Considering that I have spent thousands of hours (and still am) on Gems Of War, this game was a logical choice for me to write a review. However, upon launching the game, I saw that unlike GOW, this is not about deck-building, but rather a roguelike dungeon crawler that combines match-three mechanics with randomly generated dungeons, where you will collect mana, various weapons, and numerous spells, while fighting against a variety of enemies.
The story is as follows: three friends discover a secret temple and, of course, want to explore it and find the mystical Necronomicon. However, they discover that they can only enter one at a time. The sorceress Sonya goes in first and disappears. The paladin Biscuit rushes in to help her, but he also gets lost. And here you step in, the charming little Bungeoneer (pun intended) named Feya.
The principle is very simple. You move through dungeons filled with mana-gems. To open the way to the next room, you must complete certain tasks: sometimes it’s collecting a specific amount of mana of a certain color, discovering secret images on the floor, defeating all enemies, or winning a boss fight.
To defeat enemies, you must match gems of a certain color nearby (when you click on an enemy, it shows you which color hurts them and which heals them) or simply hit them when you are standing right next to them, which I wouldn’t recommend because they will retaliate.
Green gems are wind, red fire, blue water, etc.
By defeating enemies, you will earn EXP which you can use to enhance your character by giving them more attack power, higher damage with a certain color of mana, and so on.
You will also have a plethora of various weapons and spells at your disposal, each tied to a specific color of mana, so you can combine what you need the most. There will also be a MerchAnt, where you can request for a certain amount of mana to search for what you might have missed in a room you haven’t opened.
You can match mana gems by moving your character over them or by selecting a gem and moving it in the desired direction.
Since this is a turn-based game, you have time to think about what you want to do and where you want to be in the next moment to avoid enemy attacks. By matching gems of a certain color, you will absorb mana, which you can then use to cast powerful spells. On the left side of the screen, you can see how much of each mana you have at any time, and on the right side how much each spell costs.
When you win, you absorb all the mana from the remaining gems in that dungeon.
All dungeons in the castle are randomly generated, so you'll never know what lies behind the next door (except for the main dungeon with the boss which has specially designed doors, so you can go to other dungeons to collect weapons and mana before you decide to attack). Once you conquer a dungeon, it remains empty and marked on the map, making it easier to navigate where you've been and where you haven't.
When you die, and you will die many times, you return all the way to the beginning. All rooms are closed again and randomly generated, and you will lose everything you've collected. But once you find some of the lost friends, they remain permanently unlocked and you can use them in new attempts to find the Necronomicon.
The game is charmingly drawn, with cute characters, and the enemies don't seem intimidating (except for their size). I didn't notice any framerate drops even during larger chaotic mana explosions.
The soundtrack is discreet, in a simple loop, and while it nicely complements the style of the game on the board, it can become repetitive and boring over time.
Although this was a bold attempt to combine multiple genres, I must say they succeeded in what they intended. This game may not be for everyone, but I recommend you try it if you have the chance.
A copy of the Switch version for review purposes was provided by the publisher Starstruck Games.
