In a surprise announcement this morning, publisher 505 Games has revealed that Puzzle Quest 3 will finally be happening after more than a decade of being away. While the original game was given a remaster on Switch in 2019, the series hasn't seen a true sequel since Puzzle Quest 2 launched in 2010 (we're certainly not counting those spin-offs). It's definitely time for a new Puzzle Quest adventure.
Thankfully, the mistakes of the past won't be getting repeated here. The official description from developer Infinity Plus Two states that Puzzle Quest 3 will be "recalling the deep RPG mechanics and signature heroic storylines that made the original a standout hit within the Match-3 category." This won't be the pseudo-Diablo clone that 2 attempted.
As for how combat will play out, there's something of a 3D overworld that you'll explore, but you'll only be battling in 1v1 bouts. Considering the success of the Switch remaster, I imagine that Infinity Plus Two finally understands what people enjoyed about the original release. We also don't need to recall Puzzle Quest: Galactrix or that Marvel one. Awkward gimmicks aren't what made Puzzle Quest so unique back when it released.
Where things start to get rocky is with the release model. Currently, the game is slated to release later in 2021 as a free-to-play title on both mobile and PC. We don't know what type of monetization will be implemented, but I'm not exactly hopeful with 505 Games being involved. I would also imagine that the game will make its way to consoles at some point.
Source: Twitter