[b]Heart of Moon: The Mask of Seasons[/b] (Match-3)
There are separate sliders for music and sound, plus the option of playing timed (can be changed at any time).
This is a match-3 games that starts off with a hidden object scene. If you hate finding hidden objects, don't worry - there are only a few scattered throughout the game.
[b]GAMEPLAY:[/b]
The match-3 boards are small-to-medium in size, and will take you anywhere between a minute to three minutes each to complete, I'd say. Clear all of the silver and gold tiles to pass each level. Prepare to replay levels multiple times if you're playing timed! The colored tiles are trapped, and they can help or hinder, but you never know which it will be until you make a match over the tile.
Making matches of four or more will net you a super-charged game piece (bomb). Match one of these pieces to detonate it. There are multiple types of bombs, from small explosions to removing all like-pieces on the board.
There are the usual ice blocks, chains, stone, earth and wooden planks that you'll have to deal with, but there's also something very different.
[b]Board Transformation[/b]. Oooo!
This is something I've never seen before, and I loved it. Here's how it works:
There is a button on the bottom right of the levels which will change the shape of the board, moving the pieces around. This often results in cascading matches and opening up areas to make them more accessible. The transformation button recharges quickly - I'd say in about 10 seconds.
There are 200 levels, total, and every 6th level will be something besides matching:
[list]
[*][b]5 Hidden Object [/b]scenes
[*][b]5 spot-the-differences[/b] panes
[*][b]14 "digging" levels[/b]
[*][b]10 Match-3 battles[/b]
[/list]
There is a HINT button available for the hidden object and spot-the-differences scenes, though they take a while to charge. Rapid mis-clicks will cost you some points.
Whether you're playing timed or not makes no difference for these battles; they'll still be played in real time. Make matches as quickly as you can to fill up your meters (three types of attacks + a heal option), and click on the appropriate button to launch your attack. Your enemy will attack you every 15 seconds or so.
These battles are not hard, in my opinion, so if you're nervous about the being real-time, don't let that keep you from trying the game.
Gain [b]resources[/b] (stone and wood) on the digging levels by making matches near the dirt at the bottom of the screen.
I mentioned [b]points[/b] above, so let me explain how that works. Making matches will increase your score per level, and the game tracks your overall points. There are no leaderboards, and it doesn't save your level scores, so the only point of the scores is if you're taking screens to compete against your friends.
You will also earn [b]gold coins[/b] as you play, but whether you play timed or not will not change the amount you gain. Each match-3 level is worth 200 points (at most), and if you re-play, you'll get an extra 10 gold.
Gold coins, stone, wood and various items you'll find as you play are used to [b]restore the island[/b]. Each building you restore will earn you more resources, but like the scoring system, it's rather pointless. Sure it's cool to upgrade the buildings, but you won't really need to work towards anything. Only the battle-related buffs will make any difference. When all was said and done, I had a ton of resources, and nothing to spend them on, so this part really seemed like a last-minute addition to the game.
There are 20 in-game and Steam [b]achievements[/b]
The graphics are very nice, and some of the backgrounds are quite lovely! I liked the sound effects and music, and the voices seemed appropriate. There is a story, and while it's rather thin, it was enough to hold things together.
Overall, I considered this an interesting and fun match-3, and recommend it to fans of the genre!
