20,000 years in the future mega corporations control the galaxy–and we mean the whole galaxy! There will be a lot of sci-fi flavored puzzle questing to be had, via many warp gates, when Puzzle Quest: Galactrix drops in Q1 of next year for XBLA, DS, and PC.

If you missed our E3 hands-on, check that out, but read on for an updated impression and a few details on crafting and other mini-games.

There are over 150 items in the game, and one way to attain them is through crafting. This mini-game uses the same (i.e. new) hexagonal grid set-up, with tiles that refresh depending on which way you drag them to match, but you’ll be matching color coded materials in order to create specific parts listed in the upper right of the screen.

Hacking, on the other hand, tasks you with making your matches based on the colors that come up, and mining is all about collecting cargo (the materials you’ll need for crafting.) The two other mini-games are haggling (which we’ve been told is pretty tricky, but worth the resulting price drop) and getting rumors off of moons (I guess maybe there isn’t much to do on a satellite but gossip?)

I will admit that matching hexagons is a bit harder than columns and rows. You have to remember that the game is looking for a straight line, and not just three that are touching. That said, the science fiction plot looks cool enough (and flying your fleet around on the overworld screen, even if only your main ship is visible) that this learning curve should not pose a threat to anyone’s anticipation.

Tags: puzzle quest, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, XBLA

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• Hands-On: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
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• Dragon Quest X Announced for the Nintendo Wii
• Review: Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
• Hands-On Preview: Henry Hatsworth, Holy Awesome
• Puzzle Guzzle Now Available for PSP

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