I have never considered my a casual gamer…. I am a hardcore (see: power) gamer who loves casual games. I follow the video game industry, the same way that film buffs follow the film industry. I want to experience everything. At one point in my life I realized, I hadn’t really played a puzzler since Tetris came out for the original Gameboy (not true, I played Street Fighter: Gem Fighters on Xbox Live).
The biggest reason I have missed out on the match-three puzzle game craze is because I have a Windows Phone. You can’t get Candy Crush on an old Windows Phone. The app store is useless. I want to touch on the match-3 puzzlers I have been playing, why I like them, and why you should too.
Puzzle and Dragons Z/Super Mario Bros. (3DS) ($29.99)- This is where it all started. I have been dying to play this game for a long time but of course my Windows App Store failed me. Nintendo came through in the clutch as always and dropped this classic for less than 30 duckets. Basically Puzzle and Dragon Z (P & D) is a match-3 puzzle game where you can find eggs to hatch dragons and fight the dragons, etc. Instead of fighting for high scores they have built an RPG somewhat like Pokemon to give you progress through a story.
You beat dragons by combining different elements that correlate to attacks. Imagine, you are fighting a water dragon and naturally grass beats water. If you combine 3 or more green orbs it will damage the water dragon. There are lots of different types of orbs and your dragons are also gaining new special powers that unlock through battles. You can also upgrade your dragons and more. That said, there are some weird half naked girl monster things as well….but great game. Mario Bros. puzzle and dragons is a SECOND full game that strays from the story and just has you progressing through levels in the Mario universe. it’s good stuff.
Pokemon Battle Trozei (3DS) ($7.00)- This game was bought on a whim. I wanted a game to replace P & D but still scratch this puzzling itch. Pokemon Battle Trozei is an incredible variation on the genre. P & D is a slow burn with a lot of time to plan attacks. The timer for moves doesn’t start until you pick up an orb. Battle Trozei is the complete opposite. It’s basically a match-3 twitch shooter where speed and split decisions make all of the difference. You are working to get the game to go from regular puzzle mode to trozei mode where the game becomes a match 2 free for all where you are trying to clear the board. It’s madness. It’s a visual rave with copious amounts of ecstasy. Similar to P & D, you fight with your Pokemon who all have different elemental properties and when you beat another Pokemon you catch them. It’s so fun! You have score certain amounts of points to unlock different Pokemon. It’s a special game…and UNDER 10 BUCKS.
Gems of War (PC) (Free)- This is a Puzzle Quest clone (a slow calculated, one move at a time match 3) with a nice art style. The “orbs” are HUGE and almost look soft. They are fun to move. The icons and characters are neat. You are fighting beast and taking over kingdoms. I have not spent a lot of time with this game but it’s a nice change of pace from the next game that I have devoted many a night to….
Marvel Puzzle Quest (PC) (Free)- This game is magnificent. It has an awesome game play loop. You unlock different marvel characters. They fight through different missions that are book ended with cut scenes in a comic book style. The characters can be leveled up. What is great about this game is that the regular quest are always there to progress through but the daily events and special events let you try out new characters and keep everything fresh. I can talk about the interesting story line in this game as well. As a Marvel fan this is some of the most fun representations these characters have seen in a while. It’s very well done. The puzzle portion is solid and fun but it’s almost secondary to the presentation and fan-love.
The last 2 games have really into my free-to-play revolution. I have also been playing Marvel Heroes 2015 and I am just amazed at the quality and amount of content I can get without being hit by a pay wall. You can use all the characters up to level 10. Then pick one and use your in game currency to purchase. I tried Juggernaut and had my skepticism but when it was time to move past level 10 they had a free to do it.
I just love the new models of monetizing games. Killer Instinct Season 2 story mode is amazing. For a free game on Xbox One, it should be a revelation for the fighting genre. Street Fighter V should be free to play. Not the “pay-for-access” DLC machine it will become. I posted the prices on these games to highlight how much value has been gleaned for such a small price. For 37 dollars total I have spent hundreds of hours on these games. Why are we 60 dollars again? It’s amazing!
Thank you for reading! Peace
J3Blackgamer 