Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a 2007 puzzle-RPG developed by Infinite Interactive, fusing match-three gameplay with the character progression, story and questing of a fantasy role-playing game. Players create a hero of a chosen class and adventure across a map threatened by a rising undead warlord.

Battles play out on a match-three gem board shared with the enemy, where matching colored gems generates the mana used to cast class-specific spells, while matching skulls deals direct damage and matching coins or stars grants gold and experience, turning every puzzle into a tactical duel of resource denial and setup. Leveling up, learning new spells, capturing mounts, crafting items and besieging enemy citadels added strategic depth and long-term goals well beyond a typical matching game.

Puzzle Quest was widely praised for its clever genre fusion and proved surprisingly addictive, spawning sequels and inspiring many imitators of its battle system. It appeared on numerous platforms and remains a landmark example of blending puzzle mechanics with RPG systems.