Bestseller: Curse of the Golden Owl
First and foremost, it’s a Connect-3 game, not a Match 3. There are a few different level types: match X amount of Y colour, get Z objects to bottom of screen, break obstacles, match next to unbreakable sigils to deceipher codes, and reveal hidden objects only when you also match with a magnifying glass. It’s a variation on the usual theme.
I’m about 4 chapters into the storyline from about 4 hours of play. Story runs by itself, you’re just intermittently playing puzzles that mostly fit an action in the story.
– Real player with 4.3 hrs in game
This is a fun and moody Match Chain game! The artwork is very nice, and the music is even better. I normally turn music off for almost all of my games (it gets annoying quickly). However, I am still enjoying this light jazz theme.
You basically connect as many gems of the same type as you can. There are certain goals to achieve, and once you meet them, the moves left detonate areas of the board. All of this adds to your start level (one to three). The game gives you power-ups, and for ones you don’t use, you get them added to your score. I really enjoyed using the power-ups sparingly to get a higher score. I found that part of the challenge of the game.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Gunspell - Steam Edition
pros:
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Played like puzzle quest series, so if you like puzzle quest you’ll love this game
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while there are some f2p element leftover from it’s mobile counterpart, it has been tone down substantially and you can easily acquire gold, the premium currency with a little bit of grinding ..
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graphic is ok for a mobile port, personally i don’t care about graphic for this type of game
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I personally love the music .. it’s kind of diablo’ish gothic kind of theme which suit the story ..
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Easy to play and once you got hang of it, you’ll be addicted for sure .. while the gameplay seem too easy in the beginning, you’ll see at later stage you’ll need to strategize when fighting certain enemy .. being good at match 3 puzzle game doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s about your equipment, magic and a bit of luck .. also grinding ..
– Real player with 33.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Match 3 RPG Games.
I paid $2 for Gunspell as part of a bundle, and it took me around 28 hours to finish the game once. This is gonna be a long one, so strap in. CTRL+F “don’t recommend” if you want to fast-forward.
Have you played Puzzle Quest? This game should come off as familiar, and I’ll be mentioning it often enough. Match-3 gameplay, taking turns with the enemy in order to be the last one standing, matching skulls to deal damage, matching gems to power up special attacks, getting EXP and money through matches…it’s familiar, but Gunspell does things kinda differently.
– Real player with 28.1 hrs in game
Lost in Reefs: Antarctic
Fun to play
– Real player with 238.8 hrs in game
I have played to previous match-3 of Rumbic and they were good ones, so what happened here ? Time or moves are limited. The number of powers too and it’s impossible to buy new ones. They are granted when advancing in the levels (so they are extra rares). So… Buy this game only if you like to loose again and again until luck helps you. That’s not my case.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Save Halloween: City of Witches
Save Halloween: City of Witches goes above and beyond in immersion factor and old-fashioned spooky, chillingly fun, animated graphics and SFX/music.
A challenging and atmospheric Match 3 that you shouldn’t miss if you enjoy creative M3 games.
*Note: I have no idea about achievements being fixed to date or not (as other players have complained about in the past) because I play for fun, not virtual rewards; my rewards are playing appealing games themselves. And I first played this game on a popular gaming site outside of STEAM but also purchased later on STEAM to support the developer.
– Real player with 107.5 hrs in game
Save Halloween 1: City of Witches (Match-3)
A challenging and fun Spooky Bonus clone.
Options include separate sliders for Music and SFX, Custom Cursor, Full-screen, Tutorial, and choice of Timed or Casual Mode. You can switch modes between levels (at the bottom of the map).
When I first started playing City of Witches, it was so similar to Spooky Bonus that at first I thought that it must be by Grey Alien Games (it’s not, this game is by Quick Click Games). The game piece types, earning coins to decorate your house, the decorations giving you new types of power-ups… The only thing that was different was the graphics… At first! Rather than rehash the basic game mechanics, you can look at my Spooky Bonus review HERE , and instead let’s focus on what’s different about City of Witches.
– Real player with 68.1 hrs in game
Season Match 2
Well this WAS a great game with nice graphics, music, game play and SFX UNTIL the mini game between the main Match game board where one has to click on snowflakes . They are ridiculously fast and I even have a gaming mouse. Well, after 4 tries on this level with NO OPTION to skip, I hit the quit button and came here to write this NEGATIVE review. Challenging is fun, but next to impossible is not. BTW I am a veteran gamer, have played games of many genres and skill requirements and it appears this is obviously either a flaw in game development or maybe even the developers are sadistic. Too bad they lost me on this one (though I own and enjoy their other games) I hope those reading this realize they may not be able to progress in the game due to no skip options.
– Real player with 22.6 hrs in game
Season Match 2 is a very simple game. Every other level is a matching game that does not require any strategy and thought process. It is pretty much a click fest. Typically these levels want you to collect a certain number of colored tiles and unlock the main artifact on the level by also breaking all tile objects in the background. If you play on hard you will be timed, but even on hard I think I may have lost only a handful of times. Between these matching levels you will have hidden object scenes. These consist of you searching for the exact same picture many times throughout the scene that comprises of not much other than an empty scenic view with one castle type of building. These are boring and again very mindless and easy to go through. I did have a few times where I couldn’t find the remaining hidden objects, and when I finally did find it, it seemed to have been due to it being too transparent rather than cleverly hidden in a scene filled with other objects.
– Real player with 22.2 hrs in game
Sparkles & Gems
A really special gem of a game with a perfectly consistent visual aesthetic and a rocking soundtrack. The match 3 puzzle mechanics alone are fresh but familiar. Treasure mode alone is just a fun grind that I can see myself putting a lot of time into in my future.
What makes this game something truly special and likely to make my game of the year list is the story mode. It drew me in quickly as I tried to understand what this game was. The writing feels familiar but also completely original. It’s strange reality depicted somehow feels more true to life than any ““realistic”” story game I’ve played. This game is really unique. Any point of comparison I can think of would be a disservice to just how special this game really is.
– Real player with 12.1 hrs in game
This game is like if Breakout, Bejeweled, and Tetris multiplayer had an orgy and made the ultimate casual game. Each element is familiar but put together really well in a way that makes it fresh and exciting. The gameplay is top notch and super addicting. Games can get really close, and there are often nail-biting moments where you think you’re screwed but barely come out on top. In addition the game is super satisfying to play, which I chalk up to the excellent sound design. Breaking gems and hitting combos never fails to scratch an itch. The music is also really catchy and gets stuck in your head quite easily.
– Real player with 11.2 hrs in game
Block Legend DX
An interesting mix of rogue-like and puzzle game, you take a character on a quest fighting monsters and bosses and earning stars to unlock more stuff. This is a great and well-thought out, simple game that is incredibly addictive. This game is small and will run on just about anything.
And for all of those people who are complaining about how the game isn’t engaging and all that other nonsense….it’s a casual puzzle game. It’s not meant to be played for hours and hours on end (even though I sometimes do that as a distraction to other thigns). It’s a short and simple game, meant to be picked up, enjoyed, and put down before moving on to other things. I don’t really understand why this is such a hard thing for people to understand.
– Real player with 13.2 hrs in game
Normally, I’m a sucker for match-3 games. This one, though, gets a couple of things wrong that push it into unplayable territory.
Firstly, it’s very, very clearly a mobile port. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But to play using items costs “Starbucks” or whatever, which you earn by doing quests. Absent in the steam version is presumably the microtransaction store where you can buy more Canadough to unlock them.
Secondly, it’s not terribly deep. After playing vastly more strategic match-3s like HuniePop (which isn’t very deep, but vastly more engaging than this), this is simplistic, at best. The strategy boils down to “match lots of hearts and shields”.
– Real player with 8.4 hrs in game
Crime Stories : Days of Vengeance
I really like Match-3 games, and this one was no exception. It was, however, infuriating in a lot of ways. There is no pattern to the matches. In most other match games you can set it up so that you cause a cascade of matches, gaining you many points at a time. This game didn’t allow for that.
It is a hard game, and there is no way to make it easier. I frequently found myself cursing the programmers. None-the-less, I persevered and finished it in just under 36 hours.
I am looking forward to joining John in NY! Bring it on!
– Real player with 149.3 hrs in game
This is a very, very challenging Match 3 game. Every level after a certain point needs to be completed twice - once to fail and charge up all of your items, and the second for a chance to succeed. I don’t see how obtaining three stars on levels is possible. Perhaps someone out there can figure this out and post it somewhere.
Still, very enjoyable. Rewarding after playing all of those other super easy Match 3 games. Don’t play this continuously. Take a break and play one of the easier ones … to preserve your sanity.
– Real player with 27.5 hrs in game
Heroes Of Hellas 4: Birth Of Legend
If you liked the previous three Heroes of Hellas, you know what you’re getting. A pleasantly mindless matching game with a hokey mythological story tacked on. I know that might sound a bit condescending, or as if I don’t like the game, but the opposite is true. Sometimes it’s good to just detach your mind from everything else, and seek the help of the heroes to destroy all obstacles to releasing treasure chests!
– Real player with 839.8 hrs in game
Even though I’m officially recommending “Heroes Of Hellas 4: Birth Of Legend,” I’m actually on the fence about it. The gameplay is mostly OK, the graphics are acceptable for a Match 3-ish type of game, and, since it took me 65.5 hours to complete it with all Achievements, the $6 list price means it’s certainly worth the money. My so-so feelings for the game can probably be attributed to my angst over a few of the Achievements and some minor technical issues.
- It’s possible to put the game into a “No More Moves” infinite loop. The game doesn’t check if it’s impossible for you to EVER have a move given your currently available tiles. It’ll just keep re-arranging things until you ALT-F4 out of the game (nothing else works).
– Real player with 65.5 hrs in game
Hiddenverse: Ominous Opus
The game is BROKEN! After performing “Examine the Gramophone”, the game glitches. It’s no longer possible to continue the story arc any farther! I have 13.3 hours into the game.
Do not buy until this gets fixed!
– Real player with 14.4 hrs in game
Beautiful artwork, fine story, diverse challenges, excellent price. And a wonderful relaxed (untimed) option.
However, broken at the grammaphone screen…cannot recommend.
– Real player with 6.4 hrs in game