PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient (PSP)

Reviewed by

Ryan Davis

on 01/11/2006

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Page 2

At their simplest, the puzzles in PQ will require you to shuffle around a few boxes that are obstructing your path to the exit, and they can literally be over in a matter of seconds. Higher level puzzles, though, can be so expansive and complex that you won't even be able to see the exit when you first start, and even when you do see the exit, there will be no clear path. If you manage to crack the puzzle on your first try, it can take a good 10 minutes to complete. The pacing of the game is usually purposefully slow and steady. However, there are situations that will test your reflexes, and it's at these times where the controls are a little clunky and slow to respond. These situations, thankfully, are few and far between.

The confrontation of your intelligence is definitely one of the main appeals of a good puzzle game, and PQ has that in spades. Unfortunately, the challenge is sometimes spiked with some frustration, largely because of PQ's 3D perspective. The camera remains locked onto your avatar through the course of the game, though instead of trailing behind the back of your avatar, the camera sticks to a specific perspective on the puzzle. You can use the shoulder buttons to quickly spin the camera 180 degrees in either direction. Also, the camera is smart enough to automatically tilt down if there is a tall object obscuring the view of your avatar. However, it can still be difficult to get a firm grasp of your surroundings at times, especially when dealing with the 3D maze puzzles.

PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotientscreenshot

Challenging puzzles are occasionally made more so by funky camera angles.

Camera trouble notwithstanding, PQ has a clean utilitarian aesthetic that complements the quasi-intellectual tone of the game nicely. The black space that fills the voids in the grid is highlighted by glowing colored lines, adding color to a game that is otherwise virtually monochromatic. Flair is kept to a minimum, though the exits to each puzzle have a cyberspacey look to them, and you're treated to a cool-looking spectrum effect whenever you complete a puzzle. There's not a lot of sound inside the box, and the small sounds that your avatar makes when moving around and interacting with the environment are washed out by the droning, repetitive techno that's not aggressively bad, but not particularly endearing, or memorable, either.

PQ may fail as some sort of standardized test of your cognitive reasoning abilities, but those are admittedly some pretty lofty goals for a PSP puzzle game. If you're intent on proving just how smart you are, join Mensa or become a mathlete or something. But, if you're just looking for some deliberate and challenging puzzles, and you're willing to look past an interface that is occasionally awkward, PQ is a fine fit.