# First Impressions
**URL:** https://community.puzzlequest3.com/t/first-impressions/166
**Category:** Early Access Game Discussion
**Created:** [March 31, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://community.puzzlequest3.com/t/first-impressions/166 "2021-03-31T18:01:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tunaboat](https://community.puzzlequest3.com/u/tunaboat)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://community.puzzlequest3.com/t/first-impressions/166/1 "2021-03-31T18:01:31Z")
Hi! It’s been close to a week since I’ve started playing the early release of PQ3 and I’d like to just drop my thoughts. I will try my best to tag any spoilers story related.
Background → I played PQ1 quite a bit bit during its PSP days but never got around to play PQ2. Definitely the most broken iteration of PQ1 (1st turn final boss kill as an example) but it certainly had its charm with all the content it provided. Have been playing Gems of War for just under a year now.
Story → I’ve just gotten myself to chapter 10 and I do enjoy how the story is coming along. The word choices are perfect and it gives the cast some great attitude.
Gameplay → It’s an active 3-match game. The moment you do your first match, you have about 2s to keep on matching on the board. As the game says, planning before you first match is key!
Feedback/Personal opinions → Just from my experience, here are currently 4 items that I’d like to discuss.
1. Critical hits / Chance based abilities.
Having luck play into a game where planning is emphasized, doesn’t seem to suit up very well. I cannot count the amount of times an enemy has made me lose due to that 10% critical chance. Similarly, I cannot count the amount of times my 10% barrier gear has saved my butt either. I plan and play around neither of these happening so when it occurs, it never sits well with me. Both PQ1 and GoW have chance implemented into its gameplay, but I never found it enough to make or break a battle. I’m not sure if removing critical hits and favoring the player more is better than keeping it, but making our abilities and chances at 100% instead. Perhaps the late game will show more of this.
2. Chests.
Considering this is a Free-to-Play game, I think this feature needs to be implemented. If this growth style was implemented in PQ1, you wouldn’t even play the game anymore. GoW, IMO is very generous with providing you ways to improving with guild providing you tons of keys to open your chests.
3. Party Mode
By far a shocker in how fun having a party to pound down a group of baddies is. I have 2 things to say about party mode.
4. Power Creep
Story mode is getting quite difficult for most players but if we started getting equipment from story to make us super powerful/on par with the enemy, doesn’t that remove the challenge of the game? The flip side is I don’t think everyone wants the game to be this brutally hard either. Player base retention will go out the window for sure. Personally, I am fighting enemies that deal 55% extra damage to me but I’ve figured out my own strategy to keep me a float to keep on advancing (Necromancer lvl 33, 352 gear score. 2\* Hand of Evil + Mask of Terror + Cold snap. A more heavy damage focused build) I will say it is getting kind of annoying needing to wait for a correct starting board to even stand a chance, but afterwards, having to play the board correctly is fun and exciting.
Overall, I am enjoying how the game plays being an early release. Perhaps when I get out of the story mode and start focusing on other things, more items to discuss will show up!
Good luck with your board matching and chest opening!
- Tunaboat
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### Author:  [@Salty](https://community.puzzlequest3.com/u/Salty)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2021, 5:47am UTC](https://community.puzzlequest3.com/t/first-impressions/166/2 "2021-04-06T05:47:42Z")
Thank you for your feedback. \<3