Spellarium 7 - Match 3 Puzzle

The following oft repeated hint from the games sums things up nicely: "Follow the right sequence or it will take too long to complete this level!" First off the bat - it simply isn't true (in casual mode there is no timer and no move limits; although this can be changed if you want more of a challenge). And some of the other instructions were oddly phrased too. But it does actually hint at a key point; this actually a match-3 game you have to think about at least a little. I bought it mostly for the different game types: Match 3, Solitare, Mah Jong, Spot the difference. But actually found the match-3 puzzles the most enjoyable. Which in an era flooded by generally dreadful ad-heavy mobile match-3 games was a little bit surprising. There are quite a lot of clever mechanics here, many of which I'd not seen for many years, or at all. I won't go into details, but they genuinely make this a puzzle game in places, rather than just match-match-match over and over. As an example, if you ask for a hint you aren't simply given a move you can make, but a general strategic goal you should be aiming for next. Both the mah-jong tile match and the solitaire games have a 'bank' where you can store one tile/card meaning with a little thought and planning they are hugely more solvable than normal. There are no massive power ups or chains of explosions here. It's more focused on using your noggin and using what you have to best advantage. I genuinely enjoyed playing this all the way through and may well return to it in another game mode to see if it still works as well. If, like me, you enjoyed match-3 games back in the day but are jaded by the endless copy-cat unplayable mobile versions then I can definitely recommend giving this one a try.