Being in the IT department of a company, I know all about fixing things. Someone has a problem with their computer, it’s up to me to fix it. Wave my magic technology wand and make it all better. At least, that’s what I wish could happen. If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to fix your problems with the wave of your wand, then you would do well to check out Magic Match Adventures.

Magic Match Adventures is a derivative of the match-3 style of gameplay that has become a bona fide sub-genre all its own: the drag and match game. Like Cradle of Rome, Age of Emerald, and others before it, the point is to connect strings of at least three matching game pieces together to make them disappear. In this game, the goal is to collect enough magical elements to complete your spell. You see, the land of the imps has come under an evil spell, and things just don’t seem to be going right. First, the fishing boat sinks, then the dock breaks, and that’s just the start of their problems. As the wizard of the land, it comes to you to use your magical powers to solve their problems.

As you come upon each problem in turn, you are taken to the game board, in which you begin to collect your spell elements. Along with the elements, blue and green plaques beneath are used to produce blue and green mana. This spell energy can be used to help during the puzzle part of the game. The blue spells will help by re-arranging and re-ordering the pieces on the board. The green spells can be used to destroy obstacles on the board. Things such as locked and frozen pieces will attempt to hinder your game progress. Using your green spells wisely will help you to prevail. Once you have collected the requisite number of spell elements and the potions that they create, your spell will be complete and in most cases you will be transported back to the imp village to fix whatever has gone wrong. But, sometimes you will be required to complete multiple spells to fix the problem This will require playing another puzzle to collect elements for another spell. Also, if you are unable to collect all of the elements before the timer runs out, you will have to play the board again. Luckily, you have unlimited lives, so you will never have to start again from the beginning of the game.

At first glance, this game seems to be aimed at a younger audience. The silly songs that the imps sing throughout the game seem taken directly from a Wiggles concert, and even the first couple of levels seem easy. But soon, you will realize that the difficulty level is up there with the best of casual games, and the story will take a semi-dark turn. If the addictive gameplay doesn’t grab you here, the story will. The graphics are top-notch as well. It’s fun to watch the imps as they go about their daily business in the village, portrayed with fun, if repetitive, animated sequences. The rest of the sound, beyond the singing imps, is nice, but nothing to write home about.

One odd thing that I need to point out is the orientation of the board. Everything is diamond-shaped, as opposed to the usual square-shaped boards. You wouldn’t think this would be much of a problem; matches happen at 45-degrees instead of 90, no big deal, right? What happens, at least in my experience, is you eventually start tilting your head to the right to orient yourself with the board. This has the unfortunate side-effect of cramping your neck after long playing sessions. As I said, an odd problem, but one that affected me nonetheless.

If you are a fan of the drag-and-match style of game, or if you just like a good magical story, you should definitely give Magic Match Adventures a try. Why not click below and download the demo right now? There’s a lot of fun to be had if you do. Someone’s got to get in there and save those imps!

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(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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