DragonScales 3: Eternal Prophecy of Darkness

this is as much a psa as a review. [b]dragonscales 3[/b] is a great hex-based match-3, enjoyed it even more than the first two games and the fourth (tetris-like levels with gravity get introduced in this one). gamebreaking bugs got fixed eventually, but [b]only 4 of the 7 games are available on steam individually and they cost more than the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2104530/]1-7 bundle[/url][/b] released recently ([url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/2104530]my review[/url]), so there's no point in buying this. otherwise, [u]adventure mode[/u] has [b]152 regular levels[/b] in 19 chapters, optional 3-level tutorial, 5 boss fights and optional and replayable mini-games. standalone story, you're a mage from gravity kingdom, trying to stop baddies who killed your buddies. new mechanics include [b]falling scales, turning things into tetris[/b]. cascades work, really fun. some levels have to be cleared or covered with a limited set of tiles, very puzzly. [b]power-ups[/b] start unlocking right away, still buy to use, can't be used on boss levels. [b]optional time to beat, timer can be hidden.[/b] it's not paused by bringing up a menu, alt+tab stops it. [b]stars[/b] are optional and sometimes hidden collectibles, match over them or do something to reveal them. [b]badges[/b] are awarded for beating every par time, getting all the stars and completing certain levels without power-ups. endless/random [u]practice mode[/u] is back, plus endless/random [u]gravity mode[/u] with tetris-like levels.

Simple game, kind of interesting. I will admit it hasn't grabbed me, but I do find myself coming back to it. The core game play us that you are given a string of three hexagonal times of different colors that you have to play onto the game board in order. You are trying to create runs of three, which are then removed from the board. There are power ups, quite a few from the look of it, though I have only unlocked the first two so far. There are other things on the map that you are working around or towards, money, stars, stones, so far. As I said, kind of simple. There is a story wrapped around it, which is always a nice touch. More games could profit by the effort to add to add fluff, and it has paid off in this effort. There is clearly a lot to it, and I suspect that if a person were to stick to it, there would be a lot of game-hours spent, always a good thing. That said, one thumb up, I was really hoping for a more conventional match-3 style game, and though I don't hold it against them, it isn't exactly what I was hoping for, or a stellar surprise, just a solid, fun game.