Matching three tiles or objects of a color is a deceptively simple task, yet it makes up one of the most common puzzle types you can find among casual games. Yet what seems familiar can turn surprisingly original when the game designers find new ways to turn a puzzle on its head. In the case of Magic Tale, it’s the player who turns the puzzle – quite literally.

Magic Tale adds locked treasure chests and keys into the usual puzzle boards filled with colored potions to be matched. As you swap potions, matched rows of 3 or more of the same color pop and more potions fall into the board from above. What you have to do is see to it that the right potions pop to bring the keys and treasure chests next to each other so that you can click on them, clearing them. Clear a set number of treasure chests within the time limit, and you win the level. In addition, match 4 or even 5 potions, and you get a special lightning potion in their place that can pop entire rows or columns.

But what do you do if the key and matching chest happen to be separated by one or more columns? That’s simply a matter of gravity! The designers have given you the power to rotate the board 90 degrees, either by using the mouse wheel, or by clicking on one of the two rotate buttons on the screen, which I found to be slower and less efficient. As the timer counts down you’ll find yourself frantically rotating the board and matching colors to drop keys and chests into position as fast as possible – and it rapidly gets harder than it looks, as boards with odd nooks and bends show up, trapping keys or chests until you turn them upside down to free them.

As you complete levels, you gradually unlock the various fairy tales that the game refers to, which in turn give you access to special bonus levels. You also get “stars” with which you can buy magic spells between levels. These spells have effects ranging from randomly popping an array of potions, to extending the timer by a few precious seconds. I liked the fact that you can undo your selection of spells after each level and gain back stars to purchase newer, more powerful spells.

The fairy tales associated with each group of levels aren’t anything you haven’t heard before, and the graphics are competent but hardly novel. However, the musical theme is an addictively enjoyable piece of tambourine-tapping work that you can just click to for hours on end.

Magic Tale’s individual game elements aren’t all that original on their own, but put together, it’s one of the most fun and novel match-3 puzzle games I’ve played in ages.

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