Tag: Match three »

Bit Blast Pro commits a cardinal sin in gaming with some over-promising. Fortunately, it repents by offering some pretty entertaining Match Three-style action.

The initial flaw is with the opening menu. It sounds innocuous but Bit Blast Pro offers three items: an Arcade mode, Classic and Puzzle mode. In reality, only Arcade mode is available with the other two unlocked at a later date and with a new update. Immediately, disappointment looms. Take note devs: under promise and over deliver for maximum effect! Fortunately, Arcade mode is pretty good fun.

At its core, Bit Blast Pro might be a Match Three title but it's a frantic, arcade style race to the best high score. Players sweep a finger around the screen to create links between each of the bits on the screen, before watching it explode across the screen. A brief amount of time is added, depending on how many bits are cleared, thus boosting the length of time in which players have to accrue a good score. Bombs appear to destroy everything in their wake, as well as walls that must be knocked down by such explosions.

It's a simple game mechanic but one that works well. The controls are responsive and quite intuitive with sweeping movements easily achieved. An excitable soundtrack that adapts depending on your performance is a lovely move and one that encourages you on to playing ever faster.

Together, it makes for a fun title to dip into on a regular basis. Of course, the lack of extra game modes is a shame because it'd be great to see more variety from Bit Blast Pro. What is there, though, is certainly worth your $0.99, even more so given the Universal compatibility.

The forces of good and evil, Heaven and Hell, are constantly at war. This time around, the conflict is being depicted through a kind of mish-mash of match 3, RPG, and Pokemon. It’s got the looks and it’s got the wacky combination of gameplay elements, but does Angel Salvation hold up under scrutiny? Yup, pretty much.

The general gameplay in Angel Salvation is very similar to most match 3 games with one notable exception: a given gem can be moved anywhere on the board - both horizontally and vertically - over any distance. Matching a given set of gems will power-up a team member of the same color and unleash an attack, which varies in strength based on how many gems complete the set. And individual characters can unleash special abilities when charged that run the gamut from healing to massive direct damage attacks. Then there’s all the collecting. Gems earned through combat and help points earned through, well, combat, can be used to earn new warriors that can then be incorporated into the group. And then enhanced with unwanted characters or evolved into stronger forms once they’ve leveled up enough.

Angel Salvation is a good looking game for sure, but it’s the combination of puzzle gameplay and monster collection that kept me playing until the wee hours of the morning. Matching up those gems and seeing them cascade into combo after combo, then watching the ensuing barrage of carnage is always a pleasure. And collecting, leveling, and evolving heroes is a major hook.

The same care and attention given to the visuals and the matching game hasn’t been given to everything, sadly. Menus are set up oddly at times; the way I can’t double-back to the main Heroes menu from any of the sub menus without hitting Back several times or jumping over to a different menu and back again is one example. The way fairly significant information - such as money required for enhancements - isn’t communicated clearly is another. But the largest issue is the need for a consistent Internet connection. Yes, for some strange reason Angel Salvation is an online-only game. Even though the online elements (namely friends) aren’t a major focus. It's still a great game overall, but being unable to play unless online is majorly restrictive.

Angel Salvation can feel unpolished in bizarre ways at times, and the Internet requirements create a pretty substantial obstacle in certain situations, but the game proper is actually pretty great. It combines role playing, collection, and match 3 elements incredibly well and it can be very difficult to put down when trying to earn enough tertiary characters to level up a favorite.