of course the best heroes have the rarest covers. Previously, players had the option of spending $20-$30 on a 'pack' of ten covers, which would guarantee you would get at least one of the rare featured hero. However, sensing that they could make more money, D3 changed this 'guarantee' to 'increased chance' to get a featured hero. That 'increased chance', which in their defense they are at least transparent about, is only about 10%. So yes, you could spend $30 and have absolutely nothing to show for it save for some common hero covers.
    Player vs player is atrocious, pitting your team against another player's team controlled by the terrible computer AI. Pay-to-win is especially noticeable here, as players who outright buy covers for high-powered heroes ($13-$23 each, with 10 possible buyable covers, plus well over $100 worth of ISO points for hero levels after that), will simply dominate. D3 implemented a 'shield' system that allows players to keep their team from losing points on a defensive loss. High paying players exploit this by playing matches that reward a lot of points, then buying a shield while they recover and/or look for another high scoring match. It requires spending a lot of Hero Points, and you won't reach the upper ranks without doing it.
    While it *is* possible to acquire all the heroes and even roster slots without buying anything, it will usually take a very, very long time to do so, and I'm speaking in terms of years, not weeks. It's a shame that the Marvel license sees so much F2P abuse, and MPQ is no exception.    … Expand
  7. Skulb
    Nov 24, 2014
    7
    If you`re gonna buy stuff in this game then it`s a horrendous waste of money and a giant scam. However, unlike many F2P titles it is possible to progress without paying for anything, although it takes a lot of time and is more something to pass an hour or so with a couple of times a week than anything else. If you play it like that, over a long time, it is quite fun. Finding new covers isIf you`re gonna buy stuff in this game then it`s a horrendous waste of money and a giant scam. However, unlike many F2P titles it is possible to progress without paying for anything, although it takes a lot of time and is more something to pass an hour or so with a couple of times a week than anything else. If you play it like that, over a long time, it is quite fun. Finding new covers is very exciting and there are always ways to slowly build up the resources you need to buy upgrades and roster slots.
    If you need something long-term to fill time between other games or while sitting on the bus then this game fits the bill nicely. If you wanna be the best immediately then either look elsewhere or be prepared to waste loads of money.    … Expand
  8. AntiMXT
    Sep 1, 2019
    2
    It's a colourful Marvel-themed match 3. Collect Hero's for $. This is the only Pro.

    Cons; - Obvious & blatant loot-box microtransactions. The twist is they give you SO many free characters but the ONLY way to add them to your roster is to spend real money, at an ever-increasing price, despicable Designed for you to keep spending money on literally nothing. - Second are the 'battles.'    It's a colourful Marvel-themed match 3. Collect Hero's for $. This is the only Pro.

    Cons;
    - Obvious & blatant loot-box microtransactions. The twist is they give you SO many free characters but the ONLY way to add them to your roster is to spend real money, at an ever-increasing price, despicable Designed for you to keep spending money on literally nothing.
    - Second are the 'battles.' Unblockable attacks from foes through countdown tiles. Unblockable because it's random colour allocation and its impossible to match those tiles. Makes this match 3 even more frustrating because you lose a 5min battle due to unchangeable events you can see coming multiple moves ahead.
    - The 'purple' currency is useless. Hundreds of thousands accumulated in minutes and you can't trade it for anything.
    - The subsequent 5 currencies are there to stimulate substance but don't offer anything but confusion and more useless crap to spend real money on.
    - Random inexplicable scenarios happen when no matter what colours you match you inflict 1 point of damage. Irrevocably ruining the match because your opponent is still wreaking havoc.

    This "game" is indicative of the abhorrent direction that mobile games are headed in and the more people that support this 'gambling for kids' the worse it'll get.

    Avoid like the plague    … Expand
  9. doc8998
    Feb 6, 2014
    5
    This game WAS incredible! recovering for 4 months after surgery, & owning 900 games over many systems, I had intended to catch up on other games while recuperating, but MPQ got me addicted. However, a game like this, where balancing is an ever-changing thing, there was no respec option available. Now, just recently, they nerfed the 2 most popular and relatively accessible characters in theThis game WAS incredible! recovering for 4 months after surgery, & owning 900 games over many systems, I had intended to catch up on other games while recuperating, but MPQ got me addicted. However, a game like this, where balancing is an ever-changing thing, there was no respec option available. Now, just recently, they nerfed the 2 most popular and relatively accessible characters in the game, Wolverine and Thor.
    You can level your characters via collecting "covers" (each cover with a corresponding power.) On a character like Thor, where he has 3 powers available, you are forced to choose how you combine those covers of his, so they add to 13 total points (with 5 max in any one category of power.) D3 was none too hesitant to actually allow you to spend real money directly into a power (if you chose not to wait for a "luck of a draw" card that you wanted. (ie: you wanted the "green" Thor card to finish that line of power off, you could guarantee that power added for $5, otherwise, it was a waiting game to get that card to drop. 4 months into the game, D3 has decided that Thor & Wolvie were "overpowered," and nerfed them both. (Wolverine's nerf isn't so bad,) Thor, on the other hand, has become a travesty of what he was before, a very "real" representation of his hero in the comic. D3 claimed balancing, the (majority) of the community claims cash-grab or just simple overuse of these 2 characters, as they were extremely common on everyone's roster. Heading into pvp, you were almost guaranteed to see these two on the opposing team.
    So all the players that had a "5/5/3" setup on Thor just got screwed, as he's become worth very little in combat.
    Balancing itself is not the issue, it was the utter lack of foresight by D3, by nature of a game that is getting fine-tuned as input is relayed by players, to have a respec option implemented from the outset. Thor has had his first 2 powers nerfed beyond recognition, but his third power, the one almost every player placed only 3 cards into, was UPPED in power, leaving players no way to respec him, a standard in most games like this. D3 will only admit to wanting to add a respec option, but with no timetable available. They have offered a high trade-in value for these two cards as compensation, but the truth of the matter is, it's worth approximately HALF the card's worth, leaving players in limbo as to either sell and rebuild a character from scratch (you cannot OUTRIGHT buy any character in the game,) only earn or randomly get them as rewards. The only thing you CAN buy outright is the power/card, once it's unlocked by initially getting that color card once. (you may buy that same color card 4 more times, as no power can be over a "5" level.) This will run you approximately $40 real world cash JUST to unlock his ABILITY to reach his max level of 85 and have all 13 slots taken. This doesn't include earning the "experience points" to actually reach 85.
    .
    They have upped prices on almost every boost in the latest patch, while offering no increase in reward to the iso8 they use in the game... If you don't have a boost that costs iso8, that will run you 200 iso8 for 3 boosts, while a reward for winning a match will net you 70 or 140. At best, in two matches, you'll be ahead a whopping 80 iso8... at worst, you'll have come out ahead of the cost by 10 after 3 matches, if you use it all 3 matches. Sure, there are rewards of iso8 throughout of higher amounts, but this latest patch has turned the game into a joke.
    I would whole-heartedly disagree with bad scores about this game prior to the patch. For a FTP game, I never felt pressure to pay in to win. I managed to take first in a week long tournament simply by spending time playing, no investment at all... After this latest patch, the game is nothing more than "balance" being used as a term for greed. A visit to the D3P forum boards will give you an idea of how frustrated and outright angry the community is currently, even 2 weeks later. Many have claimed they have received refunds through Apple due to the fact that they bought in on powers to these 2 characters with real cash, so they could get into the pvp quicker, only to have D3 "balance" the card and not offer any form of "making the customer whole" for the money they spent.
    within a week of the nerf, a Thor tournament was started...
    I recommend the game for fun, because it is. D3 had it right, they got money by making you WANT to spend it, now they've gotten greedy and are practically forcing you to buy into it. I would say to anyone, go get it... Just don't spend any money within it, you may end up with nothing to show for your $$
    I'm not going to rate the game overly harshly, though my review may seem so, only because this was an INCREDIBLE game for a long time, and it's still there, waiting for the devs to unbury it from the multitude of mistakes they've made in this most recent patch. But I'm also not going to give it the score the original game deserved, either    … Expand
  10. zombiechan
    Feb 11, 2015
    5
    It's a fun little game to pass the time on your iPad. It's cool to unlock your favorite marvel character and see their abilities. But like I said, it's just something to kill 5mins, don't try to spends money on this game, it;s just another mirco-transaction money drain that is on par of a facebook game.

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2014
    72
    Although free to play is the biggest trend in mobile games at the moment, it doesn't fit too well with Puzzle Quest. I'd pay ten bucks for this in a heartbeat for experiencing the campaign, but now I'm left with monotonous grinding and replaying same missions over and over in order to level my heroes to the point, that I can progress to the next fight. Pvp-games are crippled, because the matches are won by those, who are willing to spend money on their hero roster. [Apr 2014]
  2. GameCritics
    Jan 28, 2014
    85
    The use of Marvel characters is great, and the core idea of connecting special abilities to matching crystals is just as good now as it was back in the original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. I was a huge fan of that title, and Marvel Puzzle Quest proves itself to be a worthy new-school successor.
    Read full review
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 28, 2013
    70
    Still enjoyable. [Jan 2014, p.82]
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