Now that I have completed the story and won a citadel, I feel more qualified to give my opinion about the game play. Yes, it’s insanely difficult, yes, it’s very limiting in what you can get or get awarded. But my biggest complaint/frustration was the 2-second time limit to move. The devs turned a beloved gem-drop game into a twitch game, probably going after a younger demographic.
I would propose, however, that you offer 2 game modes: Beginner & Advanced. The board isn’t that big, so in beginner mode, let people make as many moves as they can, then press the “Go” button. In Advance, players are limited to making moves in 2 seconds.
Throughout the game there were many times I wanted to quit because it just wasn’t fun losing constantly. I enjoyed the original PQ and GoW so much more. I only kept at it out of my fondest for the company and the first Puzzle Quest.