Puzzle Hero. Monster Battle

Having played the demo of Puzzle Hero, one can draw parallels to many other games. In Puzzle Hero you collect coins to buy equipment like in Cradle of Rome or you fight with monsters like in Bookworm Adventures, and the game resembles the original Puzzle Quest.  Puzzle Hero combines the basis of match-three puzzles with some light role-playing, tactical and strategic game play. I won’t go as far as to say that the game is ‘innovative’ as it strongly mimics existing games, but it combines them in such a way that deserves a few words of praise.

In the game’s story your brother, Tristan, is kidnapped by Zalock and his evil Army of Darkness, and you have to free him, which instigates a huge battle! You fight against 50 fantastical monsters that guard the road to the Kingdom of Fog.

During a battle, each side takes turns making a match from the chips on the board. Matching swords will create an attack whereas matching potions will help to heal any damage done by your opponent. But the monsters can do the same and to beat the level you must kill him before he does you.

There are other rewards to be earned as well. For example, shields charge your super-shield power-up whereas Minotaur heads help make a super-attack.  Laurel crowns raise your experience and coins can be spent on armor or weapons to enhance your attack and defense capabilities.

You are not limited in time so you can hunt to find the best available combo to inflict the monster with the greatest amount of damage or go on the defensive. In addition, the game grants you an extra turn if you match more than three—but be careful, you’ll lose a turn if you make an illegal move. But watch out, the monsters won’t miss a good combination of swords! There are also boss monsters that are stronger than the normal.

As you progress, you unlock more weapons that you can buy.  Since you see the hero walk and fight, a nice feature that they’ve added is that you have the ability to change your avatar’s appearance in the salon.

In addition to regular modes of play, the game has an Arena Mode where you can battle against any of the monsters you've unlocked during the campaign mode.

All in all, Puzzle Hero is a successful attempt to breathe life into a fading match 3 genre.  It’s a nice mixture of puzzles and adventure, artwork and music. It definitely provides enjoyable entertainment and amusing past time. Adventure and glory await you in Puzzle Hero!