GameBanshee: Runespell: Overture Review

The puzzle-RPG genre is a fairly new one, though most fans of both RPGs and puzzle games should be fairly familiar with it these days. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, by Infinite Interactive, largely kickstarted the entire trend back in 2007, and the result was a smashingly successful series of puzzle games with prominent RPG frameworks. Despite numerous games by Infinite Interactive and the sudden popularity of the genre, it's rather surprising that it's taken as long as it has for a true direct competitor to spring up.

That's exactly what indie developer Mystic Box has attempted to provide in Runespell: Overture, a casual puzzle-RPG that trades out the gem-matching Bejeweled-esque gameplay of Puzzle Quest for poker battles. In fact, you'll see a lot of comparisons to Puzzle Quest in this review, but I think it's justified given the similarities and that there are so few other similar games on the market. Despite the overlap, though, Runespell: Overture's fantastic presentation and some addictive, strategic gameplay provide around ten to fifteen of hours of playtime, albeit best enjoyed in short bursts rather than long sessions.